Engine cut out at stoplight

Our 2001 Tundra (2 WD, 6 cyl, around 95,000 mi) Tundra has performed beautifully since 2001 - until yesterday. Had filled up gas tank about an hour before finishing coronoa virus supplies shopping. Stopped at stoplight 5 min later. Truck oriented slightly uphill. Engine running, foot on break, clutch disengaged, transmission in neutral. When light changed, I engaged the clutch, put it in first gear, went to put my foot on accelerator but the engine, which had been running fine cut off. No lurch as if I had stalled it - just nothing. no sputtering - sudden silence. Turned ignition off but when turned key on there were no clicks - nothing! Dash lights on. Turned on emergency blinker. We had plenty of battery power ( 2 mo old battery). Tried ignition switch again - no clicks no anything. Engaged emergency brake. Passenger looked under hood at battery, connections and nothing obvious. Dash lights on when key turned to on but no check engine light on.

Was trying to get enough space behind me to roll backward and try to pop clutch in reverse - not ideal in reverse I know - but had the clutch engaged, in reverse, turned on ignition, and engine came to life! No hesitation

At home - started no problem. Looked at clutch starter safety switch but engine had been running when it suddenly stopped so that SHOULDN'T be it.

Starts in all gears - just checked.

Ignition switch? Ignition switch relay? Computer malevolent spirits?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

I don't know the specific answer to your problem, but it's probably some malfunctioning government nanny switch.

I do have some advice. Avoiding rolling your Toyota downhill, and popping the clutch, to start the engine. Out of desperation, a faulty alternator/battery led to a $$$$ dollar rebuild of my 22R-E. The engine provides oil pressure to the timing chain/belt tensioner (not sure about yours). Without that oil pressure and proper tensioning, you can stretch a timing chain/belt or cause it to slip teeth on the timing gears...not good on an interference engine.

 

Voodoo woman named Philliyss!!!

 

THanks for the info JohnLakeman. Good to know. Am currently checking and cleaning all the ground connections.

 

Howdy from DFW and


Check the fuel filter, maybe getting gas some debris got down line.

 

I had a similar issue with a trailblazer. Turned out to be my bottle jack was grounding out a wire. This was after swapping the starter, buying new battery, taking apart the ignition switch. Hope it’s something easy

 

I vote Fuel Filter. Its time for a new one anyway.

 

I'll check the fuel filter - thanks for the suggestion.And I will continue to look for electrical issues - grounding out or otherwise!

 

Do you have a code reader? Maybe something there as to why it died, but to not crank sounds like the clutch switch, which you checked, maybe make sure it’s totally secure and engaging properly. Those symptoms are exactly what I have encountered before when it was the clutch switch.

 

I had a similar situation about a month ago on my 2001. It turned out to be a faulty crankcase position sensor.

Best of luck with your situation.

 

A dirty fuel filter would still let it cranck though.

I was thinking that, but a bad CKS wouldn't let it start by popping the clutch in reverse. Just to be sure, check and see if your water pump is leaking.

I could see the neutral safety switch as being culprit for not turning over, but it wouldn't cause it to just die. I say pull codes too. Let's see what the ECU says.

 

I would also check the battery ground wire where it connects to the engine , sometime it gets just enough ground to turn the lights on in the dash and the radio but when you try to start it there’s not enough there to do anything . You won’t get a click or anything .

 

I posited a theory here about a year and a half ago about bad grounds on our trucks causing problems on our trucks that lead to unexplainable events. It won’t hurt to go around and snug those nuts and maybe put some dielectric grease on them while you are at it.

I think there are 3 major grounds in the engine bay and 2 on the rear access cab doors.

 

BIG thanks to each of you for your ideas and sharing your experiences!

I checked the clutch starter safety switch first thing - seems good, including electrical connection. But I thought it doesn't explain the engine simply stopping when running.
From my experience, fuel filter issues usually have a lugging or loss of power on accelereation or rough running and none of that has occurred.
I checked and cleaned the three grounds to the body in the engine compartment. Checked the ground under the left kick panel. All good. I did not closely check the ground from the battery to engine but did determine the connection was tight. I will closely check that connection - good idea.
I had never heard of a crackcase position sensor before. Next step is to learn about it so I can check it out. Thank you! To clarify, it didn't start by being popped in reverse - it just started when I turned on the ignition (obviously beyond "on") PRIOR to trying to roll backwards and start it in reverse. And it has started flawlessly ever since.
This is a pretty basic 2001 Tundra - single cab, 6 cyl, 2WD, manual locks and windows.

