5.7L V8 Tundra - Hard Starting in Really Cold Weather

[TDave]

I don't have a new enough vehicle to run a software update. Do you have to bring it into the dealer for that? Seems like a lot of wasted time to me. Hope it's fixed now

 

[tessy21]

Well I have had the software updated on my truck for almost 2 weeks now and it has not gave me any trouble yet. We had a couple of days of cold weather right after I got the truck updated and it started fine. No problems as of right now.

 

[tessy21]

Yes you have to bring it to the dealer. It took them about 10 mins. To get the truck back to me. I got a letter in the mail for the update from toyota.

 

[toyotasrule]

Cold weather is now over, did all of the people who got the software update see this happen again?

 

[Vet13]

I purchased a Toyota Tundra in October and I love the truck. However in the last couple of weeks we have had some really cold weather for the St Louis Misssouri area, on a 7 degree below zero morning and a 5 degree above zero morning with wind chills in the negative 15 - negative 25 level, I noted the truck not only hesitated to start but it put out a lot of exhaust, including some blue gray exhaust and the exhaust smelled strongly of lubricants. I am dropping it off on Monday night, when it is supposed to be about 2 degrees above zero, and I am going to hope it does it for the dealer first thing in the morning. After the first start, it does just fine. Also, the check engine light has come on twice in the last week, then shut off again. It is off at the moment. I will update the forum on what the dealer says on Tuesday or Wednesday.

It has the 5.7 liter V-8i engine, and is a flex fuel.

Try a marine Battery...Blue Top!

 

[toyotafan]

Try a marine Battery...Blue Top!

Had good luck with them?

 

[Vet13]

Yes, they are truly reliable. Makes the difference

 

[toyotafan]

Seems funny to talk about this subject in July when is goin to be 100f here in Texas next week.

 

[Dutchie2012]

i was told shell is the worst gas you can run ,was having all kinds of driveability problems ,tailpipe sooting up badly ,rough idle ,hard starting ,low mpg ,was told their fuel soots up bad ,leaves lots of ash deposits ,,changed fuel ,, ran seafoam through ,, no problems goodbye shell ,noticed there are no more shell stations here ,word must have gottten out

Funny my truck gets best mpg when I put Shell. For sure when I pull a trailer. I also noticed that it gets better mpg driving in mountains of Colorado this past Dec then it does in TX! Don't know why. My cold start problems

i was told shell is the worst gas you can run ,was having all kinds of driveability problems ,tailpipe sooting up badly ,rough idle ,hard starting ,low mpg ,was told their fuel soots up bad ,leaves lots of ash deposits ,,changed fuel ,, ran seafoam through ,, no problems goodbye shell ,noticed there are no more shell stations here ,word must have gottten out

 

[jazz]

I only burn Shell because I collect air miles. Never had fuel issues and locally it has no ethanol.

 

[Kevin Jordan]

I know this reply is way late. The dealer was able to reproduce the problem. They were able to fix the issue and gave me loaner while they worked on it. The issue had to do with the sensors that detect the alcohol level in the fuel. I was told the sensors had to be recalibrated. If I remember correctly the sensors were estimating the alcohol level in the fuel at 50% and was trying desperately to compensate for that mix and could not do so...hence the extra exhaust. I was in reality not using E85 gasoline at all. Since the recalibration it ran just fine all winter and for the last year. Twin City Toyota in Festus, Missouri took great care of me, and I couldn't be more pleased. Hopefully it doesn't fall out of calibration again though. I have decided not to take any chances and I won't be using any E85 in the truck, or at least that is our plan.

Regards,

Greg Vitt

I am having this exact issue on 2016 Tundra 1794 edition 5.7 L v8 with Flex fuel engine. Thought to put this out in the forum. Harsh Wisconsin winters brought this issue up recently. No check engine light yet.

 

[jazz]

My '91(22RE) in my avatar runs on 91 octane. It pings and pings and pangs with low octane fuels. It gets better fuel mileage running 91 so that evens out the added cost. You don't mention what octane you running. My wifes '08 Camry runs excellent on 87 octane.
Weather does not seem to effect how our vehicles run. It was -38 this am.

