Hi everyone. I am new to site and I am having trouble with my 2009 Corolla S. The car is will start and then die within a couple seconds. It will do this 3 to 4 times and then will turn over but not start. If I wait a day or 2 it will start right up and I will have no problems for the day. It only happens in the morning. The dealership can not find the problem and no codes are found. Does anyone have any idea for me? It is becoming very frustrating.
2009 Corolla S Starts Then Dies
- Thread starter Bonkers
- Start date
I have replaced the battery and alternator. The car has been in my garage every time it has happened. One weird fact is that 3 out of the 4 times the issue happed the car had been serviced at a Toyota dealership a few days prior. When the issue happens, it turns over and starts normal but then just dies like the computer is killing it.
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Bonkers - Don't have the fuel pump or fuel filter changed, as that might not be the problem and you'll waste your money. Have them diagnosed. The fuel pump pressure can be checked with a fuel pressure gauge hooked up to the fuel rail. Visually look at the fuel filter and if it looks, dirty, rusty and old, it probably needs changing. Either issue could restrict fuel flow to the engine and allow it to start, but not provide enough fuel to keep it running.
The car is at the dealership trying to find the issue. They are having no luck getting the car to act up, of course. I am going to have them test the fuel idea's you guys suggested. My car does not have an alarm and I have tried both keys and the kill problem has happened at least once with both factory keys. Thanks again for the great idea's.
Fishy. The fuel filter is located at the pump/sender unit. Supposedly it is a lifetime filter. They don't have in-line filters under the passenger door like 90s - early 2000s Fords do. On my 2008 Matrix you can get to it by pulling the rear seats via an access door (found this out when some jerk smashed out my rear hatch glass two weeks after I bought the car brand new). I imagine the Corolla is the same thing.
There is no fuel cut off switch. It is all done by PCM. If the PCM detects conditions that warrant killing the fuel supply (such as an airbag deployment), it will reset when the key is turned off then back on.
We need to know how many miles are on the car. You may be due for plugs. If the plugs have seen better days, that will cause a hard-start condition.
Even an incredibly dirty air filter can cause this. If it has been a while since you have done a tune-up, start there and see if things improve.
There is no fuel cut off switch. It is all done by PCM. If the PCM detects conditions that warrant killing the fuel supply (such as an airbag deployment), it will reset when the key is turned off then back on.
We need to know how many miles are on the car. You may be due for plugs. If the plugs have seen better days, that will cause a hard-start condition.
Even an incredibly dirty air filter can cause this. If it has been a while since you have done a tune-up, start there and see if things improve.
Not sure how you have kept up on maintenance, but at that many miles I would do the upstream O2 sensor, air filter, PCV Valve, and plugs. I replaced the plugs in my Matrix at 60,000 and the electrodes were almost gone (I drive aggressively so those "100,000 mile plugs" have never lasted me that long).
Check the battery terminals for corrosion. When they get corroded, modern cars filled with electronics will do really weird things. I had a loose ground on my Focus that would make the car not start at all, but an hour later would turn over and run. Sometimes the car would completely die on me while driving until I finally chased it down. So the condition of your grounds would be another good thing to check. Make sure all of them are tight and that no wires are fraying, pinched, or otherwise damaged. I'm not exactly sure where all of the grounds are, but usually you will have a couple on the firewall, two or three on the engine block, and one or two on the transmission case.
Intermittent problems like this could be caused by hundreds of things and over the internet, it is very difficult to properly diagnose and troubleshoot. Usually I tell everyone to start with a tune-up if they have been slacking (since most issues are just that), and then go from there.
Good luck. Keep us updated.
Check the battery terminals for corrosion. When they get corroded, modern cars filled with electronics will do really weird things. I had a loose ground on my Focus that would make the car not start at all, but an hour later would turn over and run. Sometimes the car would completely die on me while driving until I finally chased it down. So the condition of your grounds would be another good thing to check. Make sure all of them are tight and that no wires are fraying, pinched, or otherwise damaged. I'm not exactly sure where all of the grounds are, but usually you will have a couple on the firewall, two or three on the engine block, and one or two on the transmission case.
Intermittent problems like this could be caused by hundreds of things and over the internet, it is very difficult to properly diagnose and troubleshoot. Usually I tell everyone to start with a tune-up if they have been slacking (since most issues are just that), and then go from there.
Good luck. Keep us updated.
Thanx for the locations.....
Bonkers said he has the car at the dealer, He did not say he is a DIY'er, Are you?
Bonkers. I take the car , and the mechanic for a ride, not a five minute one, I insist the car go home with them, not sit in the shop. It sits there a lot longer than even worked on. Seek a better shop if they cannot fulfill your needs.
80K is a time to change the plugs, simple to do.
80K is time to get that fuel injector inspected.
80K is time to check the maintenance free stuff!
Bonkers said he has the car at the dealer, He did not say he is a DIY'er, Are you?
Bonkers. I take the car , and the mechanic for a ride, not a five minute one, I insist the car go home with them, not sit in the shop. It sits there a lot longer than even worked on. Seek a better shop if they cannot fulfill your needs.
80K is a time to change the plugs, simple to do.
80K is time to get that fuel injector inspected.
80K is time to check the maintenance free stuff!
Fishy, I've done everything from tune-ups to engine rebuilds. Only things I haven't touched are automatic transmissions except for simple fluid and filter changes and minor adjustments.
Not sure how Bonkers automotive experience compares but usually people asking for help on a forum generally have a basic set of hand tools and know the essentials.
Not sure how Bonkers automotive experience compares but usually people asking for help on a forum generally have a basic set of hand tools and know the essentials.
Yes so true. I have heard people ask for help, that never got their hands dirty, if medicl to professional. Just saying Only Bonkers can answer for that. thanks.
Yep I done a lot of work, but if I feel it's worth giving to the shop to allow me to go to work. it is a win-win either way
No pun intended
Yep I done a lot of work, but if I feel it's worth giving to the shop to allow me to go to work. it is a win-win either way
No pun intended
I too have a 2009 corolla. its an le not a sport but they both have the 1.8l 4 cylinder. I have recently been having the same problems. Yesterday morning it started up and i was walking away to let it warm up and it died. so I tried again and all it would do is crank. leave it for like 2 minutes then it would start and die. I repeated the same thing a couple times and it never would start. I had a couple kids in the schools auto department there luckily and they figured it was a fuel delivery problem. this is the first time this has happened. later yesterday night I went to where it was parked and it started up just fine. Did you ever find what was wrong because I don't want to spend unnecessary money replacing good parts.
Hi. This is also my first time to the quorum. I have a 2009 Toyota Corolla SLE 1.8lL with the same problem Bonkers has. My car will start fine most days, then once in a while,( doesn’t matter what time of day) it starts, then dies right away. I have recently had work done on some ekectrical work for my wipers, as when I turned the lights on, the windshield wipers would come on and not turn off. I have not had tune up since buying the car, I am only owner. I wanted to change belts and fuel filter 4 months ago, but my mechanic said all still looked good, and I didn’t need it. It’s time now. I have replaced air filter and fuel filter before, kept up all maintenance , checked the alternator, battery, and starter, all fine. I put fuel injector cleaner in the last fuel up, seemed to work well, but now having more frequent issues with startup. Can anyone suggest something simple first? Would I be able to disassemble the fuel injector and clean it myself if that is the problem? Thank you!
So four years ago I was in the same situation like you and all I can say - it's better to show it to the repairer. I got into an accident just because I was waiting and didn't love all these maintenance shops. After that I insured my car on www.general.com so now I don't have to pay a lot. Good luck with that.