bigt

ok please try and stay with me... im extremely poed.
ok my daily driver wont start every morning but especially when its damp or wet... i was having issue with starter where if i started it more than 4 times all i would get is a click click click.... so i remove starter and din only 1 bolt holding it in... so i clean it up test it and put it all back with all bolts...

now i can crank all day but it still wont catch... sometimes i get a burp and sometimes if i hold my foot to the floor it till "clear" and i can get it going

i cant just throw parts at this and its forcing me to drive an uninsured trail rig around so i can get to work and no get fired .

i cant take it to a shop cuz it only does it some mornings... well all mornings with the rain we have been having now.. i have noticed if i put a heater under the hood for a while or if the engine is warm then she will start right away.

cold start injector i tried giving it 12 volts and still nothing... i smell gas so i think im getting fuel and when the truck is running it runs amazing and i just put new plugs in

putneysmachine

Sounds like weak / no spark. I'd check the easy stuff first:

cap / rotor / wires. if there is any moisture in the cap, it'll do exactly what you describe. Also if there is any damage to the plug wires (even if you can't see the damage) it will do the same. The easiest way to check it is after you do get it running (?) take a spray bottle of regular water and spray down the wires, over the dist. cap and see if it starts to misfire. I'd try the trick just before you shut it down after you drive home from work. Another way to check would be to pull the dist. cap before you crank it over in the morning, and see if there is any condensation in it.

If you have aftermarket wires (like NGK or any other brand that is made from silicone) check and make sure the leads are pushed ALL THE WAY down into the dist cap. Silicone is slippery and I have seen the wires "back out" of the cap since the rubber boot that holds them in really doesn't hold the wire in.

also the "start with foot to the floor" usually indicates fuel flooding. Yes, I know it's injected, but it can happen pretty easily. If you have any leaking injectors, and it sits over night it can drip enough fuel in there to wash the cylinders down and cause low compression, or even foul the plugs.

Start with the ignition parts first. hot engine + rain = condensation in the cap as it cools down.

Keep us posted.

gte718p

I've got nothing on the starting, but why not insure the trail rig temporarily and just drive it till you fix the DD?

I don't know the laws in Canada, but I had some people really F@#Ked over in the states for really minor accidents when they didn't have insurance. Not that they didn't deserve it, but I hate to see it happen to people.

abecedarian

sounds like your idle air valve under the throttle body might be stuck closed causing the cold start valve to flood the engine before it starts. instead giving the cold start valve 12v like you said, try unplugging the connctor from it and leaving it alone.
As mentioned above, you should your distributor cap for any condensation- check this in the morning before you try starting the truck. You should check your plugs, wires, etc. to make sure they are all good, gapped correctly, wires installed firmly onto the terminals. If you've got a service manual, even the Haynes or Chiltons, they should have the procedures for checking the ignition coil resistances so you should check the coil too.
also, and I don't know if you're doing this or not, but do not press the accelerator pedal at all while trying to start the engine. only do so if it floods out and you need to clear the flooded condition.

bigt

thanks for all the help... actually pulling the stater must have caused one of my rusty gas lines to fail so im gonna fix that.. then try all these wonderful suggestions..

its gotta be something stupid.. they are ngk wires and the guy i got the truck from had a shop put this engine in...

you really dont understand how crazy this makes me when i get up for work..hop in the truck and CRANK CRANK CRANK... i get so mad ..then i hope in my beat trail rig and it gets half a crank and FIRES RIGHT UP..so maybe i will switch parts..cuz i dont have cash to through parts at this issue

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Here is a quick thing to try next time it cranks and won't start:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...shtml#FuelPump

And for the starter clicking, see:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml

pwd

I recently had to get my fuel line repaired and before that it would crank about 10-12 times before it would 'catch'. I'm assuming it was cause there was no fuel in the line up front because of the leak. I'm no mechanic but, it could be something like that.

hornettech

sounds like a cold start injector issue to me....i had the same issue....only in the cool of the morning. I found one pin of the electrical connector recessed out of the locked position on the temp sensor switch. the brown connector on the front left of the induction runners as viewed staring at the front of the motor. When pulled off and viewed, it looked ok and seated but when put back into place, it would unlock and recess. Try that it may be the case...let me know, good luck.

Benny_Wiskas

90 % sure it's the distributor cap. My dad's dakota would do that if it had just rained or there was a lot of dew. hope it helps

bigt

ok well i fixed fuel line and now i sprayed the dist and ignitor and oonce the truck cools off i spray more and try and start... the spray while it was running did make it stutter but not shut off...

we will solve this i dont really want the expensive of another new or old 4runner!

just a 22re

if it raining and she wont start. sounds like water or something is getting in to something, next time wake up earlie,r i know you don't want to but do it!!! and when she don't start fast and quickly, pop the hood take a wire off and check for spark!!! if you don't have spark, and then take the coil wire off and check for spark there, i bet theres some moisture getting into the cap on ya. had it happen to me all the time when it rained, so i sealed off the cap and never happened again.

bigt

well guys after squirting the distib and wires down i pin pointed it to that...
so i go out and get brand new wires... cant find a distib at 9pm so it will wait till tommorow ... so i have a spare kicking around so i wanna try it.. take off old cap and wires put brand new wires and used cap... the cap that came off the truck had a circle mark around it all the way around inside..like a scratch..the spare i put on didnt have a groove....

STILL WONT START

should i waste more money getting a new cap?? is this groove normal or is it my problem

abecedarian

the groove may be for an o-ring.

I'm not convinced it's a condensation problem with the distributor though.

abecedarian

you said that when cold, the engine just cranks over, and you smell fuel.
that makes me think it's a cold start issue, which when contemplating things, makes me think the idle air valve under the throttle body is stuck closed (when it should be open) and is causing you to run too rich from the get-go.
When the engine is warm, the cold start circuit does nothing so you wouldn't have a problem then.

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Have you tried the fuel pump test jumper I suggested earlier?

yoder519

my truck did the exact same thing a while back.. it would start sometimes but then some days i twould just click. 4crawler told me it was my contacts in my starter. that may not be the case with you since its worst when damp..but its worth a try. $10 fix. http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml

bigt

not cold its wet issue... the truck started...then i misted only distib and wires then it wouldnt start again theni dried it and it would start again.... the grove is cut around where the part turns giving spark...

bigt

so the rotor is what cut the groove... i guess ill go pickup a new cap and rotor to go with the new wires tommorow as its only around 20 more bucks ....

if it doesnt work ill try 4crawlers suggestion .. i think i have to jump f and bp but ill look it up for sure

Kiroshu

Fuel Pump? Fuel filter? Ignition? Injectors? Loose or busted air intake hoses?

Kiroshu

Could be a fuse for your fuel pump too.