Hard to start after leaving the car for 3 hrs+ - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

1jake · 03-15-2011, 04:09 AM

Hey guys something weird going on with my toyota aurion.when i drive the car and it reaches the normal operation temp then once i park it and leave it for like 3 or 4 hrs it wont start any more and i have to crank it for a while, 3 or 4 times, then once it starts and i turn it off and cranck it again it will run perfectly. Does anyone know what i have to look for?
i have replaced all spark plugs, fuel rail and fuel dumper, all O-ring in my fuel pump/assemble.
also i checked for the spark when it wont start and the spark is kinda red colour, its not really like an strong spark tho. what colour should the spark be?

Thanks guys, I would appreciate any help.

Jake.

csaxon · 03-15-2011, 12:34 PM

Orange indicates a weak spark. Bright blue indicates a good spark. Clean and reseat all connections. Check plug wires and coils (ignitors). I forget what you have.

1jake · 03-16-2011, 04:44 AM

i have checked all the connectors, coils and replaced all 6 spark plugs. it didnt make any diff at all and also it use to fail spark plugs but once i replaced all sparkplugs it fixed the problem.

1jake · 03-19-2011, 05:54 AM

I just replaced crank position sensor and it still doing the same thing

Anyone have any idea?

ty

jake

Mike Gerber · 03-19-2011, 12:40 PM

Check the engine coolant temperature sensor. It may be out of range and not telling the computer the correct engine temperature and is not giving the engine the correct fuel/air mixture based on that temperature. You will need the specs from any manual and a digital volt/ohmeter to check it.

Mike

1jake · 03-19-2011, 08:01 PM

Thanks mike, ill have a look at it this afternoon.

jake

1jake · 03-22-2011, 04:26 AM

I have checked the coolant temp sensor and its fine, resistance is fine and it looks pretty clean and new.

could it be fuel pressure regulator? or fuel pump?

thanks

jake

Mike Gerber · 03-22-2011, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1jake

I have checked the coolant temp sensor and its fine, resistance is fine and it looks pretty clean and new.

could it be fuel pressure regulator? or fuel pump?

thanks

jake

It could be; you will have to put a fuel pressure gage on the fuel rail to check. You will have to rig up a couple of fittings to tap in to the fuel rail. Again, you will need the fuel pressure specs from the manual. You have to check the pressure with the engine running and also remember to also check it again at intervals after the engine is shut down. You have to make sure it is holding fuel pressure as per the spec in the manual. It could also be a leaky fuel injuector or 2 that is continuing to drip fuel in to the cylinder(s) after the engine is turned off. That would make it harder to start a luke warm engine but when the engine is morning cold, that extra fuel in the cylinders is not as much of a problem.

One other thing to check since you said the spark is red in color and it should be blue (and I'm not sure if your car even has one, since I'm not familiar with an Aurion and you don't give the year) is to check the coil inside the distributor for being out of range and also if there are any hairline cracks in it. To check for cracks you would have to remove the coil from the distributor. They are known to cause problems when they heat up as they aquire lot's of miles on them. Again you will need the manual and the DVM to check the specs. As I said, this is assuming your car uses a distributor.

Mike

1jake · 03-23-2011, 04:38 AM

Hey mike, today i did a full check on my car, i have checked the fuel pressure and holding pressure for a while, cylinder compression test, and cynlder number 4 compression was abit lower than others by 10 psi but i dont think that would cause it to not start... checked for injectors firing with noid light and they were fine. checked coils and sparks firing again and they were fine too with blue colour not like last time i checked them.
and about the injector fuel leak you mentioned, if it was leaking it would leak on one cylinder or two but this is v6 and it would still run with 4 or 5 cylinders...

it is 2010 v6 Aurion, each cylinder have it own coil.( its not under warranty tho)

im kinda stucked atm and cant think of anything alse exccept new fuel pressure regulator or new fuel pump :S

Thanks

jake

Mike Gerber · 03-23-2011, 03:09 PM

There should be a spec in the manual for how much pressure it should hold and for how long of a period of time. Usually something like 30 minutes, but I'm not sure of that. Did you check the manual for that spec and follow it?

PS: How many miles are there on this 2010?

Mike

1jake · 03-25-2011, 06:57 PM

I checked it with specs and followed it as it asked me to and also it saied i have to leave it for like 5 min then check the pressure but i left it for 2 hrs and it was holding pretty good.

the car done only 10000 km

ty

Jake

***Lauren*** · 06-09-2011, 06:24 AM

***arabianobsession*** · 06-10-2011, 10:30 AM

I had a similar problem with my last car-a 98 Pontiac Sunfire. When cold, it started perfectly, but once it got to operating temperature and I shut it off, I had to let it get cold before it would start again. The cause? The starter was bad.

I know your car is newer, but maybe the starter was built on a Monday or Friday? lol

TWO-VEE-ZED · 07-14-2011, 05:26 AM

A belated reply but....could it be something to do with excess fuel?...Cold starts require extra fuel,hot starts don`t...check everything associated with fuel.

gator1939 · 07-14-2011, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1jake

it is 2010 v6 Aurion, each cylinder have it own coil.( its not under warranty tho)

Thanks

jake

And with 10K km

Is the warranty down under that much less than in the US? Less than 3 yrs old and only 6213 miles, that would still be under warranty here.

gator1939