[octanejunkie]

Love how some threads get abandoned or never solved...

I have a similar problem the OP of the thread referenced above described with my 1999 4R 2WD w 3.4 V6, 156k miles: the common issue, starting seems labored and "feels" like a weak battery. I don't off-road but do park it outdoors all year long in So Cal. Sometimes when starting in or after a good rain, the belts squeal for 30 seconds but the engine compartment looks clean and dry, a bit dusty perhaps.

I replaced the battery a few months after buying the truck about 2 years ago; after a few months of hard starting the battery just went dead and wouldn't take a charge anymore. Before that day, once or twice I woke up to a dead battery, like a slow short or lights left on; jumped and drove and was ok again. When it became more and more difficult to start the truck I decided to just replace the battery.

Fast forward a year. The truck runs well but still starts hard, occasionally it won't turn over, sounding like a weak or dead battery; wait a moment, try again and it starts. About a month ago I lived an entire week wondering if my truck would start each day, then it just got better.

Today my truck wouldn't start, turn the key and nothing, like no battery at all. Dashboard lights up, radio works, etc but not turning over or even trying. Pumped the key a few times and then it decided to turn over very weakly but did start. While it was running I pulled the POS battery cable, truck kept running. Put the POS cable back on and pulled the NEG cable, truck kept running. Seems the Alt is good. Drove around, parked, shut it down. Same results with the no start, no start then finally weak start.

Lunchtime today I decided to get the battery checked/replaced. Drove to autozone they tested the battery in the truck, at first it tested bad: less than 1V on the battery. I pulled the cables and they tested direct off the terminals, good battery. I noticed some corrosion on the connectors and terminals, but not the worst I've ever seen. Scraped the crud off (was really very minimal, like dust) and put the cables back on the battery, started like a champ, best ever.

I drove away and went back to Costco, got a new battery (<36 months = 100% free replacement) waiting to install it. Got home tonight, cleaned the battery terminals and cable connectors with steel wool. Truck starts strong. It's crazy, the problems I had this morning are gone.

Looking backwards, for corrosion to be present on the connectors there must be resistance somewhere in the system; the battery cables were not loose. Those factory connectors look awful thin and cheesy. I am thinking about replacing the battery cable connectors and obviously checking all the grounds and connections at the starter, fusebox and alternator this weekend.

What's the next order of business assuming my intermittent hard start/no start issue returns?

Sorry for long post...

[Doc2012]

Check a few things.

1) The wiring. Do the "Big Three" upgrade while you're at it.

2) Check the ignition switch. If you've got alot of keys or trinkets on the main key, you could be working the cylinder loose. That's why I have nothing but the truck key, house key, and key fob on mine. I have to tell my GF all the damn time that the cylinder isnt meant to take alot of weight.

3) Check the starter. The contacts in the starter are easy to replace, and pretty cheap. Good insurance on that one.

[octanejunkie]

Originally Posted by Doc2012

Check a few things.

1) The wiring. Do the "Big Three" upgrade while you're at it.

2) Check the ignition switch. If you've got alot of keys or trinkets on the main key, you could be working the cylinder loose. That's why I have nothing but the truck key, house key, and key fob on mine. I have to tell my GF all the damn time that the cylinder isnt meant to take alot of weight.

3) Check the starter. The contacts in the starter are easy to replace, and pretty cheap. Good insurance on that one.

Thanks for the reply, Doc

Is there a write up on the "Big Three" upgrade somewhere?

Also forgot to mention, my truck throws random P0120 (throttle position sensor) errors that self-clear from time to time, anything to do/be concerned about? Replace TPS?

[downpour11]

Originally Posted by octanejunkie

Thanks for the reply, Doc

Is there a write up on the "Big Three" upgrade somewhere?

Also forgot to mention, my truck throws random P0120 (throttle position sensor) errors that self-clear from time to time, anything to do/be concerned about? Replace TPS?

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...unner-how.html

[octanejunkie]

Originally Posted by downpour11

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...unner-how.html

Thanks for the link to a great write-up!

[mrtucker80]

Did you get your labored starting issue resolved? I have just started having a similar issue and I am looking at replacing the contacts and plunger to start with, but of all the threads I have read tonight, this one most closely resembles the symptoms that I am seeing.

I am showing a good 12+ volts after sitting and 14.2+ while running so I feel like the battery and alternator a good. Going to look at the "big 3" mod noted above.

Thanks,

Matthew

[octanejunkie]

Originally Posted by mrtucker80

Did you get your labored starting issue resolved? I have just started having a similar issue and I am looking at replacing the contacts and plunger to start with, but of all the threads I have read tonight, this one most closely resembles the symptoms that I am seeing.

I am showing a good 12+ volts after sitting and 14.2+ while running so I feel like the battery and alternator a good. Going to look at the "big 3" mod noted above.

Thanks,

Matthew

Yes, the starter was the culprit. Mine died while on vacation and I had to replace it, I did not get to swap the contacts/plunger. But it starts strong now. I think the big 3 is a good upgrade. I haven't had the time to go there yet.

Interestingly, I started experiencing another issue, bogging while driving and throwing P030X codes. I narrowed that down to spark plugs and swapped in a new set of NGK BKR5EKB-11 plugs followed by a new NGK TE-66 plug harness - truck never ran better. I couldn't believe the spark plugs were the fix... the ones I pulled were really not that bad.

Good luck Matthew

[mrtucker80]

Thanks octanejunkie, I am going to go ahead and get the plunger and contacts on the way and plan to replace them ASAP.