Infamous Warm Start Issue- Can we end it?

You have been fighting this thing if you know what I'm talking about. This might be the first problem I've ever encountered that the internet cannot solve or answer...not ONE thread out of the hundreds I've read has reached a conclusion.

Truck starts when cold...you drive it around and do your errands, get back in- and it takes a couple cranks to start it back up. And I mean cranks not revolutions. As in having to turn the key multiple times for it to start. No CEL. A million things that it could be. I want to make this thread to combine all of the other threads I have read and we can sort through this and skip the B.S. So I'm asking you to just list what you have done and what has and hasn't worked. I will list all the suggestions I have heard of.

Mine is a 2003 2.7L Pre-runner btw....I have heard this problem from most 96 Tacoma owners and 1st generation owners.

New Plugs
IAC valve (replaced it- didn't work..but it was non OEM)
Unplug the IAT (works for many- but mine is built into the MAF sensor)
Clean Throttle Body
Clean MAF (personally did it and didn't work)
Clean Crank Position Sensor
Change the Injectors (personally did it and didn't work)
Charcoal Canister (only one that has been mentioned but never done)
Change fuel pump (didn't work for most)
Heat wrap or re-route the fuel line
Dirty Valve problem (mentioned once in a thread)
Clogged gas tank and vent lines
EFI relay?? (I'm not a mechanic)
Bad wiring harness for fuel pump

Just throwing some research I've done into one thread and hope you guys can too. If any of those have been done that are mentioned and they worked- please mention it. Anything new I didn't mention please share? If we find the solution I'm going to post it on every thread and hope it's everyone else's solution!

Thank you guys!

 

Mine was the idle air control valve (IAC or IACV). I cleaned it, and it didn't fix the problem. Then I replaced it with an OEM IAC valve, and have not had even a trace of a warm start problem ever since.

 

Ah, good to know...I also replaced my IAC but it was NOT OEM. Thank you for the reply

 

have you read this thread: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacomas/354399-engine-swap-hard-warm-starts-94.html

might be worth starting around page 85 and read through to the solution found to be the problem. maybe it helps maybe it don't since that one is 3,4 but its worth looking if nothing else, just for ideas

 

Looked it over and unfortunately it doesn't much apply to mine. Looks like this one is based off of a mod someone did on their engine swap. I learned some stuff from it, so thank you for the share, anyway!

 

Whats your definition of a "couple of cranks?"

 

If it is just a "couple cranks"(meaning 2? turns of the crankshaft) when hot,,then you have zero problem. As a matter of fact,,anyone would give there lunch cookies to have that, and one person would bake you MOUNTAINS of cookies for that,,lol.

3-5 crankshaft rotations is about normal hot or cold,,give or take one. Some will disagree,,and go right ahead on that.

 

Yea but it will be funny watching him toss a few pay checks worth of money at a problem that just about evrey internal combustion engine has.

 

Just went through this with my 99 3.4l that has 210xxx mi.
Same symptoms.
After letting it sit for ~15min (the same amount of time that it would usually have a hard start) I pulled all the spark plugs and noticed a few of them had fuel on them. I replaced the injectors and that has cured the hard warm starts.
I believe a few of the old injectors where bleeding off pressure into the cylinders.

Previously I tried a lot of the other common fixes. Clean TB/IAC/intake, plugs/wires, vacuum leaks, ECT sensor. All of that had no effect on the hard warm starts.

 

It is, in fact, two cranks maybe 3. Guess I just didn't expect that to happen to a truck with 94K miles but then again it does have some age. I also replaced the spark plugs AND injectors but didn't have a change in the issue. As far as throwing some paychecks at it- I stopped with the plugs and the minor DIY fixes- now I'm here asking for some advice so I don't get thrown in the money pit lol.

 

I'm pretty sure most new cars will take 3 cranks to start after getting them warmed up. Is this your first car?

 

I have a 99 3.4 which has an intermittent starting issue. It does it mostly when cold, but has done it when warm as well. I will be trying some of these remedies and will update progress on my situation.

 

depends on perception of new. The truck is 12yrs old and that's not too old but not "new" either. Regardless, I personally have and own other vehicles and they do not take 3X to crank. It's a trend with these 1st gen tacos to do this so I want to know the why. Still fortunate to have a vehicle that runs but would be slap happy if it cranked on a dime!

 

Money saved is a bonus, usually doesn't work that way.

 

The fuel pump on many cars start when the key is in the ignition position, not mine. On my Tacoma, the pump only runs when the starter is cranking, or when the motor is running. Hence the slight delay in starting. I think its a crash safety feature.

 

Kinda funny, mine takes 3ish to start cold and 2-5 to start warm. Runs well otherwise and plugs looked good when pulled (normal change interval). I think it may just be a characteristic of this vintage of Toyota computer controlled EFI systems.

 

Every once in awhile I get a two crank start with the right conditions. Our dumbish Ecu's don't help us much,,but it will get you there in a timely and reliable fashion.

A nice hot battery can help the issue a bit better.

 

It's all starting to make a little more sense and not seem like that big of a deal- a lot of us have the same problem but still get point A to point B- I can't complain. But still, if anyone finds the magic "fix", I'm all ears

 

Hmmm. Wonder who that ONE PERSON is Mod?

 

None other than the Crazy Cookie Lady!.