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1990 toyota v6 hard to start on low tank

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Old 02-20-2013, 05:43 PM
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1990 toyota v6 hard to start on low tank

i have a 22 gallon fuel cell in my toyota. some times when the truck has only about 1 or 2 gallons in it, its hard to start. its like its out of gas. it'll run for a second or two then just die. if i give it full throttle it will almost die and then come back and be ok. this only happens when its warm. it will start easy when its low on gas as long as its cold.

i've replaced the fuel filter
Old 02-20-2013, 06:05 PM
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Almost sounds like some sort of a vapor lock situation when the cell is low. Fix? Don't let it get so low on fuel.
Old 02-20-2013, 06:13 PM
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Could be the pump getting weak or a clogged filter. Gasoline is what actually keeps the pump cool and if you have been running it that low all of the time, I am betting you have a pump that is getting weak and eventually will quit on you. A lesson I learned the hard way. I would suggest to keep it above the 1/8th tank mark atleast.
Old 02-20-2013, 06:27 PM
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Does the fuel cell have any kind of fuel collector for the pickup at the bottom of the tank? You know like the stock tank has in the bottom? You could test for vapor lock by simply removing the gas cap. But if your fuel pickup is above the remaining fuel in the tank then thats not good anyways.
Old 02-20-2013, 06:39 PM
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thanks for all the advise! there is that some sort of anti slosh wiry stuf in the tank, if that could be causing any issues.
Old 02-20-2013, 06:53 PM
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The "anti-slosh wirey stuff" is the Safety Foam. Basically, since there are no "baffles" like a traditional tank, it uses the safety foam to reduce sloshing and help suppress explosions. Problem with that crap is after a few years, it breaks down and gets sucked up into your pickup tube, which can cause exactly the problem you are describing.
Old 02-20-2013, 07:09 PM
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well deathcougar thanks a lot for telling me this. i think im gunna pull the tank out tomorrow and inspect the safety foam. do you what i should be looking fore when if i inspect it?
Old 02-21-2013, 10:41 AM
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I've never heard of safety foam before... do all pickups and 4Runners have it? I sometimes have a hard start and I've done maintenance on the whole system so I know it's good but I've never looked in the fuel tank before.
Old 02-22-2013, 06:12 PM
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I've never heard of safety foam before... do all pickups and 4Runners have it?
Basically, since there are no "baffles" like a traditional tank
Id say no. Only some aftermarket fuel cells use the foam.

Last edited by ThatGuy1295; 02-22-2013 at 06:14 PM.
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