im new to the whole 3vz deal, and im quite confused...i treid searching for this problem and all i came up with was that the 3vz doesnt have a starter relay? (wich i physiclly saw on the pasengers side fender)

so here's the deal...the starter worked great up untill one day...im pretty sure its not the starter but im not sure...i just think the starter isnt getting any juice, as i cant hear it whine or trying to spin...(i treid tapping on it too just for the heck of it)...and i pop started it a few times, wich would have freed up the starter if it was stuck right?

well anyway, when you try to start it pushing in the clutch, you get a click from behind the glovebox...when you try to start it with the clutch down and the clutch by-pass switch engaged, you get a high pitch click (wich i think is the click behind the glovebox PLUS the starter relay on the inner fender)

when you turn the key to start it, the dash lights will get just a little bit dimmer (when my 85 had starter problems and i got the click but no start the lights would get wayy dimmer, possibly because the power went to the starter,wich was stuck. i think they get dim because power goes to the fuel pump, wich i can hear running/"pumping" (if that makes more sense) but not as dim as my 85 because the starter doesnt engage)

im just wondering what to check or test, this whole new 3vz is major confusing compared to the 22re LOL

 

See below for a quick test:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...shtml#EasyTest

 

check/clean battery terminals also check ground cable on starter

 

also make sure your positive feed to your fuse box under the hood has a good connection. if it doesnt,it will do exactly what your saying.....

 

battery terminals are clean, they were spotless to begin with but i wirebrushed them to be extra sure, and thanks cman, ill check that now.

havnt looked at the starter yet, but ill check for loose/corroded wires and all that

 

It's probably the starter itself. The starter has a small solenoid on the side of it which mechanically connects the high current cable to the motor itself. Over time, the contacts inside this solenoid can wear out, and stop working. Have a friend turn they key with your head in the engine bay. If you can hear the starter itself clicking, that's the solenoid on the side of the starter engaging. If it's engaging, but the motor is not starting, your starter is worn out internally.

You can get them rebuilt for a modest price or get a new starter. It's like a 30 minute repair job, just pop off the passenger wheel, and un-bolt the access panel.

 

thank you everybody, ive figured it out....id link to take this time to "bring closure" to this thread, and tell everybody what the problem was...as the other threads i was looking at just abruptly ended, and the actual problem was never revealed...

but anyway, the whole problem was that the ground wire slid off the little copper? tab on the starter...

the cable wont actually stay on there too tight, so i guess i shoul;d take it off and crimp it....

but the whole sputtering and stalling problem occurs right after the cable falls off, and will mess with the engine for a good minite or two....

^^^i found that out because since my cable is loose and wont stay on too tight, the sputtering problem happened again, and i pulled over, and sure the enough the cable was just hangin there.

 

That's not a ground wire, that's the high current positive lead. Careful with that wire falling out, you can start a fire if it were to touch teh frame or something else grounded.

Glad you fixed it though.

 

thanks for the headsup, i wasnt sure what it was exactly, i figured the wire that was screwed in was the power wire, and the little clip on wire was the ground just by the guage of each wire....

just a quick question, does the wire clip on? i think the plastic is broken where the clip part is because i cant imagine that wire just being held on by friction because you'd think the wire on every 3vz would fall off...

but i will probably just squeeze it a little oblong with pliers to make sure its on there good...

but another quick question, do you guys think the whole sputtering prolem was caused by the wire coming in contact with the frame or block? thanks guys!

 

Sounds like the small wire you are referring to is the solenoid wire:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...shtml#EasyTest

If so, is very much like a normal spade lug connector and plugs into the spade on the solenoid:

 

yup, i beleive it is the selonoid wire....i didnt hang around long enough to look where it came from, and where it goes....

i just clipped it back on, and put the tire back on...

 

crap my bad i meant positive cable sorry for the shocker!