THANK YOU ALL!

 

Excellent!

 

I think you're on track tracing the electrical side of things, this isn't a fuel filter problem (for the record it never really is!). First go for the easy stuff like you are but also consider cleaning contacts at the neutral switch/checking the clutch arm connection, maybe the "STA" fuse and EFI.

The neutral safety switch circuit is a good one to follow as is the entire ignition switch. Switches can/do wear with time and they can be finicky since the finest difference in environmental conditions can change the resistance necessary to complete or open the connection while in the "on" position. What tells me that you should look at your ignition is that you never moved your key from the on position it was/is normally in when you're driving around. The "clicks" and engine light will only come on if you turn the switch off and open the circuit to your ECU, if it stayed in the on position and then the heat/vibration/resistance played favor to completing the circuit in the on position (yet the engine died) that you would NOT get the light show/clicks/beep that you normally get when you insert your key into the ignition and turn it to the on position.

Post back!

 

Starter relay? I would verify continuity from the key through the column wiring to the relay, while cycling the steering wheel. Could be worn wire insulation that intermittently grounds as your steering shaft rotates preventing a signal to the relay, or the relay aging and not closing when activated.

 

reference for you

 

Does your truck have the bump start ignition where you only need to briefly engage the key and the starter automatically engages until the engine fires? Or do you have to manually hold the key until fire?

 

Its manual. 01s dont have that. I think it started in 05 or 06.

 

Careful, dont be stealing @BubbaW's job. Posting up schematics and what not. That's like someone else shooing away turd genners when I'm not on mandatory vacation! Inconceivable!

 

With that bit of information, I believe the problem could possibly be in the ignition switch/key. My Gen1 4Runner key finally was so worn that the key could be removed from the switch in the "Run" position, and the engine continue running. That's a little disconcerting.

This is likely to be a random, intermittent problem, but try using a less worn spare key to see if it repeats.

 

I had a Ranger a few years back that had a faulty fuel cut off switch. Would be driving down the highway and the damn thing would just die. About caught the truck on fire one day after having had issues with it. Bypassed it by splicing the wires together and never had another issue from that. Just couldn't flip the truck or it would keep pumping fuel......

 

This makes since. The OP’s truck was on a slight incline when it went off.

 

But it wouldn't cause the no crank issue afterwards

 

I should also add that the negative cable can also be corroded on the inside too ( I had a GM with that problem )

 

First, a BIG thank you to everyone for your ideas and rationale. There is a lot to check out.

Some clarification -1. Yes, (as bmf4049 posted) it is a manual hold of the key. 2. Although the engine wouldn't start, the first problem was that the engine just stopped so the starter relay seems less likely to me. Of course there could be multiple things going on. 3. The dash lights did come on when I turned the ignition on. It is just that the CEL didn't stay on. Dumb question - can codes be pulled if there is no CEL?

I agree the most likely are the ignition and/or the starter safety switch. Also, from what I read about the crankshaft position sensor - an intermittent problem in the CKPS or its wiring could be the culprit. Already checked the clutch arm connection.

Question - if a faulty fuel cut off switch stopped fuel flow, wouldn't the engine have acted starved for fuel and not just shut off? It really seemed electrical and not related to fuel but tell me if a faulty fuel cut off switch could make the engine stop - no shudders, no lurches, no noise.

There is a lot for me to check this weekend! Will start by checking fuses, cleaning the switch contacts (hopefully without breaking it!), check the CKPS and wires, and check out the fuel cut off switch if everything else looks OK. THe worn key idea is also a thought as I am using the original key.

The engine has not stopped on its own and has started right up dozens of time since the incident - but it has not been stopped on an incline (slight though it was).

THANK you! I will post progress.

 

OW! THank you Noahrexion for the diagrams!

 

Ok, so I dont think it's the safety switch. That wouldn't let it start, yes, but it wouldn't kill it.

If you tripped the fuel cut off (highly unlikely), you'd have to reset it before it would restart. And it would just die.

The CKS can be very erratic if the WP leaks on it. Another culprit could be the cam sensor (CPS). Mine went bad and the truck had a hard time starting, then just died. So you may check that too.

 

In my experience it was the flip switch that cut off the fuel in the event of a rollover. The electrical connection shorted out causing the switch to overheat. When I had issues with the switch, the truck was just dead. Wouldn't start, wouldn't turn over, nothing, just dead. First time it occurred I was cruising down the highway doing roughly 75.

Good luck in your endeavor.