4mydogs

My 4Runner won't start.
Earlier in the week it seemed to be cranking a little slower than usual, but I attributed that to the fact that I'm not driving it every day like I used to. Then one evening the check engine light came on, but it drove home OK. The next evening it didn't come on so I wrote it off as a non-issue.

This morning all I heard when I turned the key to Start was a little click from under the hood. It has plenty of lights, and volts, but I hooked up the jumper cables to our other truck just for the heck of it. No difference.

I searched prior posts but didn't come up with anything difinitive. Could the starter be bad? I'm no mechanic, but what could I check before I resort to calling The Hook? It's like 100 degrees heat index and the Runner is sitting on hot black top, so trouble shooting blind isn't much fun!

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Could be a number of things. Do a little troubleshooting, especially the voltage at the starter solenoid control wire while trying to start, and see where that points you:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml

4mydogs

Great page, thanks! I'll get cracking on it tomorrow after work.

4mydogs

It was the starter, and they aren't cheap! But this was the first time my 4Runner ever failed to start for me in 141,000 miles, other than a dead battery once. And it did have the decency to crap out in my driveway, so I really can't complain!

4Runaway

Just FYI -- did you know that the original starter that came with the 4Runners are pretty doggone strong? And they can be fixed rather simply instead of replacing it altogether. Of course, there could be some deeper issue with the starter, but most of the time, it's just the solenoid contacts that wear. These can simply be replaced as outlined by the following links:

4runner starter contact replacement

Another example

And one more.

I hope this helps anyone checking out this thread -- for future reference.

4Runaway

Just an update on my situation with the starter in my '95 4Runner:

I purchased a starter solenoid rebuild kit which consisted of a plunger and two contacts (approximately $24.00 bucks with shipping). I removed the starter by removing the access panel to gain more clearance. No small feat, I did not even need to jack up the truck or remove the skid plate. But what made it much simpler was the fact that I had elbow connectors for my ratchets. I don't think the process would not have gone as smoothly without them.

Once the starter was removed, I followed the instructions in the kit (and from other posts), removed the plate covering the solenoid, removed the old plungers and used-up contacts, and replaced them with new (be gentle removing the plate, there is a rubber gasket that could very well break -- mine did, but I just pieced it together again and closed up the solenoid).

Placing the starter back into the truck was again a feat, but I managed to get it back in after some encouragement. The truck started up just fine.

So, instead of paying $100.00 plus bucks for a starter (price ranges between $95.00 for a local rebuilt of a lesser quality brand to $168.00 for a new rebuilt online) and about $100.00 to $150.00 for installation, I save all those bucks for 4-5 casual hours of time (I did not rush) and a $20.00 kit. The starter is starting the truck up like a champ!!!

Safecrackin Sammy

Just wanted to add my experience in hopes it will help somebody down the road.

Wifeys 94 Toyoda 4RNR 3V 6 Cyl with 120K started having start problems. Just the "click" but it was becoming more often. After diagnosing and eliminating battery etc. we pulled the starter.

Pulled the right front wheel and the well splash guard for access. The starter will come out thru there without taking out the motor mount etc. The two starter bolts have to come out from underneath and the long extension for the lower bolt which faces front as previously stated is a plus.
The secondary wire connector tab is a push to release connector which is nice to know since its a little hard to reach and mine was grease covered.

With the starter out we pulled the three phillips head screws off the cover on the end of the solenoid right next to the high voltage connections and the contacts and plunger are right there.

The battery side contact had a .030-.040 groove worn in it from making contact over the years. The starter motor side looked like brand new. So the newer looking contact was keeping the plunger from depressing enough to make contact on the battery side causing the no start/click.

As previously stated the motor itself is strong and long lasting plus rebuilds or aftermarkets may be inferior.

I opted to try just new contacts. Found a local starter shop
[RCS Electric on Military in Chesapeake if your local but they dont ship/mail order etc.] Two new contacts were a total of $5.15 tax included. Local dealer wanted $18.00 EACH. Part number is listed as "66-82756 NIPP CONTACTS 248-52017"...

Installing the new contacts is easy just do one side at a time and note the order of the insulators and seals as your taking it apart. When installing the new contacts, make sure to keep them pushed down and flat against the back panel so the center plunger will hit them both equal and square.

RCS had the center plunger [didnt check cost] but I decided to just try cleaning mine up with a fine clean file. Keep the surfaces square and remove all debris when your done.
I didnt investigate this but it appears the plunger may come apart allowing the plunger contact to be flipped over giving a brand new surface.

Reinstalling the starter is pretty straightforward but it is nice to have two people, one working underneath and one holding the starter thru the wheel well opening.

Starter works fine now for $5.15 worth of parts and about three hours worth of wrench turnin...

4Runaway

Well, 4 years later, I'm revisiting my starter. Recently, the starter I rebuilt began showing signs of rough starting again. It wasn't yet to the point where it wouldn't start leaving me with sounds of clicking, but it was sounding bad. I decided to go with rebuilding the original starter, again, since everything went well last time.

I went w/another rebuild kit I bought online (this time, I received a new gasket along with the contacts, plunger, and a few other goodies ~ $26.00). Took me a lot less time to pull the starter out and rebuild it (only a couple of hours of, what seemed to me, taking my time this round). What I did differently was loosen up a bracket, mounted just next to rear facing top bolt, that held away from the engine a soft-foam covered line... don't know what it is, though). Loosening up this goldish colored bracket helped me get it out of the way and made removing and reinstalling the starter a LOT easier.

Success! The 4Runner started up like a champ and I saved a boat load of money again. I used the following thread a very nice guideline (though I did not need to remove the tire):

Replacing Starter on YotaTech < A big thanks to Bob_98SR5 for originally posting this thread.

However, I do have a question from all this:

Since this starter is old, plastic and rubber pieces can and will break off (like the taps that affixed the accessed panel to the inside fender). However, there are two (2) raised rubber tubes, about an inch long, that come from two sides of the starter. Both are toast and just fell apart since the rubber is over 15 years old. It appears that they cover holes (about 4mm wide) built into the starter. What are holes for and why are the rubber thingy's designed that way (since they had little vents in them as well)? I was thinking they're designed to keep debris out while allowing ventilation, but that's purely a guess.

Link to stock photo (showing rubber piece on bottom left of starter picture).



And, thank you, YotaTech, for keeping your archives alive and well. A big help for us loyal 4Runner owners, indeed!