Sorry, not many details just an odd ?no start? now and then.

98? 4Runner, every so often when I turn the key to ?Start? the whole thing goes blank, like a completely dead battery, no clicking, no lights no buzzing nothing. I can then turn the key back to ?off? and try again and it will start up like nothing ever happened.

Although it did not seem like a battery issue, I replaced it anyways as it was over 3 yrs old and I still have the issue.

I was thinking the starter solenoid was getting overheated but there is no rhyme or reason to the ?no start?, one time it happened after sitting for a few hours, another time it happened after being in the store for two minutes. It never seems to happen when starting first time in morning though.

Ignition switch? Neutral safety switch? Any ideas?

 

Oops, scratch the neutral safety switch idea it is an auto.

 

Ignition switch? Neutral safety switch?
those sound like good ideas. i would do the NSS first and also check the wiring to it as well.

 

Do autos have a NSS?? I thought those were only in manuals? I'm sure an auto needs something to tell the engine: "Do not start" if in drive\reverse but I am not sure if it is still called a NSS?

 

You can doa simple voltage test to help isolate the nature of the problem:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...shtml#EasyTest

 

98? 4Runner, every so often when I turn the key to ?Start? the whole thing goes blank, like a completely dead battery, no clicking, no lights no buzzing nothing. I can then turn the key back to ?off? and try again and it will start up like nothing ever happened.

Now I don't have the same model, but it took me days to track down a bad connection from the battery to the starter. Just took it all loose and sand papered the connections and wallah, the truck started right back up like it never had a problem. It also occurred intermittently as you describe it... it should have been my first course of action checking all the connections, but it wasn't...maybe that will save you some time and money. I still have a post issue related to the problem that I posted on another thread about...but the same description you have for what you encountered sounds like dejavue ...yesterday.