AJatx

I'm open to suggestions on my problem.

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Almost ran out of gas in my neighborhood and the truck stalled.
I coasted it, trying to start it, to a stop.
After going home and lugging 4 gallons of gas to the truck, I refilled it and tried to start the truck to no avail.
Fortunately, I was close enough to roll it home.

Maintenance
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3.4L V6 with about 105k miles.
TRD Supercharger (1st gen) rebuilt about 300 miles ago.
Timing belt changed at 90k miles.
Sparkplugs changed at 90k miles.
Sparkplug wires changed at 90k miles.
Air filter changed at 90k miles.
Oil and filter changed at 100k miles.
Fuel filter changed at 60k miles.
MAF cleaned at 90k miles.
*I conducted all of my own maintenance, which means I could've made a mistake. I did triple check the timing belt change (long story short, it was a pair of cracked sparkplugs, not my work that caused intermittent misfires).

Things I've tried
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Spark: It looks like I have spark since the timing light is blipping as I crank over the engine on #1 cylinder. I didn't get to check timing nor did I check the other sparkplugs. It was dead-on after I changed the timing belt.
Fuel: I thought I may have burned the fuel pump out, but when I disconnect the fuel feed line near the driver side wheel well, fuel squirts out when I crank the engine over. At least I found a worn out fuel return line, which I just replaced.
Voltage: I had voltage when it first died. I gave it some cranks while I tried different things (refill gas; starting fluid). When I finally went low on battery voltage, I recharged it, but I still cannot get the engine to start.
OBDII: I used the OBDII diag tool from Autozone. When I turn the key to ON, the CEL is on, but I think all stock cars have CEL when the key is ON but the engine is not running. I remember it's an auto inspection issue when running aftermarket computers like AEM or Haltech since the CEL will not be lit.
Anyhow, the tool indicated NO error codes.

Things to try
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I have not checked the fuel injectors with noid lights yet.
Check timing tomorrow.
Inspect the sparkplugs and coil packs.

Any other ideas?
Maybe I should get it towed to a shop?

J

Mr. Bob

Well... running out of gas is very hard on fuel pumps!!! Although you may have gas at the return line, what kind of pressure are you getting at the fuel rail? 5PSI will not start an engine, but it will pump gas out of the line...

I would confirm noid for the 2secs it takes, then test the actual fuel pressure... I my bet is you find it to be low

MTL_4runner

Ditto on what Bob said.....you can't check fuel injection pressure like you can on a carb'd vehicle. The pressure is about 5-10x higher (5-10 psi for carb'd vs 40-70 psi for a fuel injected vehicle, depending on the make and model). Tapping into the fuel rail also requires special guages to verify the pressure. Given the situation and you have spark I might have it towed to a dealer to check.

AJatx

The fuel feed sprayed fuel all over the wheel well when I started, not the fuel return.
But, it may not hold the pressure which I think you're implying.
To measure the fuel pressure, it's tough to get to the banjo fitting for the fuel pressure gauge adapter with the supercharger. If I remove the timing belt cover, I could probably get to it.

I'm running out of personal time so if I can't figure it out tonight, I'll have it repaired at a shop tomorrow.
Thanks for your input.

AJatx

For a couple hundred more than dealer quote on fuel pump replacement and towing, I opted for the URD fuel upgrade kit with 2.2 pulley.

The fuel feed line (compression/flare fittings) is a PITA to break loose. I've got the other lines off and electrical disconnected. I'll let the Liquid Wrench (no more PB) settle in while I watch the NCAA finals.

Any hints or suggestions are welcome for dropping the fuel tank. I'm referencing the Chilton manual (which sucks) and Gadget's website.

I'm 2nd guessing my option for 190LPH instead of 255LPH but I doubt I'll add any more boost (or use smaller pulley than 2.2").

rimpainter.com

Make sure the tank is empty. Consider pressure washing under there at your local DIY car wash too. All the dang crusty dirt fell down into my eyes and all over my clothes when I dropped my tank. Otherwise it really isn't that bad. I did it by myself with a 3.5 ton floor jack and a block of wood. I did not lift the vehicle.

I would allow 3 - 5 hours from start to finish.

AJatx

Tank has about 4 gallons in it unfortunately.

Does the larger fitting (19mm) or the smaller flare fitting (14mm) turn or spin?
I keep referencing the 14mm flare nut as the fitting that'll break loose or spin.

AJatx

Alright, I found the 19mm turns based on an older thread.
I'll put more penetrating fluid on the fittings and wait until tomorrow.

Funny how the fuel feed line has been the thorn in my side instead of the fuel filler neck and vent line.

MTL_4runner

I've had that happen to me on many a vehicle.....definately a case for using full goggles (like you use in chem class).

rimpainter.com

Good point. I have tried that, but when the temps go above a certain point they fog up, then fill with water. Gross!

And that doesn't solve problem of the dirt getting in my nose, mouth and ears. Nice!

AJatx

Goggles are a must when working with an environment where debris or pieces can get into your eyes. A buddy who ports engine housings forgot to put on his goggles one time, thought it would be a quick touch on the ports, and a piece of metal (ferrous) flew into his eye. Fortunately, he was able to get to the hospital and have it removed within a couple of hours. A couple more and he would've been blind for life since ferrous material will rust in our bodies.

AJatx

I got the fuel feed fittings to turn. It's tough to turn open pretty much until the fuel feed line comes apart. I used the double wrench method to crank it open.

