Help: Truck starts then dies

I have a 2007 tacoma v6 and recently I have been having trouble starting the truck.

It has been really cold lately and maybe this is the issue? At night it has been getting down to 0 degrees.

The engine cranks then starts then dies right away. I can not even give it gas to try to keep it running.

It has done this to me for about a hour until it finally started and I was able to go to work. And throughout the day it will start up fine. It seems to be only when I leave the car overnight that It won't start the next morning. A few days have gone past and it was working fine until just now I tried it after not driving for 2 days and it is doing the same thing.

Does anyone have any experience with this problem?

 

Does anyone have an idea? Ive been searching all night and can't find a problem similar to mine.

I already cleaned the MAF. Gonna try to clean the throttle body right now

 

Do you have any lights on in the dash? Check engine? That may be the best place to start if you do.

Just by what you are posting it sounds like it may be your fuel bump. It may be weak and looses pressure when left overnight.

 

I did have a code for bad fuel cap and a P0101 code that I had since I bought the truck a year ago. The gas cap is loose and won't get tight because the O ring is bad. I have a new OEM cap on the way. But will a bad gas cap make the truck start sometimes but not all the time like if its left over night?

 

Try some gas dryer/injector cleaner. Something to get the water out of the line. 1 can will do it if water is the issue. The next question can you read any codes?

 

I did try Lucas injector cleaner the day i cleaned the MAF. and i have been driving with that in there for probably about 50 miles or so then I let the truck sit for about 16 hours and it is -1 degrees right now. I was thinking maybe it is cold related?

 

Sounds like it’s cold related. Have you had your battery/ alternator tested yet? If not, you can test them at autozone for free.

Battery is needed to start the truck but after that it’s all on the alternator and maybe it’s not supplying enough juice.

 

I think I can rule out the battery. It is doing its job and starting the truck. But then it instantly dies as soon as it fires. But in my experience if the alternator is bad the truck will still run only on the battery juice until the battery dies then the truck will die

This problem started about a week ago and two days in a row the truck would take about a hour of me trying different things and attempting to start it until it actually would run. Then it will run all day no problem. Start and stop. But once I leave it overnight in the cold it happens again the next morning.

 

Im gonna go out right now at clean the throttle body and see if that helps anything

 

sounds like a fuel supply problem, if it were the fuel pump I think it would just quit and not start at all. if u turn the key to the ON position you can put your ear to the gas filler area to hear the pumping going, if u hear it pumping it should be OK

 

Where do you live?

- Put some methyl hydrate in your tank, and top up with premium (ethanol free) fuel for starters.
- Load test your battery
- Check your alternator output
- Check fuel pressure

 

I live in upstate NY.

I can try methyl hydrate and premium gas. Would there be an issue with mixing that and the Lucas additive i put in?

Is there an easy way to test the fuel pressure?

 

Your call dude, but keep in mind sometimes things aren’t reasonable with vehicles as to what’s causing the problem.

 

gas line antifreeze I would try that

 

If you have recently disconnected your battery try cleaning the throttle body. I had the same thing happen on the camry when i changed the plugs. Cleaned TB and fixed the issue.

 

Gonna go out and disconnect the battery, clean terminals, clean throttle body. Hopefully get it running so I can go to the gas station and walmart to get the methyl hydrate

 

Fuel filter? If you can take it off and blow into it if there is any restriction replace it.

 

Thanks. I will give that a shot next

 

So I just popped off the throttle body. It is extremely gunked up. the truck has 280k miles and it looks like it has never been clean.

I don't have any throttle body cleaner so gonna try to use the rest of my MAF cleaner and a tooth brush and rag.

 

My Tundra has done this a few times, fires then dies within one second. When it has happened I could try it again an hour later and it would start like nothing was ever wrong. When it happened the last time I noticed my battery terminals looked a little corroded, so I cleaned them really good and so far so good.