Fuel Injection

tommyj3

I have a 1998 4R Auto 4cyl with 110,000 miles that is giving me a fit. It acts flooded and wont start until the engine turns over several times with black smoke coming from the exhaust. I discovered I can turn the ignition straight from off to start and it will start ok, but if I turn it to on and then to start it will be hard to start. Any one have any suggestions? Thanks

Mr_Shiftright

You might pull the spark plugs and see if one is fouling up. That would suggest one leaking injector or a very bad spray pattern.

A scan tool hook-up would also be a good idea, to test for things like coolant temperature sensor.

tommyj3

Thanks Mr. Shiftright. I suspect I've got a dose of crud so my next step is to change fuel filter. I parked it last fall when we left to Snowbird for the winter and I left it with a couple cans of injector cleaner in the tank. I'm anxious to get back home and try it. Evidently Toyota didn't switch to OBD II because my scanner wont connect..

Mr_Shiftright

Well some scanners have trouble connecting but a 1998 Toyota is definitely OBD II. Maybe a friend has another you can give a try. You can also check to see if your scanner works on a different car.

If it does, then you might check your fuses. Does the CEL light come on when you first turn the key to "ON" (not starting the car?)