Starting Issues

having issues starting my 2017 tundra, it cranks but will not turn over. when it finally does after several tries there is a strong fuel smell and the rpms are very low and sputtering like its struggling. i tried locating the fuel filter last night but could not find it down line from the tank. would anyone know where filter is located? any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

Flex fuel? Cold start only?

Crank no start with strong fuel smell is usually caused by an incorrect ethanol reading. The dealer will want to replace the fuel pump but you really only need to reset the fuel trim settings in the ECU. This is done with Techstream and might be possible with Carista.

 

Do you know the age of your battery? In years & months not miles.

I like to start with easy and relatively inexpensive. If your battery is around 3 years old I would be replacing it.

 

it is a flex fuel but only use reg fuel 86/87 grade. this problem just started recently when the temperature changed here. it was suggested to clean the MAF.

 

I checked the battery and it is good. its only 2 years old.

 

The issue isn’t using E85 - it’s a computer issue where the ECU gets stuck thinking you’re running a high ethanol mix and floods the engine on cold start.

I’ve been there and done it.

 

AZBoatHauler:
this techstream, is it something that has to be done by a dealership?

 

It’s computer software that communicates with the on board computers via OBD port. Dealers have them - but anyone can.