2006 2NZ 1.3 Start Issues

[DyllanDarcy]

Hi everyone,

About six months ago, my car broke down after running out of petrol. Ever since, it has occasionally struggled to start. Most of the time it fires up just fine, but now and then it cranks for 5–6 seconds without starting. If I stop and try again, it usually starts instantly on the second attempt. It feels like the fuel system isn't building up pressure properly on the first try.

Once it’s running, the car drives perfectly with no issues.

There are no fault codes showing on the computer, and a compression test was done early on, which came back normal. I've taken it to several workshops, but no one has been able to pinpoint the issue or suggest a clear place to start diagnosing.

It's also using quite a bit of oil—around three pints per month—and has an aftermarket MAF sensor that was installed a few years ago to fix a different issue. A few mechanics have suggested it’s unlikely to be the fuel pump, since the car runs fine once started, so no one’s been keen to replace it without more symptoms.

Has anybody solved a similar issue?