Starting then dying after starter replacement

Hey guys, I need some help please.

I have a 2003 sequoia limited that I replaced the starter and both intake man gaskets on yesterday and now it wont stay running. It cranks, fires, sometimes starts, then dies quickly.

The battery is good, the starter is brand new and working appropriately, no codes are being thrown. All hoses are hooked back up correctly, and the truck ran perfect before the starter went out last week. The only thing I can think is a fuel issue, cause it’s not throwing codes and I don’t think the fuel system is monitored.?

I disconnected the rail at the fuel damper and thought maybe I messed something up when I put it back together, but according to the diagrams I found it looks correct.

It did sit for 5 days with the fuel rail off and battery disconnected cause I had an extended tour at the firehouse. the blinking immobilizer stops when I insert the key so I don’t think it’s that.

any thoughts?

Thank you in advance...

 

Sounds like a fuel issue. May need the fuel system purged of air. Check all of your connections and make sure there is nothing that didn't get reattached properly. As long as all looks good and you say there are no codes, just keep cycling the truck on and letting it run as long as it can. Then repeat until it stays running. It should be able to self purge the air out.

When my starter started acting up years ago, I called to get a new one and the tech at the Toyota dealership said he had never had to replace one in the 20+ years they had been around (in both Toyota and Lexus applications). Said it was likely just the two copper contacts inside the starter. $13 for both from the dealer. I replaced those and the intake gaskets and it worked like new. That was 100k+ miles ago. The advantage to the starter being in the V is lower heat exposure which can prolong the life of any starter. Also when I replaced mine, I didn't unhook any of the fuel system lines. I simply unbolted the intake manifold and put some 2x4 wood blocks as spacers between the intake and the block. That gave me enough room to reach in and unbolt the starter to repair it.

 

Clean your throttle body. Sounds like typical systems after a battery disconnect where the idle air control resets. Use throttle body cleaner made for this procedure.

 

Anytime I clean the MAF or throttle body it hesitates to start for a couple of turns. Then stumbles to life and runs great. Starts normal after that.

 

thank you guys for the replies. I tried turning it over several times to see if it was just taking longer to purge, but no luck, then I cleaned the MAF and Throttle, still nothing. I’m heading to the store to rent a fuel test kit and See if she’s getting pressure.

 

Are you starting it and letting it idle and it won't? If so, try holding the gas for a bit around 1500 rpm and see if it stays alive. When battery gets disconnected and intake gets messed with the ecu often needs to calibrate and the motor needs to run to do it.

 

Something didn't get put back together correctly is my guess. Intake manifold gaskets = vacuum leak?

If the motor can't stay running for long the chance of getting a code you can act off of lessens. Don't mind the folks that throw out the generic stuff like "put in new plugs, change your fuel filter, clean your MAF". While those are never bad ideas they are 99.99% never the cause of a problem that folks come to forums for.

If the truck was running perfectly before a starter replacement than it "should" be running perfectly after. This means that it is something you did while performing whatever work you performed. There is no fuel delivery problem that happened while you were replacing your starter. If your fuel pump and fuel pressure was fine before, they're fine now. Go for low hanging fruit first... What did you disconnect/replace/mess with - go step by step and feel free to list that out here. Its usually something silly.

 

Agree ^^^. Like the battery negative terminal was loose and wasn't properly seated on the battery post.

 

Found the issue!! It was the fuel damper. I wasn’t getting any pressure in the system after the fuel damper. I replaced it and now the truck is running perfectly. Looking at it, it looks fine but it must have gotten some debris in it or something. Noah, you were probably right, I’m not sure how I damaged the fuel damper in this process but I can’t imagine that it coincidentally broke when the starter failed. Thanks for the help!

 

Wunderbar!!!!!

 

Was gonna let this ride given the shortness of your time here but IMHO your thoughts concerning "generic stuff" are so far off it is pitiful. Hang around awhile and you'll hopefully see the error of your ways, especially in your approach.

 

Did you just Tee off of the line post damper? Good for you sticking to it and finding that, thanks for the follow up.

 

Ya I took the damper out and connected into the banjo nut below it to test. Pressures were good there. Very happy I’m pulling the gas tank this weekend!

 

How'd you go about figuring out it was the fuel damper, im having the same issue. It got so frustrating i let it sit for about a year now. On a fixed income so buying the fuel damper and it not being the issue is kind of harder for me. Also i havent put coolant in it because i didnt want to have to drain it if it didnt start, can that be an issue for it not staying on