[AndeyHall]

So I went to eat lunch Saturday at a local restaurant. I go to leave and so I get in my truck and crank it up. It stays cranked up for about 10 seconds, then starts sputtering like it aint getting any gas, and then just cuts off. I'm with some friends so I just get his truck and jump it off and it cranks up fine. So when I drive off after about 30 seconds it just shuts straight off again. That time it wouldn't crank up at all, even when we tried to jump it off again. But the engine doesn't even act like its struggling...it turns over just as hard as it normally did. So anyways, we took out the batter and had it tested since we thought it might be the batter or the alternator. Well the battery was fully charged, and so that meant that the alternator had to be working also. So then we go back to my truck (which we had pulled into a parking lot) and put the battery back in and try to crank it again just for kicks and giggles, and it cranked right up. So on that note, I tried to drive it straight to the dealership, or at least get as close as I could. I got within 50 feet of the dealership, my dang truck couldn't have gone 50 more feet, and it just shuts off again and won't crank back up. So that guys that were following me in their F350 just hooked a chain up to me and pulled me in to the dealership. Well that was all this past Saturday, by the way.

So this morning I called and they said that they cranked it up this morning and it ran just fine, and they drove it around and never could get it to shut itself off. They also said they ran the computer through it and it didn't find anything, and they checked all the belts and wires and nothing was loose. Does anybody know what this could be? Needless to say, me and my dad have been looking at F-250s, because we and all of our friends have and have always had Fords, and they have all gone over 100,000 miles without ever going in the shop (other than an oil change). I've done a lot of stuff to my truck, and put a lot of time and money into it...but nothing I wouldn't mind lettin go for a beastly Powerstroke FX4.

 

[Mike38]

Thats a crazy situation man. If I was forced to guess, I would start by looking at your fuel pump. My best guess, bad ground on your fuel pump. Then its on to the starter to make sure everything is tight. Then to the spark situation. Engines are easy, fuel, oxygen, spark. Keep us updated this sounds like you have a gremlin under your hood playing games. FIND HIM AND EVICT HIM haha
Mike

 

[tacomaoffroad]

x2 on the fuel pump

 

[AndeyHall]

Thats a crazy situation man. If I was forced to guess, I would start by looking at your fuel pump. My best guess, bad ground on your fuel pump. Then its on to the starter to make sure everything is tight. Then to the spark situation. Engines are easy, fuel, oxygen, spark. Keep us updated this sounds like you have a gremlin under your hood playing games. FIND HIM AND EVICT HIM haha
Mike

After I figured it wasn't the battery or alternator, that was exactly what I thought. I'm no mechanic, but I know enough to get myself in trouble. Toyota just told me that they can't figure what it is, so they're just gonna keep it over night and then let me know tomorrow. If they still say they can't find anything by tomorrow, and I get it back and it happens again...they're gonna keep it until it's fixed, then when i get it back i'm sellin it and gettin a 250 lol.

 

[blackhawke88]

yea get a 250

 

[TucsonTaco]

sounds like a fuel delivery issue to me

 

[evlfred]

could also be an immobilizer issue, like you tripped the theft protection. The situation sounds exactly like what happens on one of our VW's when the immobilizer fails to recognize the key, it'll run poorly for enough time to strand the thief away from the theft area.

 

[Nicky9]

did you give them the same key or did you give them the spare key? Maybe the key's transponder (chip) is faulty?
Might make it seem like the motor is out of gas? Just a thought.

 

[Silver-Bolt]

Have you load tested the battery? Did any of the electronics go out when it died or just the motor cut off?

 

[Mike38]

could also be an immobilizer issue, like you tripped the theft protection. The situation sounds exactly like what happens on one of our VW's when the immobilizer fails to recognize the key, it'll run poorly for enough time to strand the thief away from the theft area.

I didn't even think of that, good call :thumbup:
Mike

 

[Sinjin]

Do you run ethanol gas or whatever that gas/alcohol mixture is called? I've heard that stuff can "clean" out your fuel lines and collect gunk in your fuel filter...which can cause temporary blockages of fuel getting to the engine. I had that problem back in the early 90's and changing out the fuel filter was the recommended fix. (but maybe that was an urban myth created by the non-gasohol proponents...)

