Occasional Crank/No Start

Since I have bought this truck, there has been a crank/no start gremlin that pokes it's ugly head out at random. It only does it once in a while but it happened twice this week and I want to get to the bottom of it. I was trying to make a cold start exhaust video of my Aero Turbine muffler and it did it. I remote started the truck, started fine, idled it for about 30 seconds, turned it off and tried to restart it and this happened:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Rzd_z7knis

Eventually I was able to get it started, drove it and no issues. I restarted it multiple times and no issues. Last night, I went to remote start it and I heard it fire then die, the remote start fire it again and it died again. Finally after the third time, it fired, idled super low, RPM's finally picked up and ran normal.

• Symptoms:
  • Crank no start
  • No check engine lights and no history codes
  • White smoke sometimes comes out of the exhaust while it is trying to start
• When:
  • Usually on a cold start. Occasionally I can cold start the truck, idle for 15 seconds, turn it off and try to restart it and it won't fire. Eventually will restart and drive normal.
  • I do notice on the first cold start each morning, it fires up, the idle drops really low almost to where it dies and then it picks itself up and idles normal.
  • It used to die when I would rev the engine up and let off the throttle, the RPM's would drop low and then it would die. I tried doing that this morning and it ran perfect.
• Recent work:
  • New plugs
  • New battery
  • Oil change
  • Fuel filter
  • Air filter
  • Cleaned MAF sensor.
• Possible solutions:
  • Does this sound like a crank/cam sensor issue?
  • MAF sensor?
  • Low fuel pressure/fuel pump?
  • Injectors bleeding off causing flooding?
  • ????

It runs great, has plenty of power, just occasionally does this. I drive this truck everyday and don't feel that it is unreliable. I know it will eventually restart so I am not worried about it leaving me stranded but I want to fix it.

 

Just checked it with our scanner at work (Snap-On Solus Ultra) and everything seems fine. No history codes, no misfires, checked all the live data and no abnormalities.

 

Sounds like the TSB for it.

 

Are you referring to this TSB?

 

No, let me see if I can dig it up...

https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2000/TOYOTA/TUNDRA

IIRC, it's in there w NHSTA stuff

 

Or this one as well:

 

I am going to try cleaning the throttle body tonight because those symptoms seem to match what I am experiencing. The truck/ECM would lose power obviously when the key is off so maybe the ECM is having a hard time calibrating the TPS due to the gunk that may be in it. It's also the easiest and cheapest repair and can't hurt anything. If I can, I will do it tonight or on my lunch break since it's super easy to get to.

 

Do you run E85 or 10% ethanol? The ECM seems to have a hard time adjusting the A/F ratios on start up, and will not start at times, long cranking......no start conditions...

 

Nope, just regular 85. I am sure there is some ethanol in our fuel here (possibly more than normal) since we are in winter time in Colorado.

 

We can't run e85. 1st gens.

 

I mean you CAN, I just wouldn't advise it

 

85 is a thing? I've never seen it for sale.

 

Good idea. Been there,done that. You'll be surprised how much of a difference cleaning it makes.

 

Oh ya! We have 85, 87 and 91. Some of the gas stations around here have 107 too. That REALLY made my rockets happy. Faster than a cheetah on cocaine.

I sure hope it fixes it but I am usually never that lucky lol.

 

Wow...I've only seen 87, 89, and 93

 

You weren’t joking. It made a HUGE difference for me. It idles a lot smoother, starts easier and throttle response improved significantly. It only took 25min to do as well. I don’t think it has ever been done because that intake boot was almost glued on the TB. Once off, I shot it with some brake cleaner and a wiped it off with a rag.

Resassembled and started. It did crank for about 15 seconds before catching and the idle jumped up to about 1400rpm. It stayed there for a good five minutes before it settled down and smoothed out. It is most definitely starting easier now so that’s a good sign. I always thought it had a slight miss because at stop lights I could ‘feel’ the engine running but that is gone. Here are some before and after pics:






Hopefully it cures my problem. It’s supposed to be cold and snowy this week so I’ll have some opportunities to get some good cold starts in to see if it acts up.

