Fuel and Emissions Systems Symptom Troubleshooting - Hard to start engine Diagnostic interview

Hard to start engine?Diagnostic interview

Date

Place

How often does it occur?

( ) times/day

1. Weather when occurred

A: Warm (temp: )

B: Sunny

C: Cloudy

D: Rainy

2. Situation when occurred

A: After an overnight parking, ( ) nights

B: Tends to occur about 3 hours after stopping engine

C: Parking hours irrelevant

3. Weather when occurred

A: Cold (temp: )

Fuel when occurred

: Filled ( ) months before occurrence

4. Use of specified fuel

A: Used specified fuel only

B: Used ethanol-mixed fuel

C: Gasoline additive

5. How the starter motor turned when the problem occurred

A: Starter motor turned weaker than usual

B: Spinning of starter motor irrelevant

Cranking operation

A: Keep cranking until the engine starts

B: Stop cranking after several seconds: ( ) sec

Cranking (without keyless access system)

A: Turn on starter motor immediately after turning the ignition switch ON (II)

B: Turn on starter motor several seconds after turning the ignition switch ON (II) (after confirming that the check engine indicator goes off)

6. Ground where occurred

A: Level

B: Downhill

C: Uphill

Fuel level when occurred

A: Full

B: Half full

C: Only a little

7. Aftermarket accessory

A: Modified

B: No modification

Hard-to start condition?Possible cause pattern chart from diagnostic interview

Conditions when hard-to-start occurred

Possible causes

Pattern 1

	When in warm climate
	Tends to occur approx 3 hours after stopping engine

Check for the EVAP canister purge valve.

Pattern 2

Weather when occurred: Windy

When wind is blowing into the exhaust system, the exhaust gas can blow back into the combustion chamber and/or intake manifold, causing long crank times.

Pattern 3

	Weather when occurred: Cold
	Fuel filled two months before occurrence

	If summer fuel is used during cold weather, long crank times may occur.
	When using fuel that is more than a couple months old (stale fuel), the symptom may disappear with fresh fuel.

Pattern 4

	Use of non-specified fuel
	Ethanol mixed, use of additive

	When ethanol fuel or fuel other than specified is mixed, engine stalling may occur.
	Poor fuel quality may cause a hard-to-start condition.

Pattern 5

	Immediately crank after turning the vehicle to the ON mode
	Starter motor spins weaker than usual

	There may be a delay until the fuel pump can generate sufficient fuel pressure. Check fuel pressure when starting.
	When the battery is weak, it takes a long time until the fuel pump boosts fuel pressure to the prescribed level, causing slow start in some cases.

Pattern 6

	Vehicle parked on an uphill or downhill slope
	When fuel level is low

When the vehicle is parked on an uphill or downhill slope, and the fuel level is low, the fuel pump cannot pickup and pressurize the fuel properly, causing a hard-to-start condition.

Pattern 7

	Check for modification in ignition system, intake duct, intake manifold, exhaust system
	Inspect amount of oil/fluid/gas (engine oil, ATF, A/C refrigerant)

Hard-to-start engine or engine stall may occur due to modified ignition system, intake duct, intake manifold, exhaust system, use of non-specified engine oil or ATF, or excessive amount of engine oil or ATF (temporary failure may occur due to modification).