HARD TO START WHEN COLD

Okay I agree with you there, but I still don't agree with the practice of just cranking an engine over. It may or may not be OPs issue, I'm sure it would still help though, I wouldn't doubt that over a day or two that pressure will probably bleed off back through the pump. Could be a fuel filter too. With only 40k miles on an 08, its probably sat enough to condensate on an empty tank and get some water in the lines. Fuel quality could be poor too. If he's running mid grade, its probably the least used fuel of any gas station, which IMO increases the chance for bad gas.

 

I like how you think!

Nice.


A little input from me...ever cleaned your maf?

 

No arguing there It could be a few things but I think in this situation his Cold cranking amps are weak...it tends to happen during the winter months...if you live in a cold climate CCA are important when shopping for a battery but I'm by no means a battery expert

 

He is in SoCal tho... lol. Cant be much colder than here and I haven't seen lower than 50 yet.

 

Check to make sure the spark plugs are the proper ones for your vehicle. I had a very similar problem (nearly impossible cold starts, ran/started fine afterwards) after having a vehicle repaired (serviced at the same time) in Los Angeles. The next morning, nearly 500-miles away (colder weather), the darn thing just did not want to start. Ran the battery dead (had to have a jump), but it finally sputtered to life. Ran just fine the rest of the day. This repeated over the next several days.

At the end of my trip, a friend (same vehicle), helping jump my vehicle yet again, suggested I try his spark plugs after noticing mine were wet with fuel. I was skeptical, but willing to try anything. Put his plugs in, turned the key, and was shocked when the vehicle started instantly. We quickly noticed the spark plugs were not the same.

Anyway, immediately took the vehicle to a local dealer. He said the plugs installed in LA were not the ones specified. According to him, spark plugs have a temperature/heat range and starting performance will decrease dramatically if the proper ones are not installed. Since the problem disappeared completely afterwards, I have no reason to doubt that.

 

I should have also added, bust out the multimeter and check the battery voltage before you go to start it next time. If low, check for parasitic draw. Charge and then load test the battery and then proceed to voltage drop tests on starter.

 

Do agree with those thinking it's the battery. Sounds like not enough (CCA) cold cranking amps to start the engine efficiently. Take off your terminals and wire brush it super clean and tighten it to a point that you should not be able to wiggle the terminals by hand. If you have access to a battery charger, charge it overnight and try restarting in the morning and see if the problem is eliminated.

 

I have the same problem and my tacoma is brand new. When the temperature drops below 0 deg. C, it won't start on the first attempt. So far I've been just chalking it up to the computer still learning to manage the engine. I had the dealer look into it at my first oil change but they couldn't recreate the conditions.

 

My 11 did this yesterday evening. It was about 40 degrees outside, has trouble starting on cold afternoons / mornings other times too. I'm not even at 20k so I'll wait to bug the dealer.

 

Just saw this was a semi-old post. No help here, starter sounds fine when turning over, doesn't hesitate, has proper voltage, it just doesn't turn on after the first try. Might be the gas? No idea.

 

Absolutely Correct!

The leaking faulty check valve could be allowing the pressure to bleed back to the tank. Or even a leaky injector. Or a small leak in the system. ....

 

Interesting, my old 97 Tacoma may not be started for maybe a month or more, 5AM snowing like crazy +5 degrees open the door start the truck be on my way no problem. There should be no need to "prime" the system the pump runs while it's cranking, the pump is below the fuel and should have instant pressure.

 

fuel lines are pressurized so no need for waiting, if you have to wait then the fuel pump is on the way out
if you have checked the battery and its charged and the battery cables are good and clean then find the other ends of the cables (alternator, starter and grounds) and clean them as well
after that its time to check for codes and see if any sensors are going

 

IMO, it must be something other than temperatures making your truck start slower at 40degrees, because lets face it, 40 isn't cold

I have noticed my truck will hesitate and start rough at around 0degreesF, and this morning I am glad I don't need to use it.....its -17degreesF.

I have no doubt that my pickup would start at -17F, the noise it makes for the first 4 seconds isn't the greatest. I try not to start mine when the temps drop below 0F without using the block heater.

I would say battery issue in your case.

Oh, one more thing. When the temps go from freezing to above daily, this freeze/melt can occur in your gas tank, adding more water than desired to your fuel. This can also make your truck hard to start, hence why people use DEET. It helps to unfreeze frozen gas lines, commonly used up here. During winter, I always try and keep at least 3/4 of a tank of gas in the truck. This greatly reduces the amount of moisture buildup you get on the sides of an emptier gas tank. I learned this lesson the hard way.

 

i bet its the battery, but just take it to autozone and have them test it. if its the original one, i'm betting its on its way out. oem doesn't really last more than 3 years, which is average, but you do get the ones that last 5 or more years, but few and far in between. checking to see if the battery has 12 volts is NOT a way of checking the battery. you need to load test it. eliminate the small easy problems first, then start checking to see if its a bigger problem.

 

It has happened to me twice in the last week. After work both times. Turns at normal speed but does not fire up. I tried the wait 10 seconds and turn key but it did not help me. On 4th try it finally started. ???

 

It's not the battery - my Tacoma has less than 8000 km. Whatever it is, sounds like a manufacturing defect. Possibly a bad batch of fuel line check valves.

There's no need to take your truck in the have it load tested - you can do it your self: If an engine cranks over at a reasonable speed, your battery is fine. Every thing else (ignition, fuel pump, computer, etc.) takes such a small amount of energy to run compared to that starter motor.

 

I have had this issue a few times. I swear I could smell fuel in the air once the truck finally starts. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

I personally think Toyota has screwed something up in recent years. It's a bug not limited to the Tacoma. Remember the days when the Toyota would be the car you could count on always starting in the cold? For instance, my buddy's Avalon survived two Michigan winters on a battery with a dead cell. That bugger made just 10.8 volts if it was fully charged and warm. Somehow it could crank over that 200k+ mile 1MZ-FE more reliably on snowy days than my brand new Honda. Of course, it didn't help that Honda put a 220CCA battery in my car.

The Corolla with the current 2ZR-FE engine has been having quite a few hard start issues like this. I've personally experienced this, although with that car it's even more fun because it continues to crank the engine after letting go of the key.

My Civic used to have bad problems starting in the cold. It never wanted to fire up below 10F (and that's not counting the ignitor failure I had years later). Two changes rectified it: synthetic oil let it crank faster, and new plugs at the start of every winter gapped at or just below the smaller gap spec. How's the factory gap on the Toyota plugs nowadays?

An old trick to try for winter starting was if the first 2 tries fail, on the third try crank the engine with the accelerator depressed. By not firing up the first couple times the engine is flooded and when pushing the accelerator the engine can draw much more air to counter all that extra fuel. Of course, if it does start, take your foot off the gas, revving a cold engine is a no no!

 

K&N filter ?
if it is oiled....


always clean or check the MAF first, troubleshoot the rest later