Yaris Cold start problem

[vinny121]

Hi,

My 2007 Yaris has 77k miles on it and for some reason when I tried to start it this morning, it wont turn over. I heard the electric starter turn but ignition wouldn't happen. I tried turning the key and pulsing the gas pedal to get the engine to turn over and it did but then stalled. It reminded me of starting a lawn mover after a long winter break because after I finally got it started, I saw a lot of blueish gray smoke coming out the exhaust. Has anyone had this issue with their Yaris? I started the Yaris the day before just fine. It rained pretty heavily last night. I am not sure if that caused an issue with the engine.

I appreciate all your help thanks!

[mazilla]

Originally Posted by vinny121

Hi,

My 2007 Yaris has 77k miles on it and for some reason when I tried to start it this morning, it wont turn over. I heard the electric starter turn but ignition wouldn't happen. I tried turning the key and pulsing the gas pedal to get the engine to turn over and it did but then stalled. It reminded me of starting a lawn mover after a long winter break because after I finally got it started, I saw a lot of blueish gray smoke coming out the exhaust. Has anyone had this issue with their Yaris? I started the Yaris the day before just fine. It rained pretty heavily last night. I am not sure if that caused an issue with the engine.

I appreciate all your help thanks!

Is there still smoke when you drive, idle?

[vinny121]

The exhaust is clear during regular idle.

[mazilla]

Originally Posted by vinny121

The exhaust is clear during regular idle.

@ only 77k I'd start with a basic tune up and see if that solves it. Check your air filter, plugs, and check your coils for damage(least likely IMO) but I had a cracked coil so I changed them all. If everything is good with those, check and clean your mass airflow sensor. If it's still a problem you may want to remove and clean the heck out of your throttle body.



* I dunno how mechanically inclined you are.

[vinny121]

I changed the plugs on other cars. I'll check the air filter first. The Yaris manual says the plugs should last 100K miles but it is possible that they need to be changed. It could be the coils also. I'll remove the plastic cover on the engine soon and check out the condition of the coils and plugs. FWIW, the same starting problems occurred intermittently this winter. Maybe it is time to take apart the ignition system.

BTW, at what mileage did you have the cracked coil? Wouldn't an ignition problem cause the ECU to show the 'check engine' light?

Do you think that a fuel injector cleaning done by a repair shop help me with the throttle body? Or maybe should I use one of those commercial cleaners myself (from a bottle)?

Thanks!

[mazilla]

Originally Posted by vinny121

I changed the plugs on other cars. I'll check the air filter first. The Yaris manual says the plugs should last 100K miles but it is possible that they need to be changed. It could be the coils also. I'll remove the plastic cover on the engine soon and check out the condition of the coils and plugs. FWIW, the same starting problems occurred intermittently this winter. Maybe it is time to take apart the ignition system.

BTW, at what mileage did you have the cracked coil? Wouldn't an ignition problem cause the ECU to show the 'check engine' light?

I bought it with 450K on the car three weeks ago, dunno when it actually cracked

Do you think that a fuel injector cleaning done by a repair shop help me with the throttle body? Or maybe should I use one of those commercial cleaners myself (from a bottle)?

I doubt it, and the injectors look factory on my engine so I don't know how effective an injector cleaning would be @ your low mileage. I use the spray type TB cleaner personally. Just pull off the intake and manually open your throttle with your fingers, if it's absurdly dirty you may want to consider removing it completely and giving it a once over, if not follow the directions on the can and wipe as much of that black out(with a rag, not a paper towel) as you can. The throttle body on my car was dirtier than anything I've ever seen before, it required an intense cleaning, the result was significant.
Also, you might want to pull your EGR valve and give it a good cleaning or replace it...a good cleaning is usually all that's needed.
Thanks!

Once you go through the basic stuff I'd be surprised if there was anything else you'd need to do. I've seen 15 of these cars with mileage ranging from 350-500K and they were all in need of only minor repairs(that were not done at regular intervals).

*You're first start after spraying the throttle body cleaner into the intake will be rough, give it some fuel(press the gas pedal) and it should smooth right out, it just needs to burn it off.


ETA: I'm not a mechanic, I happen to own a lot of vehicles, which means I have to do the repairs myself if I want to continue to be able to afford them. I spend most of my days tinkering with this and that, fixing as much as I can. On occasion I will have to go to a shop because I either lack the time, tools or willpower to do it myself. I've found that if you stay on top of the small things you're far less likely to have a catastrophic failure, if ever.

[swidd]

Replacing battery and plugs at 86,000 miles gave good improvement to starting and acceleration.

You can start with cleaning just the MAF with a $3 spray bottle. It made it more smooth for me.

[swidd]

Does flooring the throttle do anything on digital throttle control?

[vinny121]

When the key is on, it must do something electrical because when the gas pedal is pressed, more fuel goes to the engine.

Maybe this will explain:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...1182004AAHzKaG

Although, I think the throttle valve exists on the yaris (and is not called the IAC - Intake air control valve).

[mazilla]

Have you checked(tested) the battery?

[vinny121]

I checked the battery today and verified it was pretty high voltage... almost 14 volts. I also checked the battery in my other car and it had a typical voltage of a battery, maybe 12.5 volts. I knew that my car was sitting for 48 hours and tried starting it and everything ran normal (the starting problem is intermittent).

[vinny121]

I changed the engine air filter on my Yaris and have not had any cold start problems since this change. Thanks all for 'steering' me on the right path.