I have a 1989 22re 4X4 toyota pick up. I love this truck.
Just recently, I have been having some staring issues. Some mornings and evenings she will not start or turn over, what i will get is a clicking noise from the opening circuit relay. Of course I can get it to start when I "bump" it but she will sputter and about 10 to 15 seconds will go by until she is at the right idling speed. A little info on what has been replaced with in the past six months to eight months, starter, battery and alternator. Could someone please tell me what the problem could be?

 

My truck does that (3vze) but mine will always turn over. My problem is the cold start injector, yours on the other hand i dont think it's the cold start injector, it would turn over. It sounds like a starter issue or a battery. On my tacoma i had a very similar issue and replaced the starter but still did it so i took the batter to autozone, and what do you know!

 

On my 3vze I had to replace the replacement starter... (if that makes sense) Sometimes you just get a bad one. Before going about replacing the starter, throw the battery in another car and see if you can get it to start with your battery. Just to rule out the possibility of it being a bad battery. (I say all this assuming that you double checked the connections to the battery to make sure they were secure...)

 

There is no "opening circuit relay." You're probably hearing the solenoid in the starter, which is not actually spinning the starter because it's not getting enough current.

Step one: is the battery good enough? Probably, because you can start sometimes, but you need to check it first. You can horse around with pulling it out and putting into another vehicle, but the easy way is to put a voltmeter on it when someone cranks it. (no voltmeter? No excuse for that if you ever expect to fix your truck http://www.harborfreight.com/7-funct...ter-92020.html) If the voltage right at the battery drops below 8v when someone tries to crank it, the battery is too low.

Step 2: is the current getting to the starter? You might have gotten a bad new starter (so that the solenoid contacts aren't closing correctly), but despite what others say I don't think this happens too often. More likely, you've got a bad power lead, and when you changed the starter you flexed it enough to break some strands inside. This is a little harder to test; you've got to hook the voltmeter to the starter bolt. Same test; if the voltage is below 8v you've got a bad power lead.

 

I had a starting issue like yours with my '91. I replaced the starter contacts (which were worn out) but it didn't fix the problem. After digging deeper, it turns out that the brushes in the starter motor were the problem.

I agree with checking voltages first before throwing parts at it. I also replaced my ignition switch, but my truck has 350K, so I figured a new one wouldn't hurt...

 

Thanks for all the info. I just tested my battery, for about two seconds it held at 13v than dropped to 12v. I need a second body to test it when I attempt to start it. It maybe the battery but I will test it as someone attempts to crank it and will test the starter. thanks Scope103.

 

iirc when the car is running it should hold 14 volts? If it wasnt running then, you shouldnt see any change in voltage, I think...

 

When my truck was running it was holding at 15v. Off it was at 13v for a second, than dropped to 12v. MOTO I believe your right it shouldn't drop volts if it is a good battery.

 

Yea i think the battery is your issue, the water/mud here in FL has claimed many of my alternators so ive gotten pretty familiar with that section of our trucks!

 

The battery will run a higher voltage when it's being charged by the alternator than it will when it's sitting doing nothing. It has to, otherwise it won't charge. Most cars/trucks run around 14 volts DC when the vehicle is running, but sit at 12-13 volts when the car is off. Your battery is fine, unless you have a dead cell, in which case you need a specific gravity meter to test that (unless you're using a sealed battery in which case you can't do that). You can still have good voltage and the battery not work because of a dead cell.

From what you've said the battery is fine. It's still cranking the starter occassionally. A bad battery won't do this. Your problem is a bad connection somewhere. From what you've said I would be checking the starter solenoid and brushes as well. Electrical contacts and motor brushes arc which eats away at the contact surfaces over time. After a while they can't make as good a contact as they used to so it becomes intermittent....which is what you're running into now. Your truck is an 89. I don't think worn contacts in the starter is unexpected if it's never been serviced before. I'd start checking prices on a starter rebuild kit or a new starter.

 

But why would the battery drop from 13 to 12 volts when he tested it? You seem much more knowledgeable about it than me so I'm probably wrong.

 

Did it drop anymore after that? Probably not. It could have been caused by many things...connection of the meter leads to the battery terminals, meter only reads in whole numbers (i.e. it will only read 12 or 13 instead of 12.5 or 12.6), or the meter could have still been auto ranging itself and finally settled on the true reading of 12 volts.

 

I have to apologize. After rereading I see where you replaced the starter. Unless it's a used one it's probably not that. I still think it's caused by a bad connection somewhere.