Hard starting 1997 Tacoma V6?

Thank You!

 

Already done. Motor is in great shape. Problem isn’t motor. It’s fuel or electrical.

 

Alright this is good news
Is there a chance you can run to a parts store and grab a fuel pressure tester ?
I believe autozone lends these tools for free .
It's going to answer a lot of questions for you

 

I have a fuel tester. It’s in New Mexico. I’m in Colorado right now. I borrowed the tester from a local parts store and it was defective. The next nearest is far far away. When the fuel pump went out a couple months ago it had no pressure at any time. I went through full diagnostics as listed in the manuals I have. That included both relays, the one under the dash by the steering column and the one under the hood in the fuse box. This time I have just a trickle of fuel with a cracked line and full pressure once the car starts. (Gusher with a cracked line). I’ll run through the diagnostics on the relays again. I’m suspecting high resistance on the relay under the dash. It’s not a cheap relay so I don’t want to just replace it.

 

Additional diagnostics completed today.

The open circuit relay seems to be fine. (Toyota 85910-35030) I ran through the relay diagnostics and didn't find any problems. After I reinstalled it I tried starting the truck and it started immediately. But... I used the clutch bypass switch and was standing outside the car. It had been setting for about 4 hours. Coincidence, maybe. But I got to thinking about it and looking at the diagrams. The day the really hard starting began I was driving to Wyoming and noticed the Clutch Bypass was lit up. In this truck it doesn't light unless you press it. I don't know if that could be anything but it is on the same diagram as the rest of the fuel system and part of the start signal circuit to the ECM. So looking at that I could have an ECM problem or even possibly a flaky cam sensor. The cam sensor would throw a code you might think but it isn't. So I'm over thinking it. I've also noticed it often starts running after releasing the key. Ignition switch? Just sayin.

 

It starts easy when cold and hard when hot?

 

Misread questions at first. It's easiest when hot but still can be difficult. If it just sets for a few minutes it's usually good. If it sets for an hour it's difficult.

 

Engine coolant temp sensor, maybe

 

Would a leaking injector cause this ?

Sits and leaks while truck is off hard to start.
Might also cause the bit of run time after shut off due to still allowing fuel.

Just a thought

 

That may have been the original reason for asking about this problem. Its something I haven't been able to find much information i haven't been able to find out much about. 4 cylinders yes, 6 no. Its been suspected all along. If you know more, I'm interested.

 

Yes it could, but early on I had a fried injector so i replaced them all with new. A bad injector will give a code. I'm not getting any.

 

Only if it is bad electrically, if it is leaking, sticking, or not flowing properly it won't set an injector code only possibly a misfire or fuel trim code.

 

Found the area of the problem. As listed on page 2 of this Forum topic, I pulled the open circuit relay which is under the dash above the fuse panel. I had tested it earlier when I diagnosed the fuel pump. It tests good. I pulled it and tested it again as listed on page two of this topic. Still tests good. BUT, now the truck starts perfectly. There are two things I'm suspicious of, One is the relay. Intermittent problem maybe. Two is the clutch bypass circuit. I'm still watching that, the problem I thought I saw might be nothing. But as it stands right now, the truck starts just fine cold or warm.

 

On the circuit opening relay pin location 2, the white/red wire is feed from the EFI relay. check for battery voltage there. You might have to wait until she is difficult to start. If good voltage there pull the circuit opening relay and bypass it with a good jumper White/Red to Blue... the fuel pump should run all the time with the key in the ON position. All I am trying to do is to eliminate the control side if the circuit opening relay.

 

Yep, did that when I did the check on the relay and everything was fine. It ran great all yesterday and last night. Coming home last night I noticed the clutch bypass switch light was on again. I did not try to start it after I got to the house. I’m very suspicious of the clutch bypass circuit.

 

these intermittant electrical gremlins sure do test your patience. If you are the only person in the truck, a few single filament bulbs and holders wired in the various check points and just laying on the seat can help quite a bit. See what lights up, see what doesnt light up and see what kind of lights up and if it does it when it should.