Rough start Flex Fuel fix

As many of you are aware there is a major problem with flex fuel Tundras having a “rough start” and the dealer was reflashing the ECU to cure the problem. Well, since my Tundra is a 2012 I was going to be charged an hourly fee for the dealer to do this. This was an issue but the other factor was I had to leave my truck overnight and that wasn’t something I could do at the time.

I decided to start using 89 octane instead of 87. Voila! I do NOT have hard start issues anymore.

Now this has worked for me so far so I wanted to pass along the information because for me, this has been a simple fix and I do not want to see another Tundra owner have to spend their hard earned money when they could try this instead.

I hope this helps.

 

https://www.pure-gas.org next step, just go ethanol free if you can. Nice work!

 

Better gas did not work for me. The reflash did work however. I think it really sucks that you can’t just get in and out for minimal money. I think it took them 30 minutes to do mine. They know there’s an issue and IMO should just reflash it for you. Anyway, I hope the better fuel continues to work for you.

 

I agree. I even pointed them in the direction they needed to go. I understand they have to diagnose the problem and I am not a mechanic. But in today’s world we can research the problem in our homes.

 

Is there a TSB document for this?

 

yes. Or so I have heard there was. But my truck was beyond the mileage requirements.

 

There have been updates made to the "warranty" coverage. The stealership you talked to MAY have been shining you on. Here's ONE of the TSBs on this, may be more...

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2013/SB-10061328-2273.pdf

 

I guess my issue is they will NOT reflash my ECU until they diagnose the problem. Which is why I have to leave it overnight.

 

Perhaps, BUT you do NOT pay a single dime; tell them it is a SAFETY ISSUE related to driving in traffic and lack of engine performance/reliability.

 

I have a 2016 FFV 5.7L V8 4x4 crewmax. I feel the need to notify the public that my car was having really really bad rough starts in the morning - didn’t matter if weather was cold or warm - first start of the day always sounded like the engine was choking. I googled online and found this site and many other message boards about the Alcohol Density Calculation problems and the need to “reflash” the ECM (see Toyota Service Bulletin T-SB-0058-13).
I took the truck in to the dealer yesterday, they did a cold start this morning after it sat in the lot overnight, and concluded it had this problem that is specific to FFV Tundra engines.
The service advisor said that Toyota just came out with a new TSB a few days ago updating the old TSB so that it now covers the fuel pump and the “reflashing” of the ECM, it now also covers all FFV Tundras from 2009 - 2019. The new TSB is T-SB-0166-19.
So I hope this info helps, hit up your dealer if you are having enginestart-up problems with your FFVengine Tundras, and pass the word around!
If I had known about these engine issues, I would have NEVER bought a FFV engine!!!
This TSB engine fix is only good if you’re under 96 months or 80,000 miles!!!

 

I am assuming you’re referring to if it’s covered by warranty or not? I would think the engine fix would be available to anyone but would have to pay out of pocket for fix if over mileage/time

good info though. Think i might need this update

 

You are correct. If you want Toyota to pay for the fix.

 

Anyone know if this is considered a permanent fix or does the issue re-appear after a few months?

 

I have a 2017 Limited Cremax.
I had the rough cold start issue at the end of 2018. I took it in Dec 2018. Service Mgr said they "adjusted the fuel sensor." That worked........ Until just a couple months ago. The exact same cold rough start issue resurfaced in December. So I called the dealership. This time the service Mgr told me that are telling all Tundra owners to run 91 octane to prevent to cold rough start issue/s. (91 is premium in Colorado)
I pointed out that 91 was a waste for a stock 5.7 Tundra, because it's not a high compression/performance engine. But, instead of argue further, I humored him and told him I would try it. Fast forward 2 weeks...... Filled up with 91...
. Cold start got worse!!!!
Called the service manager directly and told him the cold starts every morning were worse. At first he said he wanted my Tundra for 3-4 days. So I told him I would need a loaner, since my Tundra is my daily driver. He said they "don't do loaners for that type of service repair." I told him it was the exact same issue as 1yr-ish ago. I also asked about TSB 0166-19. He said that he was unaware of that TSB.
So...finally he asked if I could at least drop it off overnight. I said that could be worked out..... As long as I got it back the next day. That was almost 4 weeks ago. At that time, the earliest appt was/is this Friday. So, I am dropping it off tomorrow afternoon.
I will be pushing for them to replace the fuel pump/seal, and flash the ECM, as mentioned in TSB 0166-19.
My 3yr/36k mile warranty is up on the 23rd.

 

Can anyone tell me what you paid to have the reflash done. My local Toyota dealership wants $175 to diagnose the problem. If this is the issue, and I showed them the service bulletin, I wonder what they will charge me to get it done. Is this something you can do on your own at home?

 

I paid nothing the two times I had it reflashed. It worked for a while but the issue came back. The dealer told me to pull the key during refill. Not sure how that helps. The third time they claimed the issue was the fuel pump and replaced it. We will see if that is actually the problem.

 

Mine is a 2016. Were you under warranty when you had it done?

 

I have an extended warranty but my dealer said it was covered anyway. I’m at 60,000. Pump was replaced at 52,000. I’d push them hard to cover it. It is a known issue and they don’t seem to have a proper fix.

 

They are doing the flash for free. They did not say anything about the pump. Fingers crossed this fixes the issues for me and I don't need a new pump. I'm sure that would cost about 1k to fix. They wanted $400 to replace the PVC valve. It takes 5 minutes to do and the part costs 10 dollars.

 

The flash will work for a while. According to my dealer the pump was covered as well. He told me the recall was much bigger than Toyota rolled out and even earlier model Tundras had bad Denso pumps.