89 4runner, 5 speed, 4x4, 22re.

Well after all the stuff I went through with this rig now it wants to start acting up.

Went to go to the car wash to blow it off underneath and had a starting issue. I got in and turned the key and it ran for about 1 1/2 seconds then died. It did this twice and then fired right up. I thought nothing of it since it's been sitting for a while. So I hit the car wash, turn the rig off to get change, and the change thing is busted so I decide to just skip it and go back to the office. Turn the key and get about 1/2 a revolution on the motor and then clicks. I do this a few times just to be sure it wasn't a fluke. Pull the cables and clean them, nothing. Check all the fuses, nothing wrong there. Tap the starter, nothing. After about 10 minutes and a couple of phone calls I get in and bump the key and just out of spite the damn thing starts. Drive back to the office, turn it off, hit the key and it turns over just fine and starts without an issue.

Now the PO put in a new battery and a new starter since he was told the old bat was dead and the starter's contacts were shot. He also replaced a huge wire that runs from the + on the battery to the fuse box under the hood, I have no idea why. Yesterday I had a code 12 which indicated the ignitor had a poor signal and I cleaned the connections and the CEL hasn't come back on since.

The only things I can think of that may be causing this are...

1) The ignitor may be getting ready to go out?
2) There used to be an alarm and a bunch of stereo crap in this thing and all that's left is the birds nest of wires under the hood and dash. perhaps one of them is the culprit?

 

Junker,

Fiddle with that small wire that goes to the starter. On mine once the connector on the starter itself was loose, upon removal and further inspection the solder joint inside had broken and sometimes it was making connection, sometimes not. This was on a reman'd starter which was not very old at all.

 

You can do a quick voltage check at the starter to see if that is the cause of the problem:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...shtml#EasyTest

Also, if it is cranking but not staying running, try the fuel pump test jumper:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...shtml#FuelPump

 

when it acts like this... jump from the battery terminal to the start terminal on the starter. if it cranks, then the problem is likely with your ignition switch. 4Crawler mentions it on his site. Wiring a relay into the circuit may help.

 

I'll check that either tonight when the motor is cooled off, too many burns on me already today, or this weekend. I won't be driving it to work tomorrow since now I feel I can't trust it.

I hate that feeling.

 

4crawler if the wire fiddle thing doesn't work I'll borrow a tester and pull the starter. It is sort of new however so I'm inclined to trust that it's working.

I'll try the jumper thing if I can get it to crank every time I hit the key. So far when it cranks it runs, well except for those couple of times this morning.

 

I'll try this tonight before anything else. I didn't think about the ignition although it is pretty darn sloppy. If I rule out everything else and have to wire in a relay I'm going to need some help with doing it right. I know NOTHING about electircal stuff.

I studied the pschology of women in college not electronics. Electoral Behavior is a lot easier to understand than Electrical Behavior.

 

OK, reviving a month old thread.

95 4Runner 3.0 5 speed, getting the above mentioned click when trying to start (it's currently sitting at my work parking lot). Brand new battery, brand new starter contacts, cleaned battery terminals as well. I did the trick to jump the start terminal and it still just clicks. What am I missing? Could it be the main + wire to the starter from the battery? I think that's the only thing I haven't tried.

 

I ended up finding out my problem was the ground cable that goes to the block wasn't tightened down at all. Once that was secure it fired right up and has everytime since. Check that and see if it helps. Sometimes its the little things that escape notice.

 

The starter gets voltage directly from the battery and grounds directly through the engine block/transmission back to the battery. If putting direct battery voltage on the start terminal on the starter results in a click, then the problem is: the solenoid / starter contacts; poor battery connection to the main terminal on the starter; poor grounding to the block; poor grounding from the block to the battery or poor battery terminal connections... or bad windings in the starter motor.
Sometimes the armature goes bad in the starter and replacing the contacts won't fix the problem.
Yes, despite all you've read here, starters do go bad and have to be replaced.

 

OK, follow up on this. As of this morning she's firing up everytime. I used my jumper cable to connect the main power(not the small 12v, the big one) to the battery and it finally turned over the starter. I checked and double checked that wire, but decided to try the jumper cable trick in 4Crawler's starter troubleshooting article just to see.

Ran over the PepBoys, grabbed a $5 battery cable and bypassed the old. So far so good.

Thank to all for your help.