 

Nice job! Mine looked the same last year before doing the cleaning. I cleaned it again a few months ago and there was a fair amount of smoot in there but was super easy to clean. Your ECU will slowly recalibrate and the entire truck should begin to perform better.

Just a heads up that they recommend ‘Throttle Body Cleaner’ on a rag/toothbrush when doing this job. Brake Cleaner is too harsh.

 

That’s good to know it kinda takes a Lil while, mine starts up really solid when it’s cold(haha 55 degrees) and then when it’s warmer out after sitting, doesn’t start as strong but sounds like it’s stumbling up to 900 rpm and then levels out real fast

 

Agreed. I have a brand new can at home but decided to do it at the shop. Got it all apart and the mechanics decided to run themselves out of TB cleaner...

I thought about taking the intake tube off and spraying it when I got home with TB cleaner but it seems fine. I would have been more worried if it had rubber seals or something like that.

 

Excellent!

Yeah, when it gets warmer just remove the tube, take it inside and let it warm up. Soap and water in the kitchen sink REALLY gets the wife involved in truck maintenance....

 

Well a little update. The truck sounds 1000x times better on start up. I started it at 4:30am this morning (about 30*) and the crank time was a lot shorter than it has previously been and the idle wasn't hunting around like it used to. Before, I would start it and and it would idle up, then really low, then up and then low again before smoothing out. It always sounded like it was going to die before it caught up to itself. I really hoping that the solution was this easy.

I did have a bit of a scare this morning though. After returning home from the gym, I went to remote start it before leaving for work and it cranked for half a second and then nothing. Almost like somebody pulled the plug. I thought "What in the hell is going on now." I again tried the remote start and it just clicked. Of course that feeling runs through your head that you are dead in the water. I popped the hood to check the fuses and when I remove the lid cover, everything comes back on? I try to start it but it shorts out and goes dead again. I put the fuse box lid back and everything comes back to life? Standing their confused wondering how the fuse box lid is making contact with something making the truck lose power. Well what was actually happening was I was bumping the negative battery cable. A little further inspection revealed this:



The maroon previous owner thought it would be a good idea to cut the OE cable and try to extend it to fit the wrong sized battery in it. When I got the truck, it had the wrong battery in it and didn't even fit inside the tray correctly. Of course I didn't find this out till it died at a gas station about a week after I bought it and that's when I replaced it with the correct one. I am guessing that he was too cheap to put the right battery in and must have had another battery laying around so he extended the negative cable to reach the post and then used duct tape to wrap it all up. I am actually shocked it lasted this long and glad it broke down in front of my house. I will be soldering it together and heat shrinking it back together later today.

 

That right there can be some of your past problems even though your engine still ran. You may want to get an entire new cable versus soldering. Also, make sure you reconnect the ground wire that bolts to the body. Looks like the bolt is there with the connector but wire is missing.

Bad grounds cause transient current. Its a silent killer.

 

jeez ! mickey mouse job..lol

 

Awesome. Yeah..that would do it as they say. Wow. What a hack job.

And now I'm thinking of cleaning my throttle body as well as I don't know if its ever been done and my truck sometimes hunts for idle on start up the way you describe.

 

I'm with PHM, I'd replace the whole cable.

 

Does anyone know how long it is? Every where I have looked all shows different lengths. It sounds like its a PITA to change as well but I agree, I would like to get it replaced.

Napa says 30"
Advanced says 56"
Amazon says 32" - This one looks right as it has the extra lead for the body ground.

 

If it was I and IF your 2000 is like my 2004, I would have to physically see where the gnd is attached before guessing. On mine, the bigger gnd leaves the battery and goes approx. 2 ft into a spiral plastic tube along with pos and others. Point being, while it appears to be a job in and into itself, I would have to go thru those procedures to make sure I got the closet length cable needed....YMMV !

 

I had the exact same issue in my '15. It was the remote start bypass module. That little hiccup in the beginning is the last drops of fuel in your lines being spent.

 

I seem to remember a few other guests over the years having problems with these remote starts on their 1st Gens.

 

So far so good. New cable comes in tomorrow so hopefully it’s right. If not, I’ll have one made when I get it off.