Toyota Repair: 96 Tacoma hard starting, coolant temp, temp gauge

Question
My 96 Tacoma has a 2.4 eng. 5spd. It is hard to start on hot days. Some times it cranks and cranks and won't start. Any season except summer it's fine. I put the computer on it and could find nothing wrong. I unplugged the air temp sensor on the side of the air box and the problem went away. But now I have a code for the air temp sensor. Is it the temp sensor even though the computer says its reading fine or did I just open the loop bypassing the real problem? And what might that problem be? Thanks.

Answer
The air temp sensor is normally not the problem, are there any other trouble codes besides the air temp sensor code? The coolant temp sensor on the rear of the cylinder head may be the cause, it can be checked with a scantool and should read about the same as the temp gauge on the dash, if there is an extreme reading, either -42 degrees or +240F then the sensor should be replaced.