Dear I Car Talk: have a 1992 Toyota Previa. I LOVE this little 5-speed minivan. Or, I want to love it. It is such a strong-feeling car! Only 160,000 miles! It’s got a lifetime left! But my husband says if we can’t figure out why it won’t start occasionally, I have to get rid of it!
So, OK, it isn’t so occasional anymore and it’s starting to become a real hassle. Here are the details: The van will ALWAYS cold start. But, if I drive for a distance more than a few blocks, let’s say the grocery store, run in, and then try to start the van before an hour has passed, it will crank but won’t start! When it’s hot out, it might take 30-45 minutes before it will start. In colder weather, 5-10 minutes. Also, the van will die when idled for too long. I avoid certain intersections that have a long wait, so the van doesn’t die!
See how I’ve rearranged my life for this van!
We’ve tried some things, taken it to two different mechanics, drove it with the gas cap off, and replaced a few parts with no luck. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to keep this up! The van is rust-free and will be a great car once we figure this out! I know it!
Can you help?. -- Dejah Dejah, you need to find a mechanic who enjoys working on this van as much as you love driving it. Try googling your local Masochistic Mechanics Lodge.
Actually, you’re not alone in loving these early Previas. There was a minor cult built around them. And this may be fixable. Perhaps easily. So, start by finding a mechanic who is patient and willing to work with you to solve this puzzle. It could be any number of things, and the two of you will have to employ the process of elimination.
My first guess -- and it is just a guess -- is that it’s a dying fuel pump or fuel pump relay. That can definitely be heat-related and would cause your symptoms. The easiest first step is to just replace the fuel pump relay. That’s quick and cheap. And if it happens to fix it, well, hallelujah.
When it doesn’t, your mechanic can rig up a pressure gauge to the fuel pump that you can check while you’re driving. If I remember correctly, the engine cover is between the front seats on this van, so it might be pretty easy to do.
The gauge would show you that when the engine first cold-starts, the fuel pump pressure would read something like 45 psi.
But when the engine starts to bog down, you can glance at the gauge in real-time.
And you might see it drop to 40, then 35, then 30, and then the engine will die. Then you know you need a fuel pump, and you’re all set.
If it’s not a fuel issue, then you’d look for an electrical problem. And your new best friend/mechanic can hook up a highvoltage test light that flashes whenever a spark plug fires.
Then, when the van dies, and you crank it, if you don’t see the light flashing, you’re not getting a spark. Then, I might suspect something like an ignition coil that’s overheating.
But there’s a good chance that you and a dedicated mechanic/manservant will solve this, Dejah. And then you two can happily go on to fix the other 500 things that’s wrong with. Good luck, and long live Dejah’s Previa!