Will not start after driving

AMANDA LYNN SCHEIBELHOFFER

MEMBER
2008 TOYOTA RAV4
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
180 MILES

If my car has been sitting all night it will start right up if I drive it 5 miles shut off go inside gas station come out it will start. But if I drive 10 miles and I run into the store and come out my car will not start I try again right away you can hear it trying something is not connecting for the start. If I wait about 10 or 15 minutes and keep the cranking going it finally starts. I don't know what the issue is, but it is annoying and embarrassing to keep trying. Someone please help
My dad suggested that it's the temperature service switch, my car is not overheating once it gets started it drives fine as long as I don't shut it off once I do then I have to wait and keep trying until it starts.

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,874 POSTS

Hi,

This could be a couple of things. The first thing that comes to mind is a faulty crankshaft position sensor. When they are going bad, heat can cause them to fail. Since it happens after driving and the engine is warm, it makes sense. Do me a favor. Take a look through this link and let me know if it mirrors what you experience.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/symptoms-of-a-bad-crankshaft-sensor

Let me know. I attached a pic below showing the sensor's location on the engine. What I would suggest is to see if spark is lost to the ignition when it won't start. That is a good way of confirming the sensor is the likely cause. Here is a link showing how that is done:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-an-ignition-system

Let me know.

Take care and God bless,
Joe

Image (Click to make bigger)