Long crank times when hot.

So I have a 96 4 banger and with the high mileage but she still drives good. The problem I'm having is it cranks up right away on cold starts but if I drive it a bit and say stop to put gas and turn it back on it takes like 5 cranks to turn back on. If I were to let sit for like 15 min it'll crank right back up. Any ideas what to look for?

 

Also doesn't do it if it's really hot outside just if I drive it and does it every time.

 

Hard starts.
Interested in doing a tune up? I have some suggestions.
Spark plugs (OEM) properly gapped and replaced if needed.
Ignition coils checked and replaced if needed.
I would continue tuning up..
Spark plug wires if they are old.
Air filter
Fuel filter if you think that you need a replacement.
Clean the MAF sensor.
Clean the throttle body.
Clean the Injectors.

 

I've done all this already except take the injectors out for a cleaning. But I guess this should be my next step

 

Maybe try a new coolant temp sensor; they’re cheap enough. Good luck!

 

Does it start okay if it's at operating temp and you turn it off, but start it again right away? Or, you let it sit for more than 30 minutes?

If so, that's a sign of a leaky injector(s). If truck sits for 10-20 minutes, enough fuel leaks into the cylinders to produce a high fuel/low oxygen (too rich to ignite) condition. The extra cranking purges the excess fuel.

 

I had similar problems with my truck. Would crank a lot longer if it sat for about 30mins. Thought injectors but it was actually a bad fuel pump. That was an aftermarket pump and not OEM though.

 

No it's at operating temp it won't start right back up takes a couple cranks to get it going.

 

You know i thought about that too any good way to check it?

 

So I took the injectors off this morning went and got them tested but they flowed good and didn't leak also got new screens and o-rings since I was there. I guess I'll try the fuel pump next when I get a chance.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/strange-1997-tacoma-3rz-misfire.703442/#post-26567691

 

I’m having this exact problem with my ‘99 4cyl. When this happens, I’m able to get it to start with starter fluid.
Did you ever figure it out?

So far I’ve tried coolant temp sensor and fuel pressure regulator.
In recent years I’ve replaced the MAF, fuel filter, injectors, and spark plug wires. I just ordered a new fuel pump.

 

Had the same problem on my '96 2.7L. Any stop in hot weather would require either a lot of cranking or a cool down period before I could get back on the road. Can't say for certain that the problem was a faulty MAF, but one day the truck started running rough with low power so I did a scan that pointed directly to the MAF. Replaced it and all is good - no more hot start issue.

Have you scanned for codes?

 

Wow that’s great that it went away after the MAF replacement! I actually had to replace my MAF a few years ago after I kept stalling out. Tried to replace it with two different ones from the store (they worked for a couple start ups and then quit) before I wound up having to get one direct from Toyota and all my problems went away.

I scanned for codes, but nothing came up. I found today that my downstream o2 sensor is starting to fail and it’s a Bosch, so of course it’s failing. But thought maybe it’s sending incorrect data to the ECU and causing it to screw with the fuel injection.
I replaced my spark plugs today and it looks like it’s running rich. Hoping maybe I just needed to change the spark plugs and that the new o2 sensor on the way will help. We shall see!
Thanks for getting back to me! And glad to hear it went away for you!

 

Just following up in case someone else stumbles across this problem - it’s been starting up fine ever since I replaced my downstream o2 sensor. I never got a CEL for it, but was able to run a test on the o2s with a scanner to see that it was beginning to fail.