A week ago I described some whining and grating noises in the engine compartment of my '92 4Runner 22RE. Today the engine suddenly died on me a few blocks short of home. With the aid of a kind stranger I got the truck off the road into safe harbor and looked under the hood; no signs of foul play: belts intact, no outward signs of trauma. There was an odor of electronics gone bad. Here is the mystery: all electronic accessories work - lights, signals, windows, horn, etc.; but the starter will not turn over. The whole thing reminds me of the time my old Honda threw its timing belt, except that I could still crank the Honda afterward. The timing chain in the truck was replaced 30,000 miles ago. I'm taking the day off tomorrow to deal with this, and will be grateful for any feedback I receive.

 

Was the electronics odor coming from the relay box in the engine compartment? Did you check your starter relay? The electronics odor may have been a capacitor that went bad inside the relay. Not sure if this would cause the other problems though.