I jumped into my 4Runner last night after doing some holliday shopping, and hit the key.

Crank-Craaaank-Craaaaaaaaaank-Click!
Then I see little smoke tendrils licking up past the hood.

Great.

I pop the hood, and I had someone hit the key while I watched.
The starter is showering the IFS skid plate with sparks while the engine is cranking.

Could this be the infamous starter contacts issue?
Or is this something else?

I have a spare. So I suppose I can swap it out.

To add insult to injurt, my Land Cruiser wouldn't start this morning.

 

Doesn't sound like a contact issue. Typically, if you're contacts are worn, you'll hear the starter solenoid click, and that's all. The starter won't turn at all. You're insulator pads in the starter solenoid could be worn, allowing current to arc from the +12V line to the body of the solenoid. I wouldn't crank it anymore while it's doing this... if it's shorting out, you'll heat up your wire going from the battery to the starter. There's no fuse in that line.

 

Got it figured out.

The bolts holding in the starter had worked themselves loose.

The reason why, is that the lower one wiped the threads out of the bellhousing. so I had to drill, tap, and helicoil the hole. Lets just say, that this requires the liberal application of various obscenities. It's tough to get a drill in there to say the least!!!

Anyhow, the hole was fixed, and the bolts were cleaned, and blue locktite'd into the holes.

A new starter was put in, and the 4Runner fired right up.
Lets hope I can find my stumble problem soon.

 

tiger is the stumble your refering to happen at random times while driving?

 

Yes Sir

 

My buddys 91 did the same thing and got worse and worse til it finally popped the code 51 or 52.....the knock sensor. We replaced the wire and knock sensor, it's never done it since.

 

Here is a link to the ongoing thread.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116/stumble-3vz-e-101167/

I rebuilt the motor about ~1300 miles ago, and it got a brand new, OEM knock sensor, and knock sensor wire.

I think it's something to do with the ignition circuit.
There isn't anything I can think of that will make the engine die suddenly, then immediatly recover like what it's doing.