2jz-gte

Aloha,

OK...so spent the afternoon replacing clutch master and slave yesterday, took it for a ride, as good as new for a truck with 300k. Went out this morning and no start. I initially heard a click like a starter solenoid. After a few more turns of the key, absolutely nothing. I hooked up some jumpers, tried it and again nothing. The battery has 12 volts so I assume its not the battery. I turned the headlight switch on and even they didn't come on. I came back to if a few hours later and heard a fast clicking coming from the fuse box behind the battery. I searched for similar issues on the forum but couldn't find same exact issue. Any help is appreciated!!! Thanks

gennro

smack the starter a few times lightly with a hammer and see if it will turn over.

rworegon

Typically, a charged battery sitting in the rig is closer to 12.6v (each cell storing 2.1v) and over 13v when the rig is running. Pull the battery and have it tested....at 12v you don't have much charge and likely have a dead cell.

Charge Specific Gravity
100% 1.265 12.7v
75% 1.225 12.4v
50% 1.190 12.2v
25% 1.155 12.0v
Discharged 1.120 11.9v

http://www.batterystuff.com/kb/artic...-basics.html#6

17toyotaman

I've had this problem on my 87, what I believe your hearing is you main relay thats what made the clicking noise in mine, not sure what kind of rig you have but the problem on mine was a wire in the fuse block in the engine bay came lose and didn't have a good connection so nothing, tightened it up, and fired right up. Hope this helps you

RAD4Runner

you heard a fast clicking as soon as you came back to vehicle (intermittent short that could have drained your battery), or you heard it when you were trying to start?
What vehicle?

Smacking will only work if he has power to starter/solenoid. OP suggests not enough power even to turn on headlights.

gennro

Ah yeah didn't see the headlight part. Yeah have the battery checked first. Offroading it real hard on lead acid batteries so it may have a dead cell.

2jz-gte

Hey guys, Its a 98 Tacoma v6 4x4 and 5spd. Did some more diagnostics. It does have 12.6 volts at the battery. I cleaned the battery posts. I can turn the headlights on and they are as bright as they should be. The second I turn the key over I get a "click" then the dash lights and headlights go out. At that second I can hear a "moaning" and "ticking/clicking" noise coming from the fuse box behind the battery. The only way to stop it is by pulling the negative wire off the battery. The clicking feels like it is coming from the headlight relay. Once I pull the headlight relay, the clicking moves to the heater relay. Pull that one and the clicking moves to the starter relay. What the heck???!!! I dragged it around the yard in first gear to move the starter, tapped the starter with my 9 iron and nothing!!!

Could this have something to do with water getting somewhere it shouldn't have? I did give the engine a cleaning a few days ago but it did work afterward! I've never taken my truck to a shop and I'm not about to now! I'm gonna figure this thing out! Any more advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks everybody

justin_4runner

u have a loose power or ground cable it might be on the battery or at the fuse block. could also be the ground where it bolts to the frame or block. i would just check them all and make sure they are nice and tight, also the main wire that goes from battery to fuses block it might be bolted in check to make sure its tight.

2jz-gte

Thanks Justin, will check those grounds this afternoon. Fingers crossed its just those! There were no warning signs to this happening...I hate electrical issues!

Inferno451

That has all the right symptoms of a dead or bad battery. Take it out and any of the big box car part stores will charge and check it for free, even a lot of Walmarts will. If i were a betting man i would put my money on the battery. ESPECIALLY since the lights go out when you turn the key. All of what little charge is left to turn on the headlights is going to the starter. That rapid clicking is the starter solenoid going on and off since it doesn't have enough power to turn the engine over.

2jz-gte

Should lights be full strength if the battery has a bad cell? I can also play my radio with sub and volume up all the way, windshield wipers function at normal speed too. The clicking is not that typical clicking of a starter solenoid when the battery doesn't have enough juice. Does the v6 starter have the solenoid attached to the starter or is it just the purple fuse under the fuse box by the battery? I'm going to swap the battery from my other truck tonight and check all of my major grounds and go from there.

-It even makes the clicking noise when I have the key out of the ignition...weird!

rworegon

When you have the battery out, you may want to pull the fuse box apart and make sure all the connections are tight. The fuse box separates into a lower and upper section.

RAD4Runner

I'm with Inferno, and with any electrical problem, it's good practice to ensure good connections so refer to your FSM and check all connections related to battery and all those clicking relays.

Clicking with your key out of ignition suggests shorted relay or switch contacts. They could turn various components on at random and drain your battery. Clean water may not cause shorts right away (explains why you were able to run right after washing). However, once rust etc around contacts dissolves, that water will conduct, causing shorts.

2jz-gte

Alright! Checked the grounds...cleaned them and the mating surfaces. Also disassembled the fusebox, everything looked as it should. hooked battery cables back up. All the interior accessories and headlights/tail lights worked as should. I turn the key to on, all dash lights light up as usual. Turn the key further and hear one big click....then all power is out. I hear the clicking/moaning at the fuse box and all interior accessories and headlights are now out. If I disconnect the battery, try it again a few minutes later the same thing happens. I'm going to test the starter next so see if there is current reaching it. Could it be the starter contacts and plunger? Thanks everybody, hope you are all having a good Memorial Day!

rworegon

You did swap the battery as you originally mentioned before this most recent click?

2jz-gte

Hey! Been busy at work and no chance to get back under it until now....I tried a new starter, it did nothing...put the old one back in and it started!!!! WTF? ...How long before this is going to re-occur? Not feeling to good about it magically working after sitting for 3 days. I'll keep a close eye on it and park on hills. Any chance it could have been the water when I cleaned the engine bay getting where it is not supposed to? Thanks everybody for the help...I might post again when this happens again!

rworegon

Ok, so was the new starter faulty?

While water could be the issues, it may be the contacts and solenoid are shot in the starter you are using causing a short and the problem will re-occur at random times.

dustrider

I hate it when a poster gets his problem fixed and leaves us holding the bag after all our efforts to help.
now we cant learn from it by finding out what it was

selfish basterd !

2jz-gte

shoot! I sold the truck, 291,000 miles and too many problems...got $4,500 bucks for it though...Tacoma's are like gold out here in Hawaii...Somebody mentioned the terminals, I cleaned those and nothing...put a new starter in and nothing...went back to the terminals, cut the red and black cables back an inch or so and installed new terminal ends and it started right up.

bobzworld

This may sound strange but check your battery power and ground terminal clamps. Mine were bad, they looked and felt tight but they just had poor contacts and gave me all sorts of unexplainable issues.

Like truck driving fine then dieing seconds later....or the clicking you explained....or just no power at all....I replaced them with some gold ones lol. the factory ones are thin and pretty crappy.