Starting issue with 91 Previa Alltrack

[Gershon]

Intermittently maybe 50% of the time my van will not start right away. It will turn over 50 to 10 times then fire. When this happens it does start every time though. It happens hot or cold. I was told it could be a bad time delay temperature switch sensor but I have swapped out 3 different used ones and it still happens. I guess all 3 could be bad but that would be horrible odds haha.

[Steve C.]

Gershon,

i have another resource for you tmrw if nobody answers here. See you at work.

[TheMAN]

has the fuel filter ever been changed? if not change it
it could also be bad cold start injector or bad fuel pressure regulator

[timsrv]

I was thinking FPR too, except that would most likely be every start (assuming the van sits for a couple minutes after shut-down).

[Gershon]

has the fuel filter ever been changed? if not change it
it could also be bad cold start injector or bad fuel pressure regulator

Ill put a new filter in. If it starts fine when cold would that mean the cold start injector is functioning properly?

[timsrv]

I had a problem like this with my 91 Previa. It would always start fine when cold, but would flood when trying to start warm or hot (could smell gas). It also got crap fuel mileage. In troubleshooting I eventually got around to the fuel injectors. I pulled them out and took them in for cleaning & testing. This was before I knew about DR Injector, so I took them to a place that said they could handle it. They looked clean when I got them back and the guy said they were all good. I asked about spray patterns, flow rates, and leaks (I suspected a leak) & he said they were fine, but couldn't tell me any numbers and couldn't produce a print-out.

I put them back in and had the same issue. I did more checking/troubleshooting with no joy and eventually came back to the injectors. This time I went to the pick-n-pull and pulled a set of injectors off another Previa. I put them in and B-I-N-G-O! problem solved. So, in retrospect, I am assuming they cleaned my injectors but never actually tested them. I paid over $100 for this service and wasted a bunch of time and money chasing the problem. I never did have the old injectors retested, but suspect one or more was leaking fuel into the manifold after shut-down. A leaky injector could also explain the bad gas mileage I was experiencing. Tim

[Gershon]

I had a problem like this with my 91 Previa. It would always start fine when cold, but would flood when trying to start warm or hot (could smell gas). It also got crap fuel mileage. In troubleshooting I eventually got around to the fuel injectors. I pulled them out and took them in for cleaning & testing. This was before I knew about DR Injector, so I took them to a place that said they could handle it. They looked clean when I got them back and the guy said they were all good. I asked about spray patterns, flow rates, and leaks (I suspected a leak) & he said they were fine, but couldn't tell me any numbers and couldn't produce a print-out.

I put them back in and had the same issue. I did more checking/troubleshooting with no joy and eventually came back to the injectors. This time I went to the pick-n-pull and pulled a set of injectors off another Previa. I put them in and B-I-N-G-O! problem solved. So, in retrospect, I am assuming they cleaned my injectors but never actually tested them. I paid over $100 for this service and wasted a bunch of time and money chasing the problem. I never did have the old injectors retested, but suspect one or more was leaking fuel into the manifold after shut-down. A leaky injector could also explain the bad gas mileage I was experiencing. Tim

Good note. The Pick N Pull near me has 3 Previas now so that would be a cheep trail and hopefully not error.

[TheMAN]

I would pull the entire fuel rail with injectors attached if I were you... the injectors are clamped down onto the fuel rail very tight, using JIS cross head screws.... trying to use a good ol' phillips screwdriver is asking for trouble

[timsrv]

If the tank has a positive pressure in it and you open the fuel rail, it will leak and not stop. On the Previa, the way things are lined up, it will allow fuel to go into the intake and into your cylinder(s). This can lead to other potentially serious problems, so to keep from experiencing this 1st hand, loosen the fuel cap to let pressure out before you work on the injectors. Tim