CEL after running out of petrol

[xzirri]

Hi there!

I ran out of petrol today (yeah I know, stupid mistake), and now the CEL is lit.

I killed off the engine once it started to choke because of the lack of petrol and pushed the car to a safe spot in neutral. After I had filled up 8 litres of petrol from a jerry can, I tried to start the engine again, pressing down the throttle. After a few seconds of hesitation (I'm guessing because of air in the fuel lines) the engine was all good again. I noticed, however, that the CEL was lit. Is this because of the misfires close to when the engine ran out of fuel? And do I have to take it to the dealership to clear the code or is it going to disappear by itself? Don't wanna cause any excessive harm to my engine.

[Konrad C]

Your engine has direct injection like the 2.4 ( Every other petrol engine used in the Avensis to the latest Valvematic is indirect!). Direct injection has a much higher pressure in the fuel rail to the injectors. 
What you need to do is turn the key to IGN (not start!). You may hear the fuel pump run for a few seconds. This will help pressurize the fuel system. Repeat a few times to get the fuel pressure up and purge any airlocks in the system. Then  you can start the car. You get a bit of misfire at first, but don't rev the engine until it is running smoothly. Once the engine has settled, you should be okay. 
I suspect the EML or CEL as you call it, was warning of low fuel pressure. Hopefully it will go off when the engine is fine. The code will still be store until a diagnostic is cleared. 

Edited March 8, 2018 by Konrad C
Additional words

[xzirri]

Thank you for your reply!

It didn't cross my mind that direct injection would require a different approach! Will do so next time I fire up the engine. Hopefully, the fuel filter isn't clogged and the pump isn't damaged! Will report back once I have tested 

[xzirri]

I did what you recommended me to do and the engine started right back up with no misfires! CEL or EML was gone as well. Seems like it’s all good for now 

[Konrad C]

Glad it worked Xzirri. I knew straight away because, I have read up on direct injection from different sources, including the Haynes manual. So long as you understand the 1AZ engine, you should be fine.