Just started up my 3vze today after it was standing for about a week.. and usually it starts just fine. I turn the ignition until i hear the motor has started turning and i let go right away and it starts up fine. But today I was starting it and right at the time where it usually does that, instead it shook violently for 1 second when it was supposed to start. Then i tried starting it again and it was just fine..

any ideas why it happened? cylinders stopped in the wrong place after i turned off the car ?

 

I doubt it is any major problem. It was probably just a mis/back fire.

 

why would that happen?

 

I have had that happen to my runner a few times. I think part of the problem was me pushing on the gas pedal when i was trying to start it and it may have gotten to much fuel and flooding out.

 

Could be any number of things from oil in your cylinders to just bad gas. Trying to pinpoint the problem with only that one occurance is next to impossible, though.