The Walbro 190lph fuel pump is a bit taller than the stock fuel pump. So, it's tough to fit in the bracket since the output flared tip meets the feed pipe in the bracket. I bent the lower bracket a bit so I can barely fit the pump in with the rubber isolation foot. It fits and stays snug in place.

I spliced the wires for the fuel pump positive and common and measured it a couple times to be sure the butt connectors are good and tight.

Time to put the fuel tank back in the car. It took a few hours because I was busy cleaning the tank and parts and taking my time.

The fuel feed line gave me the most grief in this process which is contrary to others' experiences. The rest is downhill for me.

Thanks for input from the board. Liquid Wrench is a water dispersant like WD-40.
I'll always have some Tabasco just in case I run out of PB again.

AJatx

Fuel pump didn't solve the starting issue.
I'll check fuel pressure tomorrow. I saw spark on cylinder #1 with the timing light gun.

The MAF sensor has been cleaned around 90k miles, but I'll check again.

AJatx

Fuel feed checks out fine.
Timing light triggers on cylinder #1 when starting.
MAF sensor has been cleansed again (it was still fairly clean from my last cleaning when I did the timing belt).

When you have the key in the ignition and on ACC, do you see the CEL? Does CEL turn off after you leave the key in the ACC position after some time?
I recall that the CEL and couple other indicators (Battery, Water Temp) are ON when the key is in this position.
Some inspection places check the CEL to see if you modified the computer for emissions.
Anyhoo, I didn't see any OBDII codes when I used the scanner. I quadruple checked since it had no codes to download whatsoever.

To add to my troubleshooting, my truck battery is running low on charge now. It's expected since I've been trying to start this thing many times over the past couple days.

Anything else I haven't checked? I checked each relay with multimeter as well as bench testing (applying voltage and checking if the relay opens with multimeter) for both STA relay and FP relay.

AJatx

Latest update:
I confirmed I have spark both from timing gun and pulling the sparkplug out and seeing it.
When I pull the sparkplugs, there is fuel on them. Lots of fuel.

So, I dried off the sparkplugs and tried to start it again. The engine still doesn't start.

I don't think the Walbro 190LPH pump would flood the engine during start.
If so, why did my stock fuel pump have the same symptoms?

SpikeStrip

Just a shot in the dark: If you haven't already, try disconecting the battery to reset the ECM... When fuel pres goes to zero, (dry run) it does strange things... I have the same truck and same thing happened and it's what worked... Hey, it's worth a try. Good luck and let us know.

S,

midiwall

Yes. This is normal.

No, it'll stay on.

It's "hard" to flood an EFI engine since the injectors will only squirt fuel when the ECU tells them too. It's not like a carb'd engine where you get a squirt of fuel each time you pump the pedal.


So, keep in mind that you need 3 things for an engine to run, fuel, air & spark. You have fuel and you know you have at least 1/6th of the required spark.

I would ignore that it was running fine before you ran out of gas. Anything could have happened, and at this point I think it's best to start from scratch in looking at things.

I would check the other 5 plugs to be sure that you have spark - the timing light should be fine, but it would be best to pull the plugs to make sure that the tip is there on all of them and they're gapped correctly.

Look for air - did a vacuum line pop off, did the MAF get disconnected for any reason, is there any way for unmetered air to get into the system?

You're running a S/C... Any fuel mods? If you just now put in the Walbro, then my guess is that you've been running off of the stock pump with stock injectors? Or do you have the 7th injector setup?

When you put the new fuel pump in, any chance that you crossed up the feed & return lines? (probably not since you have fuel in the #1 cylinder)

A REAL long shot is that the timing belt went - had it ever been replaced?

Spike's idea to reset the ECU is a good one.

Do you have another rig that you can jump start it from? The ECU can be touchy about voltages, and since you've been cranking on it for a while, if you're not getting something above 10.5v during crank, then the ECU can be flakey - as well as the coil packs not being able to spit a full spark.

SteveO

After I did my SAC, my engine wouldn't crank over either. I checked for codes and there was none. So, after a bit more troubleshooting, I decided to go ahead and clear the CPU, as if there was a code. Strangely enough, it fired right up. Even though the computer didn't have a code, I cleared it anyway, then it fired up. Wierd.

AJatx

Thanks for more feedback.

Rebuilt SC was installed 400 miles ago.
Timing belt happened at 90k miles (~15k miles).
Fuel filter was replaced at 90k miles.
Fuel system is pretty much stock. The previous owner installed an aftermarket FPR.
Just installed Walbro 190LPH fuel pump. Fuel is routed correctly as I verified by tracing the lines.
All relays and fuses checked out again.
Sparkplugs are new (Copper Denso 2-step colder plugs). 3-prong, not sure how to gap it.

If I see compression (plugs are removed) and confirm spark is on cylinder 1, doesn't that infer the timing belt is still in tact? I recall the 99 4Runner have automatic tensioners so I'm hoping I didn't overtighten the timing belt.

I had the battery disconnected overnight and when I installed everything, it still would rotate, but not start. Not sure if it would clear the ECU, but I'll check again.

Sprayed engine starting fluid in throttle body and no sign or catching or starting.

Just strange how I have all the ingredients (fuel, spark, compression) and it's not even catching.

I measured the TPS and it ohmed out as spec'd.
The MAF sensor showed open when measuring (EV, THA?) on 5-pin MAF sensor unless the Haynes manual had an old impedance table. The hot wires are still connected and clean on the MAF sensor.

AJatx

MAF is connected (snapped or reseated to make sure).
I didn't spot any obvious broken or loose vacuum lines.