So, I still haven't done the manual trans swap. Too busy earlier in the year and now it's too hot.
I did, however, run into the intermittent click no start issue twice this year. First time I was waiting in a line of cars with the engine off for a while. Second time I was with family in the rain wanting to get home.
In the first instance, waiting about 10m and it started again. In the second, a good tap on the starter got it going.
I assumed it was the starter, but thanks to threads from RAD4Runner and KidVermicious, I figured my wiring might need an upgrade.
RAD4Runner's 1986 4Runner dlx Build-up - Page 3 - YotaTech Forums
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/classic-t4rs/119611-final-fix-intermittent-no-crank-22re.html
So, long story short, the circuit design from Toyota draws a lot of current through the ignition switch, and in the case of an automatic trans, also through the neutral safety switch. Equipping my truck with a relay would put less stress on those switches and allow the truck to start more reliably.
Auto trucks did not have a relay, and manual trucks after some time in 86 had a relay, but still had some wiring issues as seen in RAD4Runner's thread on YotaTech. Since I'm going to swap to a manual, I should have a relay regardless of whether or not I need a new starter soon anyway.
The previous owner had a list of items he had replaced, the starter and neutral safety switch had been replaced years ago. The starter may be getting old, but the fact that it had been many months between no-start incidents, I feel the starter is probably in fine shape.
I got the Painless Hot Shot Plus relay kit. It also includes a little button that lets you bypass starting from the ignition through all of those switches and cranks directly from the battery. The key still has to be in the ignition and ON, but it should help diagnose any future problems.
Hot Shot Plus With Engine Bump Switch Relay KitDetails | Painless Performance
I took pictures of the process. It was actually pretty simple to install. I installed it in such a way that I didn't cut into my original wiring harness at all. In fact, I can swap one wire for another and be back to the stock setup in case the relay fails.
Here's the Painless kit, some shrink tubing, stainless self-tapping screws and washers, and I added the two blue spade connectors in order to hook into the Toyota wiring harness from the starter.
The first thing you do is pull the negative battery cable. I wrapped the end of mine in a plastic bag.
At one point my truck had a nasty old Radio Shack bull horn in here on the fender. It's near where an original Toyota starter relay would have gone, and it's in reach of the starter wiring harness down below. I drilled and used my Dremel to grind the mounting points down to bare metal, since the relay needs to be grounded properly.
Locknut on one side, star washer on the other side against the fender to cut into that freshly cleaned area really well.
Mounted. I didn't use lock nuts and such on the circuit breaker to the left. It doesn't need to be grounded either.
In the passenger fender well, pop off the access plate. It makes reaching the starter easier.
Two pics showing me disconnect the plug from the ignition/neutral safety switch to the starter. This is the part of the circuit that is carrying too much current. Instead of triggering the starter AND powering the solenoid, it will trigger the relay, and the relay will power the solenoid.
Looking into the Toyota connector, it looks like it's just a standard female spade plug with a hard plastic jacket. Means I don't have to cut anything and I can just solder some plugs on the new wiring so it can be reversed.
I pull the Toyota starter solenoid connector up near the Hot Shot. It keeps the wire length from the Hot Shot shorter.
Now, notice the Hot Shot has three wires. Thin purple, medium purple, and fat red. The thin purple wire will be hooked up to the Toyota solenoid connector with a spade plug. The Toyota solenoid connector will now just operate the relay. You turn the ignition and it says "relay, do the hard work for me now please!"
Here are the lugs and plugs I need for the installation separated by wire. Male spade for the thin purple wire to the Toyota solenoid connector, female spade plug for the medium purple wire to the starter solenoid, and the three yellow lugs to pull power from the battery on the rightmost lug, through the circuit breaker with the two smaller lugs, and to the Hot Shot.
And I'm not going to crimp. I'm going to hack off all of this plastic, and solder these on, and shrink tube them all.
This is the thin purple wire with the male spade connector, and two lengths of 1/8" diameter shrink tubing.
Before soldering it together, I took the connector with some cleaner and ran it through the old Toyota solenoid connector 10-15 times to make sure it was clean.
Cut to length, stripped, tinned, crimped, soldered, and double heat shrinked.
And just plug it into the Toyota solenoid connector. If the relay ever dies, I can just plug the Toyota solenoid connector back in to bypass the relay. If the ignition, NSS, clutch cancel, or clutch switch die, I can bypass all of those with the bump start Hot Shot switch. The only thing that can screw me now is the starter itself.
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