1991 t4r won't start

[Irish_ginger]

My 91 tr4 has a brand new starting system in it. Battery, starter relay fuse, starer and ignition. It still wont crank or turn over. I turn the key to start and I can hear the fuel pump engage, I have full dash indicators, lights, radio and electronics. but still nothing from the starter. Also, this is the 8th starter in the 2 years I've owned it. Any idea why truck is an a**hole like this?

 

[KidVermicious]

This comes up a lot. Here's a simple test - try running a jumper wire straight from the positive stud on the battery to the solenoid contact (smaller wire) on the starter.

If that does not work, then you have a bad starter, bad battery, or bad ground path between the starter and the battery. If that makes the truck crank, you can rule out the starter and the battery, leaving you with the relay and the ignition wiring. Next you should bypass the relay to make sure it's good. If it is, then do this.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Irish_ginger]

Thank you for the welcome and for the help. Hoping it is an easy and affordable fix.

 

[Irish_ginger]

So I went thru and replaced all connections and wires leading to and from the starter. Got it to successfully start half a dozen times. Drove it 10 miles around town, got it home, turned it off waited a few then tried restarting it. Didn't start. Tried a few more times and still wouldn't start. Would the heat from the engine affect the starting solenoid that much?

 

[KidVermicious]

Copper gets hot and expands. If there's a high open or intermittent short somewhere it could certainly be affected by heat, or vibration, or anything else.

I'll point you again to the jumper wire test, next time it won't start. Replacing random wires might be therapeutic, but you're not likely to fix your trouble until you know exactly where it is.

 

[Irish_ginger]

We did the jump wire test. Which lead me to replace the connection and wire.

 

[KidVermicious]

Did you try bypassing the relay?

 

[Irish_ginger]

I went to the link you attached and did not find how to bypass the starter relay. How exactly does one achieve this?

 

[KidVermicious]

The bottom of your relay should look like this (forgive me if it doesn't, I've never owned a 1st/2nd gen with a starter relay):

85 comes from your battery. 86 comes from the ignition. 85 goes to ground, and 30 is the crank wire going to the starter. When the relay sees 12v from the ignition on 86, it connects 85 and 30 which allows 12v from the battery to reach the solenoid on your starter. You can pull the relay and benchtest it with a voltmeter and source of power to see if it's functioning correctly. You can also jump the terminals in the relay socket - put a wire across 85 and 30 and see if that gives you crank.

Assuming the relay is operating correctly, do [MENTION=80771]RAD4Runner[/MENTION]'s wiring fix detailed in that thread.

 

[RAD4Runner]

So I went thru and replaced all connections and wires leading to and from the starter....then tried restarting it. Didn't start. Tried a few more times and still wouldn't start. Would the heat from the engine affect the starting solenoid that much?

Don't get too theoretical. Do the simple things. Verify those that are proven to be broken.

Did you do as [MENTION=49649]KidVermicious[/MENTION] suggested, jumping the starter solenoid? See special service tool in my thread here

IF and only IF that consistently cranks your starter, then Toyota wired your starter relay wrong. Yes Toyota wired your starter relay wrong (not a typo).

Do NOT take anyone's word for it, not KidV's, Not mine, Not anybody's. VERIFY, VERIFY VERIFY. Refer to this:

IF and only IF you have verified both of the above then do fix on my thread or link KidV gave you.

Simple, easy, and will absolutely not cost you much, just a couple feet of 12Awg WIRE, a fraction of watt-hour for soldering, a fuse, am optional kill switch...