4.0 odd starting issue

hey all i have a rather odd issue thats just started happening about a week or two ago but its not constants? so its been rather hard to replicate and figure out... i have a 2013 tacoma with 128k miles and overall its engine has been good with no issues but a few weeks back it had a rather odd start up when it was cold? where the truck cranked but right when it was about to fire and start, the engine fell flat on its face then gave a small pop/backfire then the engine slowly came to life? its never done this and ive owned this truck since 28k miles so idk what the deal is.... it doesnt idle odd it doesnt have less power (its always been gutless) and its never done this because of the cold so idk what the issues is here.... i read on some old threads that some people say they had a small pop on the 2011 and newer trucks when it was cold because of that little pump we all have but none of them have the issue of the engine falling on its face when trying to start so i cant fully say thats my issue and thats its normal tbh....

so if anyone has any ideas on what this could be that would be great!

 

How old is the battery? With my 2011 the first sign of the battery going bad has been for it to be hard to start just slightly. Once a new battery was installed you could tell that the crank speed was a little slow before battery replacement and after replacement the engine crank speed was faster and it would fire off instantly. Have the battery load tested.

 

i doubt its the battery since the truck is having a backfire and is falling on its face ive had bad batterys and this doesnt sound like a battery issue

 

I had a similar issue a few months back, truck would start for about a second then die, only occasionally. I ran a can of fuel injector cleaner through it and it seems to have helped.
Maybe not your issue but easy to try. The Techron stuff seems to come highly recommended by those in the know in the automotive world.
Beyond that, like @01 dhrracer said, maybe your battery is a little tired and not spinning it over fast enough.

 

ya thats one thing i heard from toyota after talking to them where the injectors could be gettin clogged or leaking or something tbh they are not sure and are wanting me to drop the truck off for a day to check it over

 

Have you ever put spark plugs in it?
If not it's long overdue (reccomended replacement interval is 30k mi)

 

ya ive done that twice i think now? i know i did it back around the time i got the truck roughly at 50k-or 60k i dont remember (before i know about the interval) and i think the last time was a few years ago when a buddy helped me do it but since then no they havent. i did wonder about spark plugs thinking maybe one isnt getting spark correctly anymore and its giving it an odd start but id imagine it would also cause it to miss while at idle or low on power when driving

 

Unfortunately without someone that knows what to look for putting their hands on it it's just a guessing game.
Fuel pressure and scan data would be what I would want to look at first.

 

exactly and ive been looking on the forums and sadly havent found anyone that has had the same issue as what im having which is even more annoying because i dont have a solid lead to go on yet....

the dealer asked to drop the truck off for a night so they could check it out the next morning but atm its my only running vehicle and kinda need it... plus there is always the possibility they cant get the truck to do it again...

 

I will ask once again. How old is the battery? Computers do need a solid stable source of power to operate correctly. If it is not the battery fine but why rule it out when you are the one asking for help?

 

Someone else had a similar issue awhile back but it mysteriously resolved itself...
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/grumble-start.733814/

 

the battery is a couple years old the reason why i dont think its a battery is i use to have a 2019 civic si and i had the battery replaced twice because the oem ones just sucked... and with it being bad it never caused my car to backfire or fall on its face right when it was about to start.... it would just crank for a second then sit there dead until i could get someone to jump the thing

 

damn that sucks it sounded close to mine as well..

 

How many times has it done it?
If only once, don’t get too worried about yet.

I’ve had my truck 12+ years. I’d say I’ve had mine start and shut off immediately.
It’s done it maybe 4 - 5 times since owning. Never an engine light. And always starts right up the next time.

 

atm 4-5 times once was in my garage where it should have been nice and warm it first did it and then nothing for awhile then the last few times were more recent and closer together when it did it

 

Yeah, that sounds more like a problem that needs looking into.
The “pop” definitely is t normal.

 

yup especially since its never done it before and has no just decided to start it ive been talking to a few people here and other places so ive got a few things to look at and see what the deal is


sigh......... its always something with this damn truck...

 

You say it’s always been “gutless”.
If we are throwing around guesses, maybe there is a timing issue?
I mean, I’ve heard pop/backfires and felt low power from timing issues.
But, like I said, just guessing with out seeing any data.

 

its gutless because its a lifted tacoma with heavy armor with 34s and no regear thats why its gutless

 

I'll almost echo this. I did notice towards the end of my batteries life id get weird half starts alot. Sometimes it barely catch and clear itself up. Sometimes I'd fire then die. Once I finally replaced the battery I realized the starter had been turning a bit slower as the battery got weaker. I dont remember any pops specifically I will say.