 

[bclfy75]

I know this reply is way late. The dealer was able to reproduce the problem. They were able to fix the issue and gave me loaner while they worked on it. The issue had to do with the sensors that detect the alcohol level in the fuel. I was told the sensors had to be recalibrated. If I remember correctly the sensors were estimating the alcohol level in the fuel at 50% and was trying desperately to compensate for that mix and could not do so...hence the extra exhaust. I was in reality not using E85 gasoline at all. Since the recalibration it ran just fine all winter and for the last year. Twin City Toyota in Festus, Missouri took great care of me, and I couldn't be more pleased. Hopefully it doesn't fall out of calibration again though. I have decided not to take any chances and I won't be using any E85 in the truck, or at least that is our plan.

Regards,

Greg Vitt

This happened to me as well. I never used E85. The Field Service Technician (FST) came down to Vegas to train the dealer here how to do it. I filed a case with Toyota after bringing it down 3 times. Funny thing is, I printed this posting in this forum the first time I took the truck down to show them what might be the issue. Said I had bad fuel. Second time they could not duplicate the issue. The third time it rough started for them. Had truck for three days trying to figure it out until the FST arrived. FST re-calibrated the sensor and now she fires right up. It's been about 3 months since it was fixed. Toyota compensated me by giving me a 5 year, 100,000 mile extended warranty and refunded the one I bought.

 

[toyotafan]

I am having this exact issue on 2016 Tundra 1794 edition 5.7 L v8 with Flex fuel engine. Thought to put this out in the forum. Harsh Wisconsin winters brought this issue up recently. No check engine light yet.

Did this correct itself?

 

[toyotafan]

This happened to me as well. I never used E85. The Field Service Technician (FST) came down to Vegas to train the dealer here how to do it. I filed a case with Toyota after bringing it down 3 times. Funny thing is, I printed this posting in this forum the first time I took the truck down to show them what might be the issue. Said I had bad fuel. Second time they could not duplicate the issue. The third time it rough started for them. Had truck for three days trying to figure it out until the FST arrived. FST re-calibrated the sensor and now she fires right up. It's been about 3 months since it was fixed. Toyota compensated me by giving me a 5 year, 100,000 mile extended warranty and refunded the one I bought.

Wow, that's a pretty good make good.

 

[toyotafan]

People with this generation and the 5.7L should read this.

 

[Kevin Jordan]

I am having this exact issue on 2016 Tundra 1794 edition 5.7 L v8 with Flex fuel engine. Thought to put this out in the forum. Harsh Wisconsin winters brought this issue up recently. No check engine light yet.

FYI...I struggled to get the initial dealer I went to in Wausau Wisconsin to even diagnose the issue...despite me trying to be proactive about blue smoke coming out of my tail pipe and having a video to prove it! The engine was under warranty and I wanted to get the issue resolved and not cause further damage. I was very frustrated...so I did my homework, called toyota, filed a case and took it to the dealer in Rhinelander Wisconsin. Immediately they listened to the symptoms I described and I also found proof online that this was a known issue in the past FFV engines. Indeed extended crank due to incorrect alcohol density was this issue. They reset the sensor and it has been good since...but I am curious if the issue will arise every winter. I am going to call toyota and ask for an extended warranty as I did all the leg work on this. Thanks!

 

[toyotafan]

FYI...I struggled to get the initial dealer I went to in Wausau Wisconsin to even diagnose the issue...despite me trying to be proactive about blue smoke coming out of my tail pipe and having a video to prove it! The engine was under warranty and I wanted to get the issue resolved and not cause further damage. I was very frustrated...so I did my homework, called toyota, filed a case and took it to the dealer in Rhinelander Wisconsin. Immediately they listened to the symptoms I described and I also found proof online that this was a known issue in the past FFV engines. Indeed extended crank due to incorrect alcohol density was this issue. They reset the sensor and it has been good since...but I am curious if the issue will arise every winter. I am going to call toyota and ask for an extended warranty as I did all the leg work on this. Thanks!

Yes, you really did all of your homework. Let us know what they tell you when you contact them.

 

[toyotafan]

Three years later people still having issues with this.

 

[toyotafan]

They must have fixed this for good. Just getting to freezing and my Tundra fires right up.