1993 toyota pickup 22re. I have to hit the starter twice to get it to crank now, it has never been this way till now and ive owned the truck for 7 yrs. Replaced fuel pump and filter, cleaned air filter, checked fuel pressure and its very good. Fuel pressure drops to 0 psi immediately after engine stops. Any help would b appreciated.

 

Starter going bad maybe?

 

sounds like starter..

 

Vocabulary: "crank" means that the starter can turn the engine over.
"Fire" means that at least one cylinder fires at least once.
"Run" means that it will at least idle.

So, do you mean you have to turn the key twice before the the starter does anything at all (crank)? Or do you mean you have to crank it for a few seconds, stop, then crank it again to get it to fire?

The fuel system (pump, filter, pressure) has nothing to do with cranking, and everything to do with firing. The fuel pressure should maintain near 40-55psi for at least an hour. If the pressure drops quickly (as you say), then you have to run the pump for a few seconds to get the pressure back up. And the pump runs off the STA (start) signal, which you get when you are cranking.

The fuel pump has a check valve to maintain pressure when it stops running. If the pump was installed with a leaky connection inside the tank, it won't maintain pressure, and you won't see any leaks. Of course, if you can see a leak, then that's a more serious problem.

 

The fuel pressure dropping to 0 immediately after the engine stops running tells you one of the following:
- the check valve in fuel pump is bad
- the fuel pressure regulator is bad
- one or more fuel injectors is bad
- the cold start injector is bad
- you have a fuel leak somewhere

I hope that narrowed it down enough for you.

 

I replaced my fuel pump and I have the same issue. To clarify, I have to crank the engine twice to get it to start, the starter works fine. The engine has to be turned over, stopped, then turned over again to crank.

 

So, no matter how long you hold the key to crank, it won't start... but if you just quickly twist the key, release, then twist the key again it will start?

 

not exactly, I at least have to twist the key to engage the starter for at least 2 secs, then let go, then twist again immediately for another 2-3 secs before he engine will sluggishly start.

 

Turned over again to fire? If you don't like my vocabulary that's okay, but let's try to agree on some terminology.

I think abecedarian has answered your question. The most likely explanation for your problem is that you are losing fuel pressure. You have to run the fuel pump for a few seconds (by cranking) until it builds up enough pressure to run the injectors. The second attempt has enough pressure so it will start.

If you have fuel leaking on the ground, that's one possibility. If you throw a cloud of black smoke when you can get it to start, that sounds like a leaky injector. But the rest probably require a fuel pressure gauge, which will give you the reason (though not the cause) immediately. If you go that route, don't forget that you have get a gauge that has one of these adapters: http://www.actron.com/product_detail.php?pid=16287