carb85

OH NO! That was not my day!

15 minutes before a potential buyer wanted to come over for a testdrive my starter motor died. When I turned the key it just made "click, click, click, click,click" (approximately six times in one second). The engine did not crank.

Then we decided to do the testdrive by bump-starting the engine. On the testdrive the voltage sometimes dropped down rapidly:

1. Revcounter went to zero although engine was running in idle.
2. Radio turned off sometimes.
3. When the engine was in idle and the testdriver switched the headlights on, the engine stalled.

I already disassembled the starter motor and will test it with an ohmmeter tomorrow.
Three questions:

1. Does anybody have an idea what else could cause the problem?

2. Could I drive my 4Runner around without the "starter motor assembly" attached to the gearbox? Or would oil sprinkle around while I am driving around?

3. The cover of the small fusebox is missing since I bought my 4Runner (22R engine). Can anybody say what these three fuses do? And: Where are CMH and HEAD attached to?





I have to sell the car until sunday ... otherwise I have a big big problem ...
Thank you soooo much for your replies in advance!

Cheers
Malte

PS: Here is a picture of my starter motor ... looks pretty shabby:

Junkers88

That sounds like a battery issue.

myyota

I would also check the alternator.

rustypigeon

^ what he said. Either the battery is bad, or the alternator is not charging the battery.

carb85

Could extreme heat damage the battery? We had about 42°C = 108°F today ... in the sun even warmer + engine heat...

Thank you for your fast reply!!! Battery makes sense ... I will try another one tomorrow.

Any other ideas when it does not work with a new battery?

The battery-light did not show up when all this happened ...

carb85

Would the engine keep running if I disconnect the battery? ... presumed the alternator is working correctly

milehigheric

Yes, but it is not recommended to do so...Probably not a huge issue with carb but any sensitive electrical equipment can be damaged without a battery installed. Best to check the alternator output with a DMM just to be careful.

carb85

What is an DMM?

I just have in mind that I opened my External Voltage Regulator ... could that also have caused the problem? Is there any way to check if it is still working?

cgeorge

your truck doesn't want to be SOLD!

It sounds like a similar issue I had when my battery was toast. Do you have another vehicle to swap the battery out of to test this?

cgeorge

DMM is digital multi-meter.

jynx

i agree, either a battery or alternator issue. maybe just a bad connection. as for the battery light in your dash, does it come on when u turn the key on before it starts ?

carb85

Yes ... battery light comes on when I turn the key ... well ... I will try another External Voltage Regulator soon. Hopefully my truck will drive me to my friend now. Wish me luck!

carb85

Okay ... it seems to be the alternator. It is delivering voltage ... but on a pretty low level. Not until 4500 RPMs it is delivering 13.8 Volts.

Btw ... the issue also blew my temperature sensor away. Are all temperature sensors from Toyota the same anyways? Could I use one out of a 4Runner Diesel engine?

ibeamtaco

alternator

1990yota-pickup

ok, i've been down your road before in my 1982 2wd camo pickup..

yes, the engine will stay running, cuz u have a mechincal fuel pump which will keep it going.


hot waether will play a number on a battery.. not good..

what iam getting from you is that your connector in your alternator is isnt making a good connection and it's only charging halfway..

makesure your working with a good charged battery. make sure all of your grounds are good.. A set of jumper cables make a good temp. grounds..

if you pull the wire off your battery while its running and the lights stay on that will mean your alt is working..

also change out that external voltage regulator too for good measure..

wierd things will happen turns will operate not correctly .

radio wil cut in and out...
wipers will not work..
and if you sthall out the engine good luck getting it started..

weaselman

Where do you live that its 108 degrees in january!!! Lol..

Anyways sounds like an alternator issue. Pull it and take it to your local auto parts store to have checked.

1990yota-pickup

check every wire in that truck..

i rebuild starters where i work at and yours didnt look bed from what i saw just bit dirty.. but u gotta do some checks with a mulit meter to know if yours is bad...

if the starter worked at the parts store when they tested it its not the starter..

make sure you dont have a bad ground or a broken wire.. get in there and trouble shoot.. it.. read your trouble shooting proedures.. in your haynes manual..

if not make up your own after you figure it out...

carb85

I checked the groundings ... unfortunately it was not cheap as that. I also tested my voltage regulator with an ohmmeter (regarding to a landcruiser manual with the same componoent.The correct resistance was shown everywhere.

Today I will try out a different alternator and check the wires after that ... the old alternator was not strong enough to keep the lights alive.

@weaselman: I'm in Perth (Australia) with my truck. Today the humidity is almost unstandable.

Thanks for all your replies :-)

1990yota-pickup

i think you have a stock 50 amp alt.. you maybe want to step it up with a higher alt. it will take all those problems away your talking about..

4Reigner

Not meaning to jump your thread,Just a quick related question: Would a tired alternator cause the volt meter in the dash to go up and down with the turn signals on?

Had some starting issues myself, recently, but have been wondering about the pulsing of the gauge when I indicate... Thought it might be related?
cheers