lately i have noticed that i have a little trouble starting the car when the engine is cold. i'm in northern california so i don't think it is the temperature. besides, it's not only in the morning. i think it occurs whenever the engine has been sitting for a long time and is totally cold, like over night or multiple hours while i'm out someplace and come back to the car. i didn't have any trouble in the winter and have had the car for many months now. this is kind of a new thing i have noticed. has anyone else had any trouble? my tC is an automatic.

it's hard to put the problem into words, but let me try. i turn the key all the way and hold it like you need to, but the engine "sputters" and struggles to turn on. the sputtering is like for 2-3 seconds or so. it has never failed to turn on, but i need to hold the key turned all the way and wait through the sputtering and then it turns on. if i don't, then the engine won't turn on. it seems like it only happens when the engine is totally cold, but i haven't had many opportunities to try it without it being cold. i usually stay wherever i go for a while. anyone else have this problem? any ideas of what it is?

 

could be from the fuel line automatically clearing out after 5 hours of inoperation. check it out in your manual set. it's in there somewhere.

 

make sure there is nothing in the way of the key.. manual states that if anything is in the way the car won't start correctly.. it's in the manual.. has to do with the chip in the key (transponder)

 

Toyota's are highly known to have a long crank time before they fire, it's just the way it is, and 2-3 seconds isn't a long time... a woman at my job drives an old POS beater buick and she has to hold the ignition and feather the gas to get it started.....

when I crank my TC over it takes about 6-7 kicks before it starts, but it's consistant every time, even when it's warmed up, maybe 1-2 less kicks, but that's it. When you crank it and it DOESN'T start is when you have a problem....

 

If you have a 5-speed, make sure you are depressing the clutch ALL the way.

 

ive noticed this too, when i first got my car it started up right away but now it take about 2 secs.

 

interesting comment about the fuel line. it seems as if everytime i have noticed the problem it has been more than 5 hours since i last started it (overnight or after school).

as far as the key goes, there's nothing in the way. the same two key rings have been on it since i first got it. i saw that picture in the manual about how the key rings should not touch the key and stuff, so they don't.

and glad to know that i'm not the only one that this occurs with. it sounds normal. it just seems like the crank time is getting longer everyday. but it never doesn't start so hopefully it's nothing.

 

try your spare key and see if it works better..

 

good suggestion about the spare key, but i just went out and tried my usual key and the car started up no problem real fast. but i have only been home for about 3 hours or so. so i'm gussing it might be that 5 hour fuel line drain thing. it makes sense. if there is no fuel already in the line, it is going to kind of struggle to turn on until it gets there. i feel much better now. i thought i was having engine problems.

 

Hey guys, this also happens on my xB. No kidding. An interesting topic, 2-3 seconds before it starts, i always thought something was just off on my car. Fuel line seems to make sense.

 

Keep your key on the ON position for about two seconds before you start the car, this will give the fuel pump enough time to pressurize the fuel line.

 

i usually wait for the gauges to do their "Sweep".. and starts fine.. maybe that's all it is..

 

I have been experiencing this in my box as well recently, no problems all through winter, and for the past two or 3 weeks this wierd sputter start thing happens but not consistently.
hmmm... fuel line huh?

 

well, the xB and tC have different engines so if it occurs in both i guess it really isn't anything for us to worry about, but it still is an interesting phenomenon. i've never had this occur on any of the other toyota cars i've driven. well, at least i never noticed it.

 

It happened to my tC last week, I ended up working a double shift sunday and as I started the engine I noticed that it was taking so long for it to crank. It stardted the second try but it was acting like there was no fuel. It did have a full tank of gas so it was not the problem. So far it has not happened again.

 

Yup, that's what i do. I just turn the key to ON and let it beep about two to three times and start the car. Works great everytime.

 

mine kinda sputtered and didn't start the first time the other day. it was warmer outside. it started on the second try...might have been because i had barely any gas in the tank

 

same here. it takes like 2 sec to start it. better than my old mustang wich took 6-7 seconds

 

since this is the first time i've had a car with the auto guage "sweep check" thing.... i just turn it to ON and let it do its sweep, then crank it. cranks over just fine. less than 2 secs.

a note about the fuel line tho. i live in central NY, and we have bitter cold winters. -20 F. What i've learned is that water in ur fuel can freeze if it gets really cold at night. but whats this thing about the fuel line emptying after 5 hrs? i dont understand. is that an automatic feature to prevent fuel line freezing?

 

Its a good thing it cranks a couple times. I used to have an xB, and it did that too. It's good, it gets oil moving around before the engine starts.
My 92 firebird starts almost right when you turn the key. And it feels ok, but sometimes I think if thats not causing some serious wear.