A few days ago my T4R wouldn't start it was acting like it had an almost dead battery with only just enough energy to turn the interior lights on. I took the battery to O'reilly auto parts to have it charged up which they did but also told me that it isn't the right size for my T4R although it's been seeming to work fine for several months now. I put it back in vehicle and it starts up but then after I turn it off and step out suddenly the alarm indicator light turns on (which has been off since I bought the vehicle) I then open the door and the alarm goes off so i deactivate it with the fob but now it's back to the same non starting way it was before except now i can turn the alarm on and off. Anyone got any ideas as to what to do?
4runner won't start
- Thread starter d2d
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KidVermicious
New member
Short answer - take the alarm out.
Long answer - don't get ahead of yourself. Get the correct size battery for starters (get it? hah!). Then go digging through your alarm to see if it's immobilizing your ignition. Then determine if the battery is being drained by a short in your wiring, then check that you're getting juice to the starter, etc. Take it step by step, starting with the most logical/easiest to test causes.
RAD4Runner
Senior Member
By non-starting, you mean? No crank? No clicks? No spark? No fuel?
Agree with KidV.
Trust the OReilly associate and your suspicion, but verify. How many cold cranking amps were on original battery? Does existing battery satisfy that? If you have no docs, you can start by saying what truck year-model you have so other members can tell you what CCA your battery should have.
What was the last thing you did to truck before this problem occurred?
Intermittent no start with alarm could easily be caused by low battery voltage.
If battery is undersized, you can usually tell because when starter starts to crank, if would "groan", struggling to turn an engine too heavy for it to turn, and lights would definitely dim. OR starter solenoid (piggy-backed on starter motor) would click, and lights would dim- meaning solenoid contact completes circuit to starter but there's not enough power to even move the starter.
Try load-testing battery yourself.
With all switches off what's your battery voltage?
Turn on headlights to high beam. What voltage did your battery drop to?
Turn Ignition on, headlights high beam and AC on. What voltage do you get?
Compare readings to those of members with same model-year and known healthy batteries.
Good luck.
P.S.
I have a simple first-gen so screw the alarm. No sense in buying a truck for its simplicity only to complicate and make it less reliable with more electronics. I simply put kill switches for 3 systems. The more questionable my parking area, the more kill switches are off
OR when I feel like it, I just kill all 3 systems (actuating switches often removes oxidation from contacts)=D
mikebontoft
New member
if the CCA at least matches your engine displacement (so, for a 3.0 v6, somewhere around 180 CCA.) it should crank. Of course, if it's not fully charged it won't work. I know that wasn't very useful but anything higher than that is good. The more reserve available the better, honestly.
I say this pretty much because when I did parts, I've seen people just have a dead battery but someone says it's the wrong one because they had a 600 CCA battery installed when it calls for 650. Either will work.
Verify your charging systems works too. It's probably just a worn battery but it's nice to pinpoint the exact problem.
I say this pretty much because when I did parts, I've seen people just have a dead battery but someone says it's the wrong one because they had a 600 CCA battery installed when it calls for 650. Either will work.
Verify your charging systems works too. It's probably just a worn battery but it's nice to pinpoint the exact problem.
So nice to see good help. Forget the jackholes at Pirate 4x4. I agree with all of you!. Every time i've seen a 1st gen T4R with an alarm, there were nothing but problems.
Always. Not being sarcastic at all but it sounds like there's a lot of good help around here, not a lot of bashing.
KidVermicious
New member
KidVermicious
New member
Not a mechanic and I don't know the 3.0, but I hear a squalling or a warble in there that makes me think bad pulley.
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Hyde802
New member
Ha! Sounds like you walked the plan then. Pirates great, they just dont take kindly to new people asking basic diagnostic questions...
OP I cant watch the video at work, Ill check it out later...
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You sir, are a mechanic in my book. :bravo::bravo:
KidVermicious
New member
Pfft. Have you seen my "build thread"? My truck is schooling me, I'm hardly a mechanic.
