Hey, new 4runner owner here. I just picked up an 86 4runner and it's having some issues starting. I've read other posts about starting issues, but figured I'd try to get some advise on mine specifically. First thing, it always starts, it just takes 2-3 tries every time. The motor turns over, but will just turn over and over the first try and not fire up. Then I'll turn the key back and try again and after a couple turns it usually fires up. Sometimes it takes 3 tries. The previous owner said it's been doing this for over a year, and has never not started for him. He said he had a couple of mechanics look at it and they said it is probably the ignition switch. Does this sound right? I'm an incredibly novice mechanic, and would appreciate any advice you guys have.

 

You need to start at the begining and go from there. First thing to do is give your 4Runner a complete tune up, plugs, plug wires, cap/rotor, and fuel filter, and air filter if needed, and then see if that makes a diference. another thing to do is pull out the cold start injector and clean it, they get covered in carbon from the egr and that keeps them from working properly. Remove and clean the throttle body, they get very dirty on the inside. the ignition switch can go bad, when i bought my 86 4Runner the ignition switch was bad, but it wouldn`t turn over at all.

 

The basic tuneup stuff ie: cap/rotor, plugs, wires, fuel filter have been done recently and it has not had an effect. Still takes 2-3 tries to get it to go. Also, it doesn't just happen when the motor is cold. I could drive 100 miles, turn it off and try to start it and it would do the same thing. Would this rule out a problem with the cold start injector? or could that still be a cause? if the ignition switch were bad would it still be able to turn over? the previous owner was pretty sure it was the ignition switch, but that doesn't make sense to me. I could be wrong though...

 

The ignition switch sends a few signals when you try to start the engine- one supplies power to the igniter (and coil), one sends power to the circuit opening relay (which turns the fuel pump on), one supplies power to the ECU, and there are more. Any of those could cause issues with starting the vehicle.
So, I might consider the PO was on the right track with the ignition switch being a problem- they do wear out. But it may be a wiring issue such as corrosion on terminals- you may want to pull the passenger side kick panel under the dash and check for any corrosion on the relays and stuff back there, which would indicate a leak around the windshield above that area.

 

Thanks for the help guys. I appreciate it. I'll take a look for corrosion, and I may as well replace the ignition switch. If it still doesn't fix it, I'll post back up here to see what else it could be. This site it great! I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions in the future...