Hard starting with warm engine

Recently I have been having intermittent hard starting issues with my V-6 2016 Tacoma with 12k miles. Cold starts have never been an issue. The hard starts happen with a warm engine that has been sitting anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more. The engine will turn over for several seconds but not fire. It just keeps turning until I push the "start" button to stop it. I wait a few seconds and push the button again. It always eventually starts. It has taken up to four attempts. Twice I saw a "Check starting system" warning on the display.

I had the dealer's service department check the problem Monday. They couldn't duplicate the hard starting. They reset the computer and suggested I try buying gas from a different station. They also said to call back if the problem continues and they may consider replacing the fuel pump.

The same problem has reared its head again. Before I make an appointment with the dealer, I would like to know if anyone else has had this issue. If so, how was it resolved?

 

You issue sounds like what's called a "hot soak" and is usually fuel system related. Do what the dealer says and try different gas stations and different grade qualities and reschedule if issue persists. I'm not aware of anyone here having this issue.

 

If it happens again, have your phone ready and shoot a short video so the tech can see exactly what is going on, and present them with evidence. It will help them diagnose better if it isn't fuel.

 

Use only top tier gas.

 

Highly agree with the video. There were multiple times on my van, where they said we need to replicate. I pulled the video out and showed them and said I don't want to hear we can't reproduce. Here's the evidence and fix it...and they did.

 

Thanks for the tips! Will be switching gas. Also will video the start ups.

 

what exactly defines top tier gas?

 

http://www.toptiergas.com

 

Top tier gas means its performance/quality meets the specification required by several major auto manufacturers and Toyota is one of them. Gas stations usually have a sign saying "Top Tier" if they sell such fuel.

 

I had this happen once, hot start truck was off <5 minutes. Took 3 tries before it finally caught and turned over. After that one time it hasn't happened again since.

 

Brought my truck to the dealer today after the intermittent starting problem continued despite changing gas brands and octane. I was ready to show videos of my hard starts, but the tech had the same problem starting the truck. Apparently after consulting the Toyota Tech Line, they decided to replace the Crankshaft Position Sensor. The sensor will be installed tomorrow. Hopefully this will resolve the problem.

 

Ah yes, the CPS saga continues. When was your truck built?

 

I have had this happen several times in the past. After diving into the issue, it went away. The EFI relay and the fuel pump resistor were the two items in question when I was researching. These issues were also in the heat of summer, same conditions, I think it was usually a warm block when starting.

 

Build date was May 6, 2016. I've looked at the CPS thread, but I don't recall seeing this starting issue before.

 

Sub'd for outcome on this one..

 

The CPS was installed yesterday. Turns out that wasn't the problem because I had three hard starts later in the day. One of the starts took four attempts and a warning came up "Check Charging System". Called the dealer and they will contact the Tech Line again on Monday and let me know what the next step will be. Stay tuned...


For those interested in the bad CPS issue (thread: "Imminent Crankshaft Position Sensor (CPS) failure in 2016s?"), the dealer gave me the CPS they pulled from my truck. I compared it to the photos on the thread posted by CanyonRunner on 11/7/16. The sensor pulled from my truck (built on 5/6/16) matches the photos of the "new" version of the sensor. It has the hash mark, the "8", and an id number that starts with "0971".

 

Thanks for the update, and I hope they get you fixed up soon!

Frank

 

The dealer has decided to replace the fuel pump next week. They will then drive and let it sit for different time intervals and restart it to make sure that the problem is solved. Hopefully, once again. Want this issue behind me!

The problem seems to have a pattern of when it occurs. If I stop for a few minutes, like for buying gas, it almost never happens. It almost always happens after a longer drive with a long shut off period, like 30 minutes up to 3 hours. Can almost guarantee it will happen after those long but still warm shut offs. It will then take two to four attempts before starting.

 

Just so you know, this is 99.999% because the truck ignition was in the "on" position after a start attempt but the truck was not running, so the alternator was not turning.

It's the exact same thing as this:

I'm sure you've seen it plenty of times before. Like if you've ever stalled a manual transmission car.

Apparently Toyota really shat the bed on making their info display show that message. It's been something a number of people have posted up about, some really bitching about how they must have a lemon. To me it seems pretty obvious, but then again I am pretty tech savvy.

 

Sounds like it would be more along the lines of; coolant temp sensor, thermostat, and/or maf related.