2004 Toyota Tacoma dies after I fill up with fuel.. more below

2004 Toyota Issue.. anyone ever experience this...
Truck is a Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab 2004 with 337,000 miles, very well taken care of and babied. All maintenance required is done for Torie the Toyota. I have had her since she had 30,000 miles.

AFTER FILLING UP WITH FUEL (and I don’t top off the tank, just let the handle click and I turn off)
The engine cranks, runs a few seconds, dies.
Then when I restart is takes long to actually start and sounds like needing gas (to the point where you want to pump the gas pedal and help). It will start, but takes a bit of turning it over...

I have replaced the fuel cap. That was not a fix.

I have tried just taking off the fuel cap, waiting the amount of time it takes to fill the gas tank, put it back on, and it starts just fine.

I can leave the engine running, fill the tank and it never dies during that.

Does not have issues starting any other time, to date.

Okay..... please ask me any other questions...

Thanks in advance for your time. Angie

 

Makes me think you might be looking at a fuel pump issue, especially at that mileage. Or fuel filter maybe? The fuel filter on the v6 is incredibly easy to switch out yourself, just youtube search it. Replacing the fuel pump though will require more skill, or a professional. Interested to see what others have to say though.

 

The fuel filter was changed 5,000 miles ago... I will add fuel pump to my list of things to have my mechanic check into. Thanks

 

Couple of things it might be. Could be the Fuel Pump, fuel filter (Really cheap and easy to replace on a V6) or the fuel cutoff valve.

 

Sounds like purge valve could be bad.

 

Purge valve... okay. will add to the list. Never heard of that little creature. Thanks. Angie

 

check the quality of fuel from the schrader. I had something similar in a buick, and it was h2o in my fuel

 

cut off valve is on top of the fuel tank. When it goes bad (usually a crack at this age) it floods the EVAP canister, triggers the purge valve and won't start 'till the ECU tells all is well again.

Smoke test at a mechanic shop usually tells what you need to know under these circumstances.
It CAN be done at home. I found it easier to just pay someone and I don't do that lightly.

 

This one. Wouldn't a scan via ODBII indicate this or at least the error code?

On a side note: does the 1st gen have a fuel vapor return line from the engine back to the charcoal canister then into the fuel tank?
In my uber super sedan, that return line got clogged with the charcoal bits but the system caught it before it became a problem. $750 repair...

 

Oh, I did fail to say the computer didn't show a code this Friday when I took it to my mechanic and the Service Engine Light does not come on...

 

may and may not. confusing I know. If crack is venting to atmosphere the ECU may not know a malfunction is taking place and that usually just gives a 'not ready' status to the EVAP system.


Or we could be off track, it is only being affected after a fill up though and that valve is there for fill ups.


If your charcoal can was saturated, I'd say it (the ECU) would know and throw a code, if the purge valve was stuck or malfunctioning, I'd think it would throw a code.

 

yes. All kinds of rubber bits that are getting old and could potentially be leaky or plugged. hence smoke test.

 

That happens to my 04 from time to time. what ever it is, all fix it when it breaks.

 

I lived with this for a couple years. Exact same symptoms and never threw any codes. Several knowledgeable people told me it was a saturated charcoal canister, but I didn't want to spend the money so I just kept it running at the gas pump. But after a couple years of that it started to sputter and die during fueling. Last month I got a new frame and had them throw on a new canister along with all the other stuff I had done with the free- and reduced-labor charges associated with the frame swap.

Problem solved.

 

Purge valve
When you fill the tank the gas fumes are saturating the intake system causing a rich condition. Hold pedal about 3/4 down when you start it. Should help until you get it fixed.
And/or charcoal canister.

 

Did you ever find out what was wrong? My 02 2.7 with 320k miles just started doing the exact same thing. Runs great & starts fine every time except after I fill up. It started a few weeks ago where the idle would dip & almost die right after I started it then everything would be fine. Today after fill up it did die & took a bit of cranking to start back up.

 

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My 03 does this too. If I pull the hose going to the air box off the port prior to filling up, my truck will start right up when I'm done fueling. I replaced the charcoal canister as well as the fuel tank (due to other issues) so I know it's not those. I also replaced one of the VSVs under the hood. The issue still exists. Also, when I shut the engine off hot, it will do almost the same thing when I go to restart it after sitting for a few minutes.

Maybe these details can help somebody help us solve this..

 

my bet is still overflow valve. smoke it.

 

get a new fuel cap? see what happens when you try and start the truck without the fuel cap when you know it will take a long time to start up.

my honda does this when it's on E. I'm attributing this to the fuel pump/strainer though.