well, it's been a month since my truck started haveing problems getting fuel to the engine. my first step was to swap the fuel filter: my old post
after swapping the fuel filter everything seemed fine for awhile, but the problem is happening again, whether the engine is cold, warm, or hot. i put in the key, turn it, the engine cranks, the idiot lights flash as they normally do (altho the "check engine" does NOT), but the engine doesn't catch. it takes alot of attempts for the engine to finally catch (and i can tell when it will catch, because the "check engine" light will turn on with the rest of them) and once it does catch, it runs fine and does NOT stall out. i'm not sure if the check engine light being on means anything, but here's some visual aids to clear things up.
at any rate, i noticed that the truck exhibits this problem more frequently when the tank is less full: it rarely happens when i'm above 3/4 full, then steadily increases in occurrence and once i am down to 1/4 tank, it happens almost every time i try to start the engine.
i also noticed that when i removed the fuel cap, sometimes there was alot of pressure in the system, and other times there was much less. and the problem seems to happen more when there is less pressure built up in the system.
so, thinking that it might be some sort of "air leak" in the system, i bought a new gas cap on friday, as that was the easiest place to start. i figured that a bad seal with the gas cap could be the culprit. over the weekend, the engine caught fire on the first try, every time. but it wouldn't catch on the first attempt today (monday), so obviously, that wasn't it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
i am at a loss, because if the fuel pump was bad, the engine would stall out, right?
i haven't tried the "jumpering" described here , but that is my next step...if i do that and it works, is there any harm in keeping the Fp and B+ terminals jumpered all the time?
what else should i be looking at?
yeah, i know, the fuel pump seems logical, but i really don't wanna drop the tank and swap the fuel pump unless that is definitely the problem, and if the pump is bad, why am i only having problems with starting? shouldn't the engine stall out if an electrical fuel pump is shot?
and how much would that cost? i've dropped the tank on my TJ before, but given the age of this truck and the seizing problem with the fuel filter, that would be a major PITA, possibly worth paying a dealer to "deal" with it?
sorry for the looooong post, and TIA for the help!!
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />
/natebear

Fuel pumps on Toyota are all go or all no, no inbetween. Sounds like you are having a problem with the fuel rail bleeding off pressure. Since it does start and run fine after initial startup I would start looking for areas where air can enter the system and allow the fuel to bleed off. Most likely culprits being the pulsation dampner and pressure regulator. Either can be worn out and would allow air to slowly seep in. Also if any fuel system work was done just prior to the problem beginning, the threads may not have had any sealer applied to them...again creating a slow air leak. Interesting too because air will get in, but even under pressure, fuel wont spray out.

~Darin <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" />

just to clarify:
when i'm talking above about the check engine light turning on, i mean that it goes on as part of the normal startup routine where all the idiot lights go on briefly when the engine is cranked and started. then they all turn off, including the check engine light.
what is wierd is that when the engine cranks but doesn't catch, all the idiot lights, except the check engine, go on while the engine is cranking.
does this mean anything?
seems like an odd coincidence...when the enginge starts up, what tells the check engine light to briefly go on?
it seems more than coincidental that the engine doesn't catch when the check engine light isn't doing its normal routine.
thanks again.
/natebear

Theres a picture of your fuel rail showing where things are located. If the pressure regulator wasnt sealing when the engine was shut off, fuel would bleed off into the return line and make for hard first of the day starts. Depending on the amount of time the vehicle sits would go hand in hand with when the problem occurs.

Since rereading the top of this thread where you mention that the hardstarts seem to happen more as the tank level drops, Im wondering if your EVAP system is partly to blame?
Check the condition of the fuel return lines, charcoal canister and all related hoses and vac lines...look for something that just dont look right.

I dont know much about the 3.0L at all, always been kinda skeered when lifting the hood on a V6 Yota...now I know why!
I'll get some links together shortly and see if they help at all.

~Darin <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" />