Truck wouldn't start, towed, then started...

So last Saturday night, I hopped in my '03 double cab to head to the store. Turned the key and it began to fire up (true to Toyota form, it takes around 1 1/2 seconds of cranking to fully start). All of the sudden the pitched changed and it wasn't doing anything. Well, it was doing something. It was still turning over, but it no longer sounded like the engine was firing.

I turned off the key, waited a few seconds, and tried again. The starter was still turning over, but the engine wasn't firing at all. I let it sit until the following day. Went back and tried again twice. Same exact thing. It sounded like the starter was trying to kick it over, but no combustion was happening in the engine. My first thought was either no spark or no gas. Maybe a bad fuel pump, but I'll be the first to acknowledge that I'm not a mechanic.

I ended up calling my insurance company and they arranged to have a tow truck tow it to my mechanic. When the tow truck came, they brought a regular truck and not a flatbed (despite me telling them that it was a 4WD). The tow truck driver assured me it wouldn't do any harm to tow it. He hooked up from behind (I'd pulled front first into the garage). Once he got it out of the garage, he put the ass end way up in the air and headed to the garage. It was about a 9 mile trip.

The mechanic got to it a few hours after it was dropped off (probably around 3-4- hours later). He called me and said that it started when he tried it, but it was smoky and acted almost like it was flooded.

He checked the spark plugs and found that they were pretty dirty. He also said they were 'real gassy,' which I took to mean that there was plenty of gas getting to the engine. I asked him about the fuel pump and he said he's heard of fuel pumps stopping, then starting to work again after they get knocked around a little bit (either by getting towed or someone banging on the fuel tank, according to him).

Since I was already looking at a bill for changing the spark plugs, I went ahead and had him change the fuel filter as well (I figured for an extra 50 bucks, it wouldn't hurt). When I picked up the truck today, he showed me one of the plugs and it was really dirty. The whole top was covered in black soot (but again, I'm no expert so maybe that's always how they look after they've been used for a while).

My question is, what can you think might have been the possible issue that miraculously cured itself after getting towed eight miles and do you think there's a good chance of it happening again sometime soon. Or, did we solve whatever it probably was by changing the plugs and fuel filter? I'm trying to weigh the possibilities of getting stranded this weekend on a trip across the state (plus, I'm just curious). Thanks in advance.

 

might be the fuel pump or fuel regulator but when was the last time you replaced the fuel filter?

 

Well, I looked back through the service records I got from the dealership when I bought it almost 3 years ago. I can't find anything that says that the fuel filter was ever replaced.

I had them replace it yesterday, just in case. I was wondering if maybe towing it would have unclogged whatever might have been clogging the fuel filter, if that was even the problem. The gas tank was half full and since he lifted it so high into the air, all that fuel plus gravity would have been pushing toward the fuel filter. I don't know if that's even a possibility, but maybe that was it.

 

It sounds like it was getting plenty of fuel. That eliminates bad pump or fuel filter. Something was preventing ignition. That's about all I can offer.

 

Have you checked the battery and battery terminals for corrosion? A little bit of corrosion in the terminals can make a truck either not start, start and stop intermittently, or drive like your transmission is about to blow.

 

It's been a few months, but it was fine last time I checked. I'll check again though.

FWIW, I drove it around town today and back home again on the interstate. Smooth driving (maybe just a hair smoother than before, but that could just be in my head).