QuestionThe weather hit 90 degrees today in NJ and I had a very frustrating experience that has not happened since last Summer. If I drive a bit and the truck gets up to operating temperature, then I go into a store for a short time, when I return my Tacoma will not start. It cranks very strong but doesn't start. No "check engine" lights or anything abnormal. It's a 5-speed, so I just push-start it and it starts right up. I learned to pick "strategic" parking spaces last year. Here are some specs for my truck: 1995 Tacoma LX, 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder, 5 speed, 88,500 miles, a/c, 2WD, XTRA cab (in case this helps). Last year, the dealer wouldn't diagnose it because I had aftermarket parts in it (NAPA fuel filter, etc). One shop replaced the obvious stuff (fuel filter, cap, rotor) and a second shop swapped them for Toyota parts - he's a big believer in Toyota parts. The problem persisted but went away once the weather cooled. It came back today, and I'm exhausted with it already. There are no other symptoms indicating any problem - normal operating temperature, no oil or check engine lights, etc. Once it starts (after I push-start it) it runs fine.
I am grateful for any help you can offer.
AnswerThe engine may be flooding for some reason, it's getting too much fuel, if wasn't getting enough fuel at startups it would be hard starting when cold. When it does start when push starting see if there is a lot of black smoke from the tailpipe. The cold start injection duration is controlled by the computer based on rpm and coolant temp signals, you could try replacing the coolant temp sensor for the ecu and see if that helps, it's located at the very rear of the engine behind the valve cover.
