Drove an hour. Stopped to fill up. Crank but no start. (1 Viewer)

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Sep 7, 2016
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Denver, CO
Monday night I drove about 26 miles home from work in my 2004 cruiser. Stopped to fill up on gas (had about 1/4 tank left). Went to start the truck up after filling it completely up, and it would crank but not start. I had my wife’s GX 460 tow strap me the short 1/4 mile home. Upon getting home I gave it one more try and it started it right up. Drove it that same distance to and from work yesterday and today, and then parked it for a few minutes tonight before needing to go somewhere else and it again cranks but doesn’t turn over. Sounds like it really wants to, but doesn’t actually keep running.

Going to take the day off and look at it tomorrow, but any pointers on where to start would be appreciated. It’s got 206k on the odometer.

Thanks
 
Is there anything funky about your key? It sounds like the way the ignition will behave if the transponder isn’t close enough to the receiver. The chip itself is in the body of the key and has to be close to the ignition.
 
Or could it be the immobilizer? Check for immobilzer thread. It is easy and tyou will need a new relay and some wires.
 
Is there anything funky about your key? It sounds like the way the ignition will behave if the transponder isn’t close enough to the receiver. The chip itself is in the body of the key and has to be close to the ignition.
Just tried the spare, does the same behavior. I’ll look at the other items tomorrow.
 
Fuel pump?
 
I should mention, that when I went to go start it with the second key, it did smell like fuel outside of the car. The car had been previously sitting outside in a parking area outside my home for about an hour before last trying and failing to start it. No leaks underneath.
 
This is just a guess but if the fuel pump didn’t stop immediatly you could have sucked fuel into the charcoal canister lines and created a vacuum in the system. Have you tried to loosen the fuel cap and then try to start it? If it starts then let it run for a while with the cap off and then close it. You may throw a code for Evap but it should start and run.
 
No codes. Just went and tried to start it after letting it sit all night and it started right up.
 
No codes. Just went and tried to start it after letting it sit all night and it started right up.

Sounds like @blatant nailed it, was there a TSB for the Crank position sensor? I want to say I remember hearing about it...
 
Just drove 26 miles to work after it starting right up. When I got there, I shut it off and tried to immediately start it, and it started no problem. Will try to diagnose if/when the issue comes back.
 
Replace the EFI fuse under the hood. It may look like it is not blown, but the resistance will keep it from starting. It is a 20 amp mini.
 
If you turn the key 2-3 times and able to to start the engine, then the problem is with the starter contact gone bad. Check out this link of how to replace the contact. I would buy new or reman starter since it is a pain in the neck to remove the old starter.

Procedure for replacing 100 series(98 and up) starter contacts

It cranks over right away, so I don’t think it’s a starter issue. It started up fine on the way home, so still haven’t got to troubleshoot it.
 
EFI fuse. But you can't just replace the fuse always. The contacts on mine were corroded (pull the box and look underneath to diagnose), so swapping fuse didn't help. I ran a jumper wire made from a paper clip instead of the fuse. Bent it to a U shape and really jammed it deep into the slots to make good contact. Truck has been that way and starting every time for 3 years.
 

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