I have a 94 4Runner 3.0L and randomly it will not start. Sometimes if I try 4-5 times in a row, it will work. Once it's running, it's fine. Sometimes it starts a little rough but mainly when it happens, we just hear a click. It is very random and sometime it starts fine. It makes troubleshooting kind of difficult because we can't tell if we fixed the problem or if the car just decided to start again. LOL

I have searched these forums and gotten some good ideas and already replaced some things, but I wanted to make a post of my own for direct feedback.

Already replaced:
Battery (it tested bad, so we replaced it but it did not fix the problem)
Spark plugs & wires (we discovered they were horrible! but did not fix the problem)
Distributor cap & rotor
Fusible link between battery and fuse box
Starter relay

At this point we are debating between checking the starter contacts or just getting a new starter. I'm sure the starter is old anyway, the car has 210k+. What do you think?

Also, any other ideas of what to check?

Thanks for any info!

 

Im having the same issue,,i was thinking maybe ignition cylinder?

 

If it's just clicking when the problem occurs, it's most likely the starter's on its way out.
I would check all the contacts and cables/connections as you mentioned before just throwing a starter on it though. You'd be surprised how many times I've seen a bad battery terminal/cable end cause a bad starter symptom.

 

Oh I forgot to say that we changed both battery terminals too. And I think the battery cables were looking good but I'll check again. We checked the ground wires too.

Yesterday we spent getting the starter out. We have not bought a new one yet, were thinking about testing this one but.... it doesn't look so good lol. The contacts in that starter look bad! One of them is all bent up. I know we could just replace the contacts and clean it up but I think we are probably just going to get a new one. We travel full time all year and I don't want to do this again soon lol.

 

I did wonder about the ignition cylinder briefly but I have really been leaning towards the starter. We can sometimes get it to start by tapping on the starter with a hammer.

 

Put a new starter in. You already replaced basically everything else. Needing to tap the starter to get it to work is the final sign that yes it's bad. Get a quality starter and be done with it.

 

If it is just clicking and not starting then take the starter solenoid apart and you should find that the outer contact will be badly burnt. If so then that's your problem. Just replace the contacts and your good.