2009 2.2 D4D Rav 4 Struggling to start

[Beefman147]

Hi guys, 

I am a new owner of the above car.  In this slightly colder weather the car seems to be struggling to get going and I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction to diagnose the cause,

It is intermittent and seems dependant on the temperature. On milder mornings it starts ok but still not on the button. On very cold mornings it can take a lot of attempts and usually eventually fires up. In the case of the colder mornings, the car seems like it is started then it just dies.  This lead me to believe it was a fuelling issue more than glow plugs etc.

So far I have had the car serviced with oil and a filter and replaced the fuel filter but these have made no difference.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, Chris

[alan333]

Check the glow plugs first, if only to rule them out.

[Devon Aygo]

All first generation AD engines 2.0 1AD, & 2.2 2ADF  can suffer form cold start and unstable cold idle issues caused by a faulty SCV valve and there are TSB from Toyota 

EG-0132T-1110-EN

1AD- FTV and 2AD-FTV Engine - Hard to start in cold condition

Models: AURIS, COROLLA, COROLLA VERSO, RAV4, AVENSIS

Model codes: ADE150, AUR10, ALA30, ADT250, ADT251

DESCRIPTION OF PHENOMENON

Customer may complain about engine that is difficult (delayed) to start in cold condition but cranking speed is normal. For low cranking speed (< 200rpm) or no cranking, please follow the relevant diagnostic procedure in repair manual.

PRODUCTION CHANGE

Improved design of the Suction Control Valve (SCV) to improve sliding performance and newly developed software to increase target fuel pressure in cold condition.

PARTS INFORMATION

Auris Corolla 150 Corolla Verso Avensis 250 & 251 - 04226-26020

Rav4 - 04226-26030

 

[Beefman147]

Thank you for the above post Devon. That certainly does seem like it could be the cause, particularly as the car seems to crank ok which indicates the starter and Battery are fine. 

Is there any way to clean the SCV valves and see if this improves things? What exactly is the function of them? I presume they can get clogged up/stick?

 

Thanks again.

[Devon Aygo]

Some users reported than removing and cleaning helped but most reported it as only temporary.

The valves open and close on command from the engine ecu to control fuel pressure in the common rail they also shut off the fuel when you switch the ignition off.

They wear causing them to stick when commanded to move the issue is part design flaw and part reduction in the sulphur content in diesel which acted as a lubricant, the modified valves were designed to fix these flaws and where applicable the software update included instructions for a higher cold start fuel pressures to improve cold startability

[Beefman147]

Do you have a guide to cleaning this part? I figure it could be worth a shot to see if things improve.  A symptom that I just noticed for the 1st time this morning when driving to work was a lack of low down power, even in 2nd gear.  The car seemed to take longer than normal to build boost. I have a can of BG245 which I will be using tonight to hopefully clean the fuel system and was going to clean the EGR out this weekend as it seems a straightforward job.

[Beefman147]

Bit of an update for you guys......

I had a can of BG244 on order and I put it in last night along with a tank of BP Ultimate Diesel. The day before putting this in though, the car developed new symptoms of what I imagine to be the same root cause.

As I arrived at work just at the base of a hill, the car lost all power and was dead down in low RPM. It has been like this since then and is completely flat below approx 2500 rpm (gear dependant) and then give a surge with the power coming all at once. To make things more confusing, the car started 1st turn of the key this morning on what was a very cold morning but I presume this could be due to the additives in the BG244 helping! 

Would I be right in thinking these symptoms could indicate a sticking/clogged EGR valve? 

[Beefman147]

Cleared out the EGR valve today which was completely caked at both the EGR itself and the breathers in the intake manifold. It is now driving much better and pulling well. It has thrown up a check engine and check VSC message now but I'm hoping this will clear after a while if I disconnect the Battery and drive it a bit further. Seems to be quicker to fire also which was the original fault. 

[jblaze]

Hi guys,

excuse me for hijacking the thread but I have the same car and the same issue (2008 RAV4 2AD FTV w/ start/stop system).

The car struggles to start in the mornings or after it hasn't been started for more than 5-6 hours no matter the outside temperature (this morning it was 20 degrees). When I press the start button it cranks for 10-15 sec and starts exhausting a single cloud of white smoke (see the attached videos). Note: it doesn't smoke when driving or on next starts. The coolant level is okay. If car is turned off and started again it starts and runs fine until it's left still for 5-6 hours and then the story repeats.

So far I've checked the glow plugs, changed the fuel filter, checked injectors corrections (around or less than +- 1.5 - 2.0) and finally I've changed the SCV valve with the improved version. After the replacement I did the SCV initialization procedure with Techstream (I got a chineese cable from Ebay). Unfortunatelly nothing of all these helped.

 The TSB mentioned above suggests to update the car software with version (302v0000 or newer) to increase the fuel pressure and use the full potential of the updated valve. I searched the TSB on toyota-tech.eu and got 3 available software updates. And at that point I have few questions:

1. How can I check the current version of my software with Techstream?

2. How safe is to use my chineese cable and Techstream and how to install the update?

3. Which of the 3 updates should I install?

 

Meanwhile a guy from a local bulgarian forum posted that he resolved the same/very similar issue by servicing the car starter although there weren't any signs for problems with it. Has someone came across such an experience?

 

Thank you in advance. 

 

 

[BillSB]

On 5/29/2019 at 12:46 PM, jblaze said:

Hi guys,

excuse me for hijacking the thread but I have the same car and the same issue (2008 RAV4 2AD FTV w/ start/stop system).

The car struggles to start in the mornings or after it hasn't been started for more than 5-6 hours no matter the outside temperature (this morning it was 20 degrees). When I press the start button it cranks for 10-15 sec and starts exhausting a single cloud of white smoke (see the attached videos). Note: it doesn't smoke when driving or on next starts. The coolant level is okay. If car is turned off and started again it starts and runs fine until it's left still for 5-6 hours and then the story repeats.

So far I've checked the glow plugs, changed the fuel filter, checked injectors corrections (around or less than +- 1.5 - 2.0) and finally I've changed the SCV valve with the improved version. After the replacement I did the SCV initialization procedure with Techstream (I got a chineese cable from Ebay). Unfortunatelly nothing of all these helped.

 The TSB mentioned above suggests to update the car software with version (302v0000 or newer) to increase the fuel pressure and use the full potential of the updated valve. I searched the TSB on toyota-tech.eu and got 3 available software updates. And at that point I have few questions:

1. How can I check the current version of my software with Techstream?

2. How safe is to use my chineese cable and Techstream and how to install the update?

3. Which of the 3 updates should I install?

 

Meanwhile a guy from a local bulgarian forum posted that he resolved the same/very similar issue by servicing the car starter although there weren't any signs for problems with it. Has someone came across such an experience?

 

Thank you in advance. 

 

 

finally the problem was solved and in what way? I have the same problem, I have changed the scv and I am thinking of buying a cable to do the update. My car is also rav4 2008 2AD-FTV