Fj62 intermittent starting issue!!!!!

[DoubleNickels]

My connection was fine. Fuel pump was toast. Took me all weekend but I pulled the tank and swapped the pump without issue. Should've done it long ago.

My charcoal canister was frozen shut and (my theory) was making my pump work extra hard to move fuel from an essentially non-vented tank. Live and learn!

 

[olija]

My Cruiser seems to be exhibiting some of the same symptoms listed here. It will start fine if it's been sitting for some time, runs somewhat rough and lumpy on idle and seems to backfire a little through the tailpipe, then after a while it suddenly bumps up the revs to 1500-2000 rpm and runs smooth, but if I shut it off once it starts running like this, it will crank with no attempt to fire. When this happened I undid the fuel line at the cold-start injector and checked for fuel and had lots of pressure there, so then I checked the return line on the other side of the engine, and had not even a drop. Also didn't have a drop of fuel at the front-driver's side of the fuel rail. Do you suppose that I might have the same issue with the charcoal canister being stuck shut, causing a vapor-lock type of condition? Or is it a cold-start injector issue that's not allowing fuel to flow to the other 6 injectors? I have noticed occasionally that when I remove the fuel filler cap it seems to have a fair bit of pressure. I know all the evap tubing is good because I replaced it all when I replaced the tank last year. To test this theory, would one simply unhook the evap line from the charcoal canister when the engine won't start? Or would it already be too late? And what's the harm in just running with no canister on there?

 

[DoubleNickels]

There's no harm at all in disabling your charcoal canister, aside from letting some tank fumes escape into the atmosphere. The best way to do this is to leave the canister in place but swap the input output lines. I'll see if I can find a thread or two that give better details.

Have you checked your engine codes by counting Check Engine Light blinks? Lots of people skip that step but it can save some time. Good luck!

 

[olija]

No, I haven't run the blink diagnostics yet, but another thing I noticed was that my check engine light doesn't come on when the key is turned to the ON position (not the START position). I know on OBD II vehicles all the tell-tales should illuminate to do a self-test of the gauge cluster but I'm not sure if this is normal on older OBD I stuff.
I will try reversing the lines on the canister and see if it makes any difference. Would having the driver's side fender-mounted fan removed also contribute to this problem? I was told it was a leftover from the carb'd 2F models where it was used to keep the fuel from vaporizing in the carb and that it wouldn't hurt to leave it removed on a 3FE.

 

[blue badger]

mt hood cruiser, did you ever solve your intermittent starting problem? Mine is doing the same and I've made all of the same unsuccessful repairs plus a new EFI relay. Nothing. I'd be glad for your thoughts.

 

[Tylerh84]

Sometimes the simple things will get ya! I had the same issue with my 87 Supra. spent about 6 months trying to figure it out, rebuilt the harness and all new spark system. Ended up being an old fuse that wouldn't pass the full 15A all the time.

Try replacing all your fuses or if you have a multimeter check to see if they are passing all the pixies they need to be.

 

[samduhspam]

I currently have a similar issue with my 90 fj62. Mine seems to be a little more consistent with it being correlated to how long it has sat since running though. I haven't, till now, found anything similar. This only occurs for me when my truck has been off for right around an hour give or take. It doesn't do it when cold such as in the morning or if I had just run into a store for a few minutes. The starter cranks fine, but doesn't want to fire. Sometimes it fires, but dies out pretty quickly. I have to try starting it about 5 or 6 times holding the ignition for about 2 seconds each time. It will finally fire up and runs perfectly smooth. I know that I accidentally broke the wire for the 'cold start timer switch' right at the plug. Tried to dismantle the plug and reattach, but no dice yet. My assumption right now has been that since the computer has bad data from that sensor (or lack of sensor) and won't start. After trying a couple of times, then it may resort to a more generic configuration that finally allows it to fire up. I was hoping the problem would go away once I replace the wiring harness all together. It's been a while since I've checked, but I don't think I had any error codes and I definitely don't have the engine light on. If you haven't done so yet, try finding a way to test that switch to see if it's functioning properly.

Hey there, Did you ever figure your starting issue out as mine is doing the same thing. Starts up fine when cold, but after a drive, it takes 5-6 times before it fires up. Feels like it's not getting any fuel.