05 2.7 problem...sort of

ok, so this has happened twice in the year and a half i've owned my truck. its really dumbfounded me. it happened just this week, then once in the summer. over the summer, we had a streak of like 5 days of no rain. so i rode my motorcycle and the truck sat for a good 3 days straight. when i went to take my truck out, it wouldnt turn over. made a strange sound, the best i can describe it is it sounded like when you crank a car over while performing a compression test on the motor. it sounds like no spark or fuel, its just cranking. so it did that the first few times, then it slowly started sputtering and cranked over, but was misfiring like no other. then it stopped missifiring, and then the battery light came on. this is all in a matter of less than a min. so i drive to advanced auto to get my charging system checked out. before i get to there, the battery light goes off. they check everything and its perfectly fine.

now lets fast forward to yesterday, same situation. i had the truck sitting for almost 3 days, when to go start it and bam...the exact same thing happend. so i drove to advanced again with the battery light on but this time it stayed on until i got there. they checked it and everything checked out fine. as they finished up, the light went out again. this is very strange to me because any other time no matter the weather or conditions, i never ever have a problem starting up my truck. any ideas or what could be causing this?

2005 2.7, 66K miles on it. every oil change i throw a bottle of fuel system cleaner, the air filter is new, still factory plugs. as for the chargning light...i really have no idea. i dont understand what could be tripping that light if the system tests out perfectly fine and have no issues at all.

 

Still original battery?

 

yes still oem battery but the tests say its still fine as well. i didnt think it was the battery because both times this happend the truck still cranked, it just didnt sound like there was any spark or fuel present.

 

IMO their battery test sucks, I went to replace a battery 3 times (not with the Tacoma) everytime their battery test would say its fine and they would not give me a new one under warranty. Ended up buying a battery someplace else.

 

but if it was a battery not holding a charge, would the truck still crank away tryin to start?

 

Depends on the battery level.

But from your description, your problem sounds fuel related.

 

Almost sounds like your fuel system is losing its prime. Not sure how that happens on a pressurized fuel injection system however.

 

Its your battery not holding a charge. Weak crank is battery related. Battery life is 3-4years, so you are ready for battery replacement.

 

What leads me to think is fuel related is that he said that after the truck started it was misfiring, so I think the battery level is dropping because he kept cranking, so after the trucks starts the battery is a bit low (battery light comes on), then after driving it gets charged light goes off, and test at advanced auto shows no problem on battery.

You could get a cheap voltmeter and check the battery before starting the engine for a couple of days, to see if the battery is holding charge or not.

 

Too much cranking = too much fuel in combustion chamber = light misfire.

 

true! you are right

 

true, but why would it keep cranking with a no start condition to begin with? also, there was no CEL or anything like that.

 

Does the truck run perfect every other time? I guess I would start with a voltage test on the battery after it has been sitting for a few days, before you try starting it. Otherwise than that, maybe try 4 new plugs. My advice would be to use factory plugs, or a well trusted comparable brand. Keep us informed!!

 

yeah it runs perfect besides a rattle i cant track down. no starting issues/power issues at all. next time i get the opportunity to let it sit for a few days, i'll check out the battery with a volt tester. maybe next weekend i'll pull the plugs and see what they look like, because i know that these plugs are good for at least 80-90K miles.

 

i understand that, i just have a hard time thinking its the battery when it cranked and cranked no problem or hesitation. the engine turning over and firing is what hesitated.

 

nah, i just had a key copy made for like $4 so im going to assume not.

 

I know its off subject, but does this rattle happen to be around 2,000 RPM, or most noticeable in 4th gear around 40MPH?