Engine turns on then dies

Yes I had to replace the computer, but it was under warranty so it just cost me $100 out of pocket. The total bill was around $1800 if I remember correctly.

 

Jeez!!! Yeah I'm not surprised if it cost that much to fix. Hopefully the OP still has his under warranty if thats the issue.

 

i guess im really no help here since i drive a 1st gen but my truck did the same thing and it was the crank shaft sensor...after a few times of starting and hard idling then dieing it just wouldnt start at all...

 

Def out out of warranty lol..mine would start every time it's just that the engine would die after a few seconds. I've turned it on ad off a few times with no problems now. It's idling fine. Only thing is the check engine lights still on. I'll be checking it after work with a scan tool

 

so drove it around the block a bit more and the check engine light isn't on anymore...dafuq? I'm still going to throw an obd scanner on it after work

 

So I successfully made it to work..about 15 miles worth of street driving. Had no issues the whole way, thankfully.

One thing I did notice....for the past year or so when I would use anything with an electric motor (like the fan, the windows etc) my idle would drop and the truck would shake. It isn't doing that anymore!

The idle goes back up to compensate for the load again. I bought the throttle body a while ago and never replaced it with the new one so maybe it has been going bad and it had just finally died? I'd like to hope anyway.

I'll post an update with the OBD codes later

 

thats strange

 

Interestingly strange. It does still sound like an electrical issue though, I still am suspect of the ground to the engine block.

 

Yeah let us know what code it is throwing.

 

Why did it cost you $100 if it was under warranty?

You have a 2012... it should still be under 3/36 and there should not be any "Toyotacare" deductibles.

 

I'll post em in a few hours. Regarding the CE light being on, I bet that came on when I tried to start the engine with the MAF unplugged as well as the throttle body...which would also be why it went away

 

Well yeah, if you tried to start it with those disconnected, you will set a light.

 

So the scan gave back two codes
P0102
P0113

Which are MAF sensor codes..probably because it was unplugged. Truck is still running fine. We'll see tomorrow morning. Maybe, if I'm lucky, it was a bad throttle body and I got lucky for having a spare

 

Yeah hopefully your good to go know.

 

turned on fine this morning again. It was either a dirty MAF or bad throttle body. MAF has been cleaned and throttle body replaced. My guess is the computer in the truck hadn't recognized one or the other changes.

 

Good to hear.

 

I know for a fact, when you unplug the battery for more than a few minutes, and then reinstall and turn the truck on, it'll die the first time you try to start. Then the second or third time, the RPM will idle above 1000 in drive and around 1500 in park. It's just the computer remapping the A/F mixture, which has a lot to do with the MAF. I'm guessing unplugging the MAF sensor also resets this.

Like others have said, I'd check all the grounds for corrosion. Also, try cleaning off the terminals on the battery and where the engine ground to the frame.

 

I actually did this a few months ago. I am almost certain this was the MAF or throttle body. I am looking into a new cold air intake. I have the K&N which ehh..whatever, I cant pass smog now. I never really noticed any gains, just a loss of mpg

Who knows, maybe back to stock is the best idea.

 

That is not 100% on all Tacoma trucks. I have had several in my shop, from 1st gen and 2nd gen, that started right up and idled fine, even after the battery had been disconnected for anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 hours.

 

I wonder what the variation is? I can understand 1st gens being different, but why would only some 2nd gens do that and not others?