AK Ray

I have a 93 3.0L V6, manual trans pickup. Owned it now for three winters and am having an issue with cold weather starts. And by cold weather I mean below zero. I have a block heater installed and working so the engine is pretty toasty when started, but everything but the block is cold.

When I have the clutch pushed in and go to start the truck, it acts like the starting solenoid is bad and gives a couple of clicks and weak lurches. First few times this happend I used the clutch bypass switch and started it in neutral. A few more times and starting with the clutch bypass switch was the same as using the clutch. Five or six clicks at each turn of the key, and then a weak turn over or two before a normal turn over to get the truck started. The last normal turn over for the start is completely normal sounding and feeling.

It was not acting like it was trying to start in gear, but I inspected the clutch peddle bracket anyway to see if the typical crack had started. No crack or movement in the bracket. The clutch switch is fully depressed.

Then things warmed up to something normal and no issues. Then temps drop back down to below zero and everthing is normal for a week.

Then a hard start one morning and not the rest of the day. The next day no hard start in the morning but later in the day after cold soaking at work. Then nothing but great starts for a week no matter what the temps are.

Then this morning I leave work to take my kid to wait for her mom to pick her up and we decide to sit in the truck and stay warm. With the truck warmed up from the drive to work three hours prior it gave me the hard start not turning over clicking issue. I use the clutch bypass start switch and pop the key a couple of times and it starts right up.

BUT, the check engine light is on for the first time. It only stays on for about 5 seconds, but it is the first time it has ever come on in the four years I have owned this truck. Since I am at work I don't have the time to run any codes that may have come up. Plus its cold outside and I don't have a garage that will fit the truck with its lumber rack.

My experience with older US trucks tell me to just replace the starter, but knowing that there are several small controls and sensors on this rig I am wondering if this might be related to one of the temp sensors?

toyota4x4907

Only a block heater? You need a battery heater pad, too. That should be the first thing that people get, not a block heater, in my opinion. Coolant can stand being chilled. Being exposed to cold for extended periods of time, then recharged and/or warmed up can damage batteries.
Also, it could be your starter, along with the battery just being cold.
Do you know how to check the codes? All you need is a paper clip.

AK Ray

I am in Anchorage, so a battery heater would be nice to have, but not required. By below zero don't mean your kind of balls crawling back inside your body below zero. I spent 6 years up there and that was enough.

Block heaters are not just for heating the coolent. Having the block warm helps get the lube working when starting. Anyone that only lets their block heater work for a few minutes before starting is still starting a cold engine.

I do agree with you that having a battery heater is a good thing, but try to find one in Anchorage. I did go looking a few winters ago and found a counter guy at Sucks selling silicon high temp oil pan heaters as battery heaters. I wonder how many cars he had to pay for once the battery boiled or the case melted.

Some searches with the right terms (not a cold issue it turns out) has turned up a lot of good info on this issue. Solenoid contacts are the likely culprit followed by a worn out ignition contact fixed by getting a hot shot relay to bypass the ignition.

toyota4x4907

It hasnt been puberty reversing cold for the last two winters. This winter has been oddly warm...

Schucks, NAPA or CarQuest really dont carry any kind of battery heater? Weird... You could always order one online.

Yes, block heaters warm the lubricant and coolant and whatnot, but even then, in my experiences, the engine will still start if those are cold, but if your battery has little to no power, it wont turn over...

Starter contacts do go bad on these trucks. I'm pretty sure the starter contact kit from TOYOTA is like $20 or something. Your problem really sounds like the starter contacts have gone bad (or the entire starter) and/or the battery just isnt keeping enough juice to start the rig.

AK Ray

After reviewing several posts about bad starters, all the issues related to the contacts wearing down are exactly what I am getting. I guess the reason why I am only getting it when it is cold is due to the contraction causing something to break contact. Time to get a kit from Toyota and hope for a warm day.

The last time I went looking for and found a plate battery heater in Anchorage was in the early 1990's. I have not seen a blanket style since the late 1980's. Technically you don't need to heat the battery until it gets to 20 below. Down here it causes an issue with getting your battery too warm since your block heater needs to be on for over an hour to do any good, which is too long to have your battery baking.