Rav 4 Poor Hot Start

[Ulstwarrior]

Hi folks looking some advice i recently bought a RAV 4 NRG 2002. its a diesel model.

Cold start - first thing in the morning first turn of the key and bam engine fires up beautifully.

Drive the car until the temperature gauge reaches mid way point ie 5 miles stop the car and it takes anything from 3-6 cranks to get the engine started. however, drive over the same distance with the heater on blowing hot air into the vehicle - thus keeping the temperature hand on gauge down, car starts on 1-2 cranks tops. the Battery is fine, the starter motor turns ok, no noises etc suggesting its on its way out, air and fuel filters recently changed. If i leave the car sitting for 20 minutes it also starts up on first crank. so the issue involves the engine getting warm and whatever is happening its not letting the car start. someone suggested fuel starvation but i tried to prime the pump and the black rubber diaphragm was solid so there is plenty of fuel in the filter.

if it was the starter motor or Battery then i assume car would be struggling to start cold. Anyone any ideas?

John

[gjnorthall]

If you've searched this forum, I'm sure you've gathered that hot starting issues are commonplace. Starter motors can often be fine cold but with an increase in temperature, bearings etc can get tighter so performance drops - additionally engine compression increases when hot through expansion and better oil sealing of piston rings. It's useful to measure the cranking current, Battery voltage and cranking speed hot and cold to determine whether the Battery / starter motor are likely culprits. Theres also been issues with the master supply lead coming loose on the starter solenoid and again there could be hot / cold issues. Again there have been issues with fuel drainback but unlikely to be an issue over a short timeframe, particularly as the filter appears fully primed.

[sich1]

got wrong end of stick....lol post deleted