2006 Rav 4 starting issue

[InikS]

My car was starting and running fine thismorning. I parked it in the drive way to replace the in-tank fuel filter on it. I dropped the tank and replaced the filter, put everything back together and started the car. It took a little bit to start but was running fine for a few seconds and then died again. The fuel Gauge said just about empty so I put 10L petrol in it and still not starting. I pulled the filter back out and everything was connected fine I didn’t miss anything. I replaced the fuel pump and pressure regulator as they were rusty just to be sure. Car still not starting. I noticed one of the charcoal canister lines had a crack in the rubber connection to the charcoal canister itself and taped it up but don’t think that’s the cause of the issue as it’s been running like that before and only noticed when doing the fuel filter. Please Help!!

[campbeam]

I recall previous posts by other members having issues after replacing the in tank fuel filter. Main cause was an o-ring that needed to be replaced. 

[InikS]

Thanks for the reply but I don’t think it’s an o’ring. I got new o’rings with the pump and the pressure regulator.

After I replaced the filter it started and ran like normal then idles rough and died. After that I could start it up and it would die again straight away. After pulling the filter back out to re inspect it the car now won’t start up at all. It just cranks. 

Is it possible for the car to not start after running empty even when filling back up with fuel? Is 10L enough to cover the fuel pump to get it started or should I try put more fuel in there?

[Tony Prodigy]

9 hours ago, InikS said:

Is it possible for the car to not start after running empty even when filling back up with fuel? Is 10L enough to cover the fuel pump to get it started or should I try put more fuel in there?

No, not possible for it to NOT start. 10L is more than enough. That's not your problem. Your fuel system should have 40 or so PSI fuel pressure and even if you disconnect the fuel line and depressurise, it should re pressurise instantly when the pump gets power to it.

Assuming you did everything correctly, I would say your new fuel pump could be faulty. Is it aftermarket or Genuine parts ?

Have you checked the fuel pump fuse ? Did you disconnect the battery before doing the job ? 

Are you able to fault find ? Do you have a multi meter ? If so, see if you have 12 VDC on the pump power socket when you turn your ignition to pos II. You may need someone to man the key while you do this because the pump will prime for a few seconds then turn off. So if you get an initial 12v and it goes away then the pump should be ok. 

You can also eliminate the pressure regulator by putting the old one back in to see if this could also be faulty.

There's nothing really complicated about a fuel system. if you followed the procedure properly it should fire up.

I am kind of surprised you have to drop the fuel tank to do this too. Most modern cars have an access port under the rear seat or thereabouts to be able to do this.

If your still not sure, put your original fuel pump and regulator back in and just swap the filter section only. If it starts up ok, then you know the pump is bad. Do the regulator first then the pump.

[InikS]

Thanks for the replies guys. I found the issue and it turned out to be the negative terminal within the connector that connects to the fuel pump itself. Found another one in my tool box and crimped it on there and now running all good.

[campbeam]

Thank you for your post for the solution. 

After looking at this YouTube video, I can better appreciate the involved effort. Dropping the fuel tank then maneuvering out the fuel filter assembly looks time consuming.

Probably making me less keen for the girlfriend to be getting a RAV4 unless the fuel filter has already been replaced.

 

[Tony Prodigy]

8 hours ago, campbeam said:

Probably making me less keen for the girlfriend to be getting a RAV4 unless the fuel filter has already been replaced.

Pretty archaic design. I wonder how many others are like this. I have heard it's a "lifetime" filter too. Perhaps this was always the motivation behind such a lazy design. 

[InikS]

Due to the condition that my filter was in when I replaced I’d say it’s definitely not a lifetime filter. Supposedly it’s recommended to replace them every 80-100,000km