hi,
my wife started the car up fine to leave work and then to pick up my kid at daycare. but when she was leaving with my daughter the car wouldn't start. it worked just 5 minutes earlier. when i turn the key, the car would almost start by making that cranking sound but that's it. it would keep making that sound with no complete start of the engine.

i have a 99 4runner 3.4L and had my timing belt and spark plugs changed last year. i'm not sure what to do. what do you guys think my next step should be?

 

So it's *almost* running? The engine is firing a little, but not enough to actually run?

I'd tend to think fuel supply in that case. It's not like it can do that with an ignition problem.

Basics. Engines need 3 things to run.

Fuel - more or less the right amount (to run at all, running properly, obv a different story)
Spark - at the right time
Compression - valves opening and closing at the right time (and that means the timing belt, mostly, in this case).

If you had a can of starting fluid it would be an easy test to narrow it down to the fuel system - just spray a shot in the intake and see if it runs for a few seconds.

 

yeah. it'll make that "ru-ru-ru" noise when i turn the key. but it doesn't start.
when i checked the tank, it was down to the last notch on the fuel gauge. so if i spray the starting fuel in and it starts, does that means i'm just low on gas?
sorry, i'm such a noob.

 

Means there is a lack of fuel going into the engine.

 

Both our 4Runners seem to go further below the last line on the gauge than seems reasonable. It's faintly possible it's out of gas. There are also many other reasons why it might not be getting fuel, or the fuel injection system isn't even trying to run the pumps.

When it goes ru-ru-ru - is it pretty much cranking at normal speed, or does the engine catch just a faint amount, and the cranking speeds up some?

Adding some gas to it seems like a decent diagnostic step, though, no doubt about it. Put a couple of gallons of gas in, see if it makes a difference.

 

What I'm getting is your low on gas. If you top it off and your all is good then your fuel gauge is inaccurate (it is 13 years old). If it still won't start then there is another problem and we can help narrow it down from there.

 

ok. i'll start with gas. thanks, i'll report back.

 

I put 5 gallons in the tank, about midline on the gauge, and its still the same.
Also it seems to be cranking at a steady speed. I cant hear it speeding up or slowing down.

 

That narrows it down to fuel pump or injectors.

Do you hear the fuel pump come on at all when cranking it?
When you turn the key to run without starting the engine, does the check engine light come on and stay on or does it go away after a few seconds?

 

i had a friend come over and do some checking. he said it was a bad fuel pump. thanks everyone for your help.

 

That happens when people keep running down to the last once of fuel before filling up. The filters get clogged as they suck up whatever contaminants are in the tank and the pump looses its cooling ability. The gas surrounding the pump actually cools it.

 

that sounds like me. i've got to be more diligent about gasing up sooner.

 

I learn something new everyday on Yotatech

 

First hit on google search came up with this thread. Going to investigate the fuel pump myself cuz I am one of those people that only fills up when it's dry. :/ I used to not to that for exactly the reason mentioned above, but for some reason I stopped. dumb ass. Guess I'll see what happens.

 

Crap. Pulled the fuel filter and it's clean as a whistle. Made in China, tho, so who knows. Something tells me it's not the fuel filter. Only problem I've had recently is the contacts on the starter were bad and I changed them. That was about 2 weeks ago. Hard to imagine those are related, cuz starter seems to work really well now. Any suggestions?

 

You might want to have your injectors flushed out also. Just incase some sediment got through the fuel filter.

 

Well, I reinstalled the fuel filter and it worked ok. Then I figured I might as well replace the filter anyway, in case it was defective and blocking flow for some other reason that dirt. Haven't had a problem since. *knock on wood*

 

The best part is some dealers claim the fuel filter is a lifetime item that doesn't need replacing.