99 3.4L Hard start then dies immediately.

Hello, I have a ‘99 3.4L V6 that I just picked up. Owner said it died while driving. So far I have replaced the fuel pump, and fuel filter. I can feel the efi relay kicking on, as well as the open circuit relay. Every couple tries it will hard start but it will start for 2 seconds and then die. Battery is good too. Any ideas?

 

What are the MIL codes currently on it?

 

Spark, Fuel, Air, and Compression are the big 4. I worry about compression after all the listed below \/

I'm assuming you have good crank (ie checked (+) connections at stater, alternator and battery for corrosion and tightness). I would then check for actual fuel at the rail. Check throttle blades for good movement. Check oil level. Check for coolant. Run through the spark wires for good connections, add a little seafoam and start.

I find if things sit for a while, they can really suck battery power even with a new battery. So at the same time, Ill jump start them so I know I have enough crank power to blow out any gummy material and get things turning.

Also not a bad idea to run through the fuses to double check.




*Sometimes I found that an accessory is seized, and you can hear belt squeal, or see belt debris. Steering pump, Alternator, generally. The A/C can cause problems at the crank, but generally they burn out but don't seize. Sometimes they can cause a start then stall scenario.

 

Do a compression test.

For those 2 second when it run, how does the engine sound? Smooth or stuttering?

Might be a bad sensor if it's able to start. Maybe MAF?

 

With key on it has its check engine but with a scanner on it I can’t get it to run long enough to give me any info. All the fuses are good.
Pulled a plug and definitely have spark. Also pulled the supply hose on the fuel rail and have plenty of fuel, now at least. It was building up pressure in the gas tank but that stopped after replacing the fuel filter.

When it runs it doesn’t sound exactly right, so my brother is thinking it could be something timing related. This weekend we are gonna check on that. Ran out of time to finish on Saturday but will definitely keep updated as soon as we get to work on it again this weekend. (Also, will clean up the MAF, and do a compression test.)

Thank you so much for the help!

 

It will pull codes without the engine running .

Then if the battery was disconnected the codes are cleared

 

I have a friend who picked a non- or barely running 3.4L Taco recently. Its timing belt was missing teeth; it was grossly out of time. Perhaps that's your problem.