Truck randomly dies while driving or won't start until an hour later

I have a problem that the mechanics are not being the slightest bit helpful, so I'm hoping this community can help me out. If anyone knows of a thread I can, let me know.

I have a 2009 V6 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 with 88k miles that I've had for a few years without any problems. About a month ago, I started having troubles starting my truck. It will turn over, but not fire up; jumping it with another car does nothing also. If I wait an hour (give or take), it will randomly fire up and work as if nothing was wrong. I'll go a few days and then it'll happen again.

I drove 3 hours out of town and back and it stopped for about 1-2 weeks. It then decided to die will driving. It appeared to just lose power and die. It then began doing the same problem of not starting for an hour (approximately) and then it works again for a few days.

A proper sized battery was placed (I had an underpowered one), alternator was within normal limits (per Les Schwab), and I replaced the spark plugs yesterday. Today, it was working fine all day, making multiple stops while doing my errands, and then it decided to not start again while at a friends house. I'm pretty sure the spark is fine, so I think its either a fuel or air problem. No codes are being produced and no check engine lights are coming on.

Has anyone had a similar problem and what did they do to help rectify the problem? If you have a questions, please ask. I'm looking for any help I can get. Every time I take it to the Toyota dealership, they say they can't help since its working at the moment. They say there's too many possible things that could be wrong with it so they wont even bother checking it.

I know the fuel pump could be going bad, but what else could cause something like this?

Thank you for reading.

- Allen

 

Every time you go to start it, leave the key in the on position for a few seconds first. See if you hear the fuel pump. Maybe you'll find a correlation there.

 

What about the immobilizer in the key? Don't know if that would cause it to die after it's started though. Do you have a spare immobilizer key (the fat one)? If so, try using that one.

 

I only have 1 key for the truck, never got around to making a copy.
Do I hear the fuel pump listening to an open gas tank door? I know some basics, but I'm not super mechanically savvy.

 

CPS is my wager.

 

My buddy had a chevy cobalt that did the same thing. I cant remember if it was the computer or voltage regulator. but could be a blown fuel ignition fuse.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/efi-fuse-blows-when-i-try-to-start-my-pickup.237967/

 

How would that create an intermittent issue? Fuses don't fix themselves that I know of?

 

Have some one scan it. See what shows up if any thing.

 

Whats CPS?

 

One of the times I was at the dealership, they plugged in their computer to it and scanned it. It did not show any codes/errors via the computer scan.

 

After reading the title, I thought you must have accidentally posted a 3rd gen problem in a 2nd gen forum. I was mistaken.

I wonder if it could be multiple problems. A bad battery is hard on your starter. I wonder if having an underpowered battery has your starter slightly shittered. That doesn't explain the dying while driving, but it's a thought.

 

https://youtu.be/WdldGv40dS8
Sometimes you can hear it from inside the truck. Should be a low humming sound when the key is turned just past the auxiliary position. You can also crawl under the truck and listen, if you don't hear it, while someone else cranks it, wack the bottom of the tank with a wood block a few times, sometimes that'll unclog it for the time being. You might have sediment in your tank that's clogging it, or the pump might be bad. try flushing your tank, if that doesn't help, might be time for a new fuel pump.

 

That's a nice video, thank you. Could the fuel pump being still partially functional, but in the beginning stages of failing which would in turn cause the intermittent problems? About an hour later now and it started up again without any problems and is running normally.

 

Does it do it more often when gas tank is full or empty or equaly at all fuel levels?

 

Crank position sensor

 

^^
This.

I've had this happen on various vehicles in my 45 years of car/truck ownership across several different manufactures.

Fuel sending unit.

 

I believe the immobilizer deactivates after start up. I remeber when i installed my remote start that the truck would stay running even after i pulled the key out of the ignition. I tested this before i installed the key bypass. Without the bypass or key inserted in the ignition, the engine cranks all day but theirs no fire to start it.

I still wouldn`t rule out the possibility of a immobilizer issue but the only thing that makes me think otherwise is that it dies some time after startup.

 

I haven't looked specifically at the fuel levels, but from what I recall, it appears to do it evenly across all fuel levels. It's happened at full, 1/4, and somewhere in between from what I can remember.
So could the crank position sensory be intermittent like this while also not producing a check engine light or codes?

 

I bet it's the fuel pump.... happens during startup, while driving, and intermittent

 

Any way to detect that the fuel pump is failing while its playing nice and working? Like if I took it to a mechanic and asked them to test it?