Good luck!

 

[AndeyHall]

The battery question: We took the battery to Advanced Auto and they tested it and said it was fully charged. After the truck shut off the windows still went up and down without even bogging down and the radio still worked.

The theft option: Yes, it might be this. I still haven't heard from them so it's possible. I only have one question. Why would they want the thief to be stranded away from the theft area? Seems like they would want the thief to be stranded AT the theft area so that they would be easier to locate and arrest. I guess that just makes too much sense though for the car companies.

The fuel question: I run 87. I've never done anything out of the ordinary with my gas as far as I know.

 

[DietoRemain]

All I have to say is. DONT GET A FORD. 100K? lol tahts nothin on a 'yota.
Good luck it just sounds like a spoof issue and i'm def. saying fuel pump or something electronic with the plugs or such. dont give up on her.

 

[TACOMA915]

could also be an immobilizer issue, like you tripped the theft protection. The situation sounds exactly like what happens on one of our VW's when the immobilizer fails to recognize the key, it'll run poorly for enough time to strand the thief away from the theft area.

I actually worked on a 01 Jetta GLX that was towed in today for that. I asked the customer to bring his other keys and the car ran fine with the other keys. The guy was pissed because he paid $60 for a tow when he could have just used the other key. Sorry to get off topic a lillte. I would try driving around with the other key, then if it acted up you could easily rule that out. VW's run for about 5 seconds, then die out with the immobilizer light in the instrument cluster flashing.

 

[Sony]

I bet you it's ether the keys or the fuel pump. It's very rare but if you somehow discharged static electricity through your key it could damage the immobilizer chip in the key (like I said , rare but possible.) Try using a different set of keys and see if that works. If not then the fuel pump may be to blame.

 

[redinterceptor]

Needless to say, me and my dad have been looking at F-250s, because we and all of our friends have and have always had Fords, and they have all gone over 100,000 miles without ever going in the shop (other than an oil change). I've done a lot of stuff to my truck, and put a lot of time and money into it...but nothing I wouldn't mind lettin go for a beastly Powerstroke FX4.

Maybe your truck hates you because you want a Ford? If you're so hard up for a Ford, why did you buy a Tacoma?

 

[gary79]

make sure the battery posts are solid in the battery. make sure they are not loose.I had a champion brand battery that gave results like you are getting. the negative post you could pull out of the battery with your fingers. I walked into Montgomery Ward(purchase point) with the battery, and the guy said they had a bad batch and gave me a new one.

 

[TacoDude]

your description of cranking is not clear ... at some point you mentioned it didn't rank up .. was that your starter or the engine?

• Check your battery connection; or grounding issue.
• use the same key; if the transponder is glitchy it will cutoff the fuel supply, but the 'starter' will still crank over
• might be a faulty ignition switch (where your key goes in). This has happened on Hondas where ppl have keychains with too many keys/trinkets/nailclippers/knives weighing it down.
• could be a possible bad fuel pump
• check that you are getting spark, but it's unlikely all the coil packs quit at the same time.

 

[AndeyHall]

Maybe your truck hates you because you want a Ford? If you're so hard up for a Ford, why did you buy a Tacoma?

I can't remember if it was this post or not, but I answered this exact question. I really don't even need a truck, but I hate cars and sitting that close to the ground. I like height and off-roadin occasionally and just knowing that I can go pretty much anywhere. I don't need the amount of a truck that the F-250 has to offer. But now I'm think that if will actually last, maybe it would be worth it. But actually, now that I've gotten bigger tires, my truck gets about 14-15mpg...pretty horrible. Even though diesel is higher, most of the people around here with 250s say they get about 18-19 with theirs.

By the way everybody, just got my truck back yesterday and Toyota couldn't find a damn thing wrong with it. So hope it doesn't happen again or the next time it leaves that dealership will be with another owner, and the FX4 they got sittin on their lot will be mine!! :clap:
http://www.ralphhayestoyota.com/used-cars.aspx?InventoryId=23122491

 

[denvertaco07]

hmmm...sounds like your flux capacitor is a little low on the juice...you'll need 1.21 gigawatts to turn over - just get yourself a fluke and measure it.