hotbunz4

89 4Runner, been running fine, then I come out early one morning, turn the key and nothing! No turning over or anything. Lights come on strong and the battery is less then a year old. Tried later with the same outcome, when it would click rapidly for a while or sometimes it wouldn't at all. Pulled the starter and the shop checked it and said it was good.
What's left?
Selenoid, no idea what or where that is?
Ignition, how do you test this?
Thanks for the ideas, my repair manual isn't very helpful (had to come on here to find out where the starter was and what it looked like.
I was hoping it would be the starter, that would be easy for me.
This is never easy!

hotbunz4

Here's an update. I opened the started and one of the contacts looked pretty bad. The test said it was good, do they just test that it spins and the gear comes out??? anyway changed the contact and put it back, but still got nothing (no clicks or anything when I turn the key).
It does start when I hook it up to jumper cables....
Ignition switch maybe or starter relay is what I've come up with so far, I will keep searching to find out how to test these.
If you have some links handy or more potential problems that would be great.

one2high

Try taking the terminals off the battery and cleaning the posts and inside of the terminals and put them back on and try it. Corrosion will keep the battery power from getting through the terminals.

StOhnoes

Yeah, sometimes the terminals are just loose. You can replace them for like 10 bucks each if the actual clamps are mangled. Ask for terminal wires specifically at autozone, etc. Theyre real thick wires with the clamps on the end. The black one has One end is on the battery, the other on the the engine block. The red one has one on the battery the other on the thing next to the battery with all the wires sticking out of it.

wheatus

they usually don't test starters under a load, they just check if it spins freely. have the battery tested after you have cleaned the contacts and that doesn't work.

Zelephant

This helped me when I did my starter:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml
However, replacing the contacts didn't fix my starter. I had to spend a few hours cleaning all the connections between the battery and solenoid. When I say cleaning, I don't mean a superficial cleaning, I mean clean everything very carefully. Baking soda and water and fine sand paper is good for this. My starter turns great now.