2006 - V8 4wd won't start - won't jump

[uvabigm]

My wife tried starting her 2006 Limited 4wd V8 4Runner last night and it would not start. It was jumped and she drove it for 30 minutes. Before she turned it off, she rolled down the rear window. After turning it off, she was unable to shut the rear window the first time she tried turning the key. It eventually shut but the car would no longer start.

This morning the car would not jump. It would just keep clicking, but would never roll over. Power locks would not work and the dash lights would flicker on and off. AAA came and tried jumping but even with it connected to the truck and a portable jump pack it would only make the clicking sound when you tried starting it.The battery was purchased at the dealer in Feb 2016.

AAA thinks it's the starter. They were unable to test the alternator and starter since it wouldn't start but "think" its something with the starting system. Why would the power locks, and windows not work if the battery is OK and it's the starter? They said when they tested the battery initially it was 12.4V.

Any ideas appreciated. Thanks,

 

[46runner]

My wife tried starting her 2006 Limited 4wd V8 4Runner last night and it would not start. It was jumped and she drove it for 30 minutes. Before she turned it off, she rolled down the rear window. After turning it off, she was unable to shut the rear window the first time she tried turning the key. It eventually shut but the car would no longer start.



This morning the car would not jump. It would just keep clicking, but would never roll over. Power locks would not work and the dash lights would flicker on and off. AAA came and tried jumping but even with it connected to the truck and a portable jump pack it would only make the clicking sound when you tried starting it.The battery was purchased at the dealer in Feb 2016.



AAA thinks it's the starter. They were unable to test the alternator and starter since it wouldn't start but "think" its something with the starting system. Why would the power locks, and windows not work if the battery is OK and it's the starter? They said when they tested the battery initially it was 12.4V.



Any ideas appreciated. Thanks,

Check the battery connections. Make sure they're tight.

 

[Utah_4runner]

My wife tried starting her 2006 Limited 4wd V8 4Runner last night and it would not start. It was jumped and she drove it for 30 minutes. Before she turned it off, she rolled down the rear window. After turning it off, she was unable to shut the rear window the first time she tried turning the key. It eventually shut but the car would no longer start.

This morning the car would not jump. It would just keep clicking, but would never roll over. Power locks would not work and the dash lights would flicker on and off. AAA came and tried jumping but even with it connected to the truck and a portable jump pack it would only make the clicking sound when you tried starting it.The battery was purchased at the dealer in Feb 2016.

AAA thinks it's the starter. They were unable to test the alternator and starter since it wouldn't start but "think" its something with the starting system. Why would the power locks, and windows not work if the battery is OK and it's the starter? They said when they tested the battery initially it was 12.4V.

Any ideas appreciated. Thanks,

Like 46runner said, check the battery connections. Make sure that there is no corrosion on the connections, and if there is use a wire brush to clean them up. If you end up testing your battery/alternator and they are both good, and the battery is charged then you will want to look into the starter and ignition switch.

 

[RonJR]

There's about a 99% chance it's one of two things:
- A battery going bad that won't hold a charge - how old is the battery? (just re-read and saw it's less than 2 years old. Probably not that, but check it anyway - see below.)
- A bad connection at the battery.

5 minutes with a multimeter in the hands of a competent tech would tell you which it is. Apparently the AAA guys don't fall into that category.

Here's the step by step process.
- Measure the battery voltage across the actual battery terminals - not the cable lugs. Should be over 12 volts.
- Now do the same thing while someone tries to crank the starter. Should drop to 10-11 volts. If it drops more, the battery is weak. If it doesn't drop at all, the connections are bad.
- To find the bad connection, measure from the positive battery terminal to the cable lug on that same terminal while someone tries to crank it. If the voltage is greater than about .3 volts, that connection is bad. If that connection checks out, do the same thing for the negative terminal and cable lug.
- Keep checking across the connections to the starter until you find the connection that drops the most volts. Take that one apart and clean it up, retighten, and try again.

 

[TechWrench]

:iagree:

It is most likely either a weak battery, a poor connection to the battery, or both. You can try removing one of the cables from the battery, I suggest the negative, and then hook jumper cables to each cable. This will eliminate the battery from the circuit, and see if it starts. If it does, remove the battery and have it charged. When fully charged, make sure both terminals are clean, and both cable ends are clean and bolts that tighten cable ends function properly when reinstalling the battery. If the vehicle now starts, I would then have the charging system checked, you may have a weak alternator, or it may have been a bad connection to the battery in the first place.

