Uneven drive on cold mornings

[CharlieTM]

Good day

I have a 2011 2.7 vvti. When I start the car in the morning (cold days) it idles normally. When accelerate it has a very uneven drive with a flicking engine light. When the car warms up then the drive is smooth and all is normal.

Has anyone encountered this before?

What causes this problem and how is it resolved.

Many Thanks

[JAMES399]

My 2.4L injected motor would display the engine light before warmup, and often hesitated under acceleration. A Toyota mechanic friend said to add a can of BG44-K fuel system cleaner to a full tank of gas, change the air filter element, and clean the Mass Airflow Sensor. I did this, and now it runs perfect. Never displays the engine light, and no more hesitation.

- JAMES

[Haboob]

I see there are limited choices here to solve the problem.
Is the electronic choke working when the vehicle is cold (does it idle higher than normal)?
If not, it will be inclined to splutter until it warms up....

[Mud Dog]

Tend to agree that this has something to do with the cold start valve (CSV). Either the valve is not functioning properly or the parameters it's receiving from the ECU are out. Could even be a temp sensor that's feeding incorrect or info to the ECU.

Carefully cleaning the MAF could help - do a search here on how to do it, if not careful you can damage it and it's not a cheap replacement.