Echo hard starting

My gf has a 2001 toyota echo. Once you've been driving it for a while and is fully warmed up, it's very difficult to start after stopping somewhere and sitting for a half hour or so. It takes alot of cranking before finally starting. I've found that if I crank it 2 or three times, wait like 5 or 10 seconds then try again it'll fire right up. Otherwise it will cranks & crank before finally starting. When it's sat overnight or a lengthy period of time where it's had lots of time to cool off it starts right up. Very strange symptoms. Anybody got any insight what the problem may be or things to try?

I know this is a very old post, but I had the exact same problem (in a Yaris-based car) and essentially I found that bypassing the 'circuit opening relay' improved the situation greatly.
The normal behaviour is that this relay, which controls the fuel pump, opens once the driver cranks the starter. It then stays open while the engine is running.
By bypassing it, the fuel pump will run as soon as the driver puts the ignition on ie with the ignition relay; it doesn't mean fuel is pumping into the engine already, but it does prime the fuel system and prevent the vapour lock in hot conditions.
This removes a layer of safety in case of an accident so be aware of the risk.
I used an old relay, removed the top and soldered a very heavy duty link across the relevant terminals.

Symptoms of a Cold Hard start is usually symptoms of a dirty, or bad MAF sensor.

If a Hard start during warm, the MAF sensor could be giving the wrong signal to the ECU/PCU and trigger a longer fuel pulse during warm.

Try to start a B&S engine when hot + choked.

I agree - 4years + 2kviews, 1-post, no solutions.