 

[TowMeOut]

Negative....

One question...when the guys were trying to jump it did they connect the negative to the engine block, lift loop, etc (somewhere physically on the engine) or simply clip them on top of the battery post clamps?? That negative battery cable has two legs. One attaches to the body right next to the battery, the other dives down and attaches to the side of the block somewhere near the starter (I can't tell without crawling under at the moment). If either of these are corroded or loose I think you'll get the symptoms you describe.

I've got a Honda accord that sat for 3 years in a garage when the owner passed and I picked it up at an estate auction. The battery was toast and the terminals corroded like mad at the battery. I tried sticking cables right on the battery and it would barely turn over. Moved the negative to the engine (as I should have done to start with) and it zipped right to life. This Honda "only" has a single ground connection that goes to the body (terrible design).

It's unlikely the problem is on the positive side based on your symptoms. The positive side splits too and one leg goes straight into the main electrical panel under the hood, the other to the starter solenoid. If the positive were loose on the starter you'd have problems turning over but the accessories would be fine.

Check all the connections...just to be sure. All it takes is a loose fastener to leave you stranded.

Good luck

 

[fordhorse]

One Caveat

Everyone is giving great advice, however one thing that hasn't been mentioned.
this is absolutely a necessity, a FULL battery charge must be completed by a known good charging source BEFORE doing a battery voltage/current check of any kind. Also if while running at idle with a known good battery the meter does not read at LEAST 14.3-14.7 volts thats most likely a charging issue. Dying after a jumpstart could potentially be either issue including battery wire corrosion and or loose wire/terminal.

Good Luck.

 

[riceandpho]

Aftermarket alarm installed? Usually starter kill is still active.
After have the booster battery hooked up. Hit the unlock on the remote. Then proceed to start the truck up again.

 

[kcdehart]

+1 for battery connections

Also, check all fuses. You'll hate yourself if you replace a starter just to find that a fuse was blown by the jumping process (has happened to me before)

 

[svana]

Funny on the timing here...my 03 Limited is in the EXACT same situation as yours as of Saturday the 17th. Tried to start it on Thursday, just clicked and I figured the battery was dead. Jumped it on Saturday morning (started it via remote start), it took. Left it running while I finished packing the truck, it auto-shut off 15 mins later (programmed to shut off after 15 if the key isn't in the ignition). No big deal I figured, I'll just have to re-jump. No dice, click click click click. Thought the battery was dead. Took it back to get replaced (about a year old), they measured at 900CA and 12.4V. Connected my secondary battery to it (not yet wired into the truck), still nothing. Gonna start cracking into it today after work, but wanted to chime in here as I figure 2 folks working on potentially the same issue is better than one (well...not really better in the sense of having these problems, but you know what I mean...)

 

[svana]

Well...went out there, started trying to diagnose the issue. Checked the fuses, cleaned up the terminals, no dice. Kept testing with my voltmeter, and at one point it just started up as though nothing is wrong. TBH it's more concerning than if I would've actually found a problem...

Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[uvabigm]

Ended up replacing the battery and everything seems good. Thanks for the help.

 

[bpchura]

Glad it got sorted out. I've had problems in the past with motorcycles doing similar things out of nowhere. Come to find out even new batteries can short themselves out from inside giving little to no warning of failure. Takes a lot of time and effort to dig around the electrical system but always be suspect of a battery. Not fun when you're $70 motorcycle battery craps out less than a year in!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[RonJR]

The thing about a bad battery with a shorted cell is that it loads down a jumping battery and you still can't get started. The other thing about shorted cells is they can be intermittent, at least initially. One day your battery won't start your vehicle, the next day it seems fine, and so on. Stuff like that can drive you bonkers and cause you to look in all the wrong places.

In 50 years of driving, I don't know that I personally have ever had a starting problem that wasn't caused by either (a) a bad/dead battery (probably 75% of the times) or (b) bad cable connections at the battery (the other 25%). It's where I always start looking. I know there can be other causes, but these two are by far the most common.