bad starter? weird

[bueller]

hey guys. i seldom visit the forum except in looking for expertise. my wife's 91 4runner auto has had some starting issues the past 6 months. we thought we solved the not-starting issue when we found a vacuum hose that had come loose. well, now it seems there's another problem, but nothing i can look and see. here's the symptoms per her description and my observation 30 minutes ago.

"after i drive for a good while and park for less than 30 minutes, the car won't start again. i'll let it sit, then it will start right up without hesitation."

so i went outside to start it. it clicked. like i have heard other starters when they are dead. it clicked once then nothing. again i tried and it repeated. i then looked under the hood, all seemed in order, tried another start. fired right up no problem, no hesitation.

any ideas? battery is older but has good charge, or so the gauge reads.

TIA
matt

 

[cometobanks]

I say this all to all starter issue questions, so heres your dose....

If your battery is getting older, and the neutral safety switch is older, the pair can cause problems.

Reproduce the problem and then immediate put the jumper booster on the battery.

Also jiggle the shifter violently as you are turning the key.

This is one of ten bajillion problems it could be...

Good luck dude.

 

[Jonathansgreene]

A little while ago my starter started doing a similar thing, I'd turn the key and it would click, turn it a few more times with only clicks then randomly I'd turn it and it would start as if there were never anything wrong. I never noticed any correlation to if the car had been running recently, however I don't think I ever tried starting it really shortly after turning it off.

I ended up pulling the starter out(2nd gen 4runners are the biggest PITA to get the starter out..) and disassembling it. Once I got it open I saw a reasonable amount of dirt in the starter, after cleaning it up I put it right back in and its worked like a charm ever since.


btw, mines a manual so it might be a little different, i don't know.

 

[n8buddy]

:iagree: worn starter brushes would be my first guess. You can check this by having someone lightly tap the starter with a hammer while you hold the key the next time it wont crank. If it starts cranking right away, rebuild/replace the starter.

 

[Forestgreen]

Needs starter relay

Finally fixed my 91 (after chasing it a year and a half) with starter relay. From Painless Performance - Hot Shot
Local stealer wasn't aware

 

[Bonus]

I had a similar issue. My issue was the starter. I took it to a repari shop that specializes in Toyotas and if they gently tapped the starter as I turned the key it would start. Highly annoying since it left me stranded at multiple gas stations and restaurants. Even American made starters did not work. Get the OEM Denso starter.

 

[bueller]

we're still experiencing this problem with even more frequency. it seems to be temperature related---pop the hood for1-5 minutes, and it starts right up. have not taken it back to shop yet to test the starter. can i hit it from underneath?

matt

 

[gbiv610]

Same thing here. Run a relay from the starter to a toggle switch in the cab. You will still need the key to fire it but once you hit the toggle it's on. I think the wire to the starter is old and has a resistance to the heat. I tried everything else first but this works great.

 

[bueller]

Same thing here. Run a relay from the starter to a toggle switch in the cab. You will still need the key to fire it but once you hit the toggle it's on. I think the wire to the starter is old and has a resistance to the heat. I tried everything else first but this works great.

nice. i'm not really mechanically adept to do something like this. do you have any pics/steps i could follow? i may have to take it to my shop to see if they would do it.

thanks!
matt

 

[bueller]

headed to the shop in the morning. thanks for the input guys. let you know what my mech comes up with and post back.

matt

 

[bueller]

well, the trip was a success. after checking the starter, the contacts inside, etc, they liked your idea of running a line from the starter. so, many thanks to you guys for the ideas, especially gbiv610! my guys read through your posts here but agreed running the wire from the starter to a push button in the cab at the bottom edge of the dash plastic; below and left of the clock, would work the best. they wanted to really track down what the problem was, but since it's a DD, we just didn't have the time for them to look at it for days. so, if the car won't start with just the key, you turn the key to run, push the button and the engine starts! if you just hold the button with no key, it won't start. the ultimate fooling of the car theives! should they ever attempt to steal it. Thanks again for the good ideas, guys.

who woulda thought...pushbutton start on a '91! hehe

matt

 

[hrt4me]

well, the trip was a success. after checking the starter, the contacts inside, etc, they liked your idea of running a line from the starter. so, many thanks to you guys for the ideas, especially gbiv610! my guys read through your posts here but agreed running the wire from the starter to a push button in the cab at the bottom edge of the dash plastic; below and left of the clock, would work the best. they wanted to really track down what the problem was, but since it's a DD, we just didn't have the time for them to look at it for days. so, if the car won't start with just the key, you turn the key to run, push the button and the engine starts! if you just hold the button with no key, it won't start. the ultimate fooling of the car theives! should they ever attempt to steal it. Thanks again for the good ideas, guys.

who woulda thought...pushbutton start on a '91! hehe

matt

Matt, I know this is an old post, but I was wondering which shop in the Dallas area did this for you?

 

[bueller]

Matt, I know this is an old post, but I was wondering which shop in the Dallas area did this for you?

That was done in Denver. An effective, but def shade tree fix. I've since sold the truck locally. I haven't been on the board much recently but was told by the purchaser he'd be posting what he did to the runner.

Matt

 

[hrt4me]

That was done in Denver. An effective, but def shade tree fix. I've since sold the truck locally. I haven't been on the board much recently but was told by the purchaser he'd be posting what he did to the runner.

Matt

thanks for the reply, and looking forward to the new owner's posts...

 

[hrt4me]

...running the wire from the starter to a push button in the cab at the bottom edge of the dash plastic; below and left of the clock, would work the best.... so, if the car won't start with just the key, you turn the key to run, push the button and the engine starts! if you just hold the button with no key, it won't start.

Matt, so after that modification, did you only have to push that button in the cab if the starter would not start with just the key?

Or did you have to turn the key to run *AND* push the button each and every time to start your 4Runner?