I have a 2000 3rd gen and we pulled the engine to install the timing belt kit with water pump, torque convert seal, new valve cover gaskets, oil pan gasket, radiator and hoses. We reinstalled the engine and hooked it all back up and now we are getting nothing. Battery shows good from the charger. Light work, windshield wipers work, horn blow, radio comes on, but no starter turns over at all. We have traced down the grounds again. Checked and rechecked them. It has the factory alarm no aftermarket on it. I am lost as I thought it was ready to go. I followed the timing install to the T and it lined up perfectly with the Toyota kit. We can turn the key and hear what sounds like fuel pump but no starter to engage. It was running great before we pulled the motor. I have looked at the forums, googled till my fingers hurt and I feel silly. I have built motors before and thought it was starter but it looked newer.
Pulled engine won't start
- Thread starter mforce
- Start date
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weekendclimber
New member
Double check the starter relay first. Do you here a "click" when you turn the key to start it? If you've got a power probe, you can give it power to the connector on the starter to see if you get a click (red circle). You could even turn the ignition to the "On" position, and power that plug and see if it turns over and starts up.
Also, could be the park/neutral position switch (red arrow)
Here's a diagram to get you started:
Also, could be the park/neutral position switch (red arrow)
Here's a diagram to get you started:
How do you jump the starter solenoid?
weekendclimber
New member
Get a jumper cable and attach it to the bolt that has the starter wire coming from the battery and then attach the other end to the positive post on the battery. You'll still need to the try and turn it over with the key, so if your starter relay is bad in the engine bay fuse panel this won't help.
If it then starts with this method, you have a bad starter wire coming from the battery to the starter.
weekendclimber
New member
Sounds to me like a bad starter wire.
It won't. You'll still have to turn the key over in order to engage the starter relay, which then engages the starter solenoid on the starter itself. What you are essentially doing is bypassing the starter wire that goes from the battery to the starter to test if it's bad. Basically bypassing the Blue-Black (B-L) wire in the diagram I posted (lower left-hand corner of image).
weekendclimber
New member
Do you have a Factory Service Manual? There's a great diagnostic check list you can go down that should get your problem solved. It's most certainly an issue with the starter. The dimming lights when trying to crank screams starter wire to me. PM me if you need a copy of the FSM.
weekendclimber
New member
If you go into the fuse panel in the engine bay, locate the starter relay (purple relay in my picture) and try connecting a wire from pin 5 and 3. This should cause the solenoid to click and then turn the starter over. This is effectively bypassing the ignition switches and all the stuff upstream in my previous wiring diagram. If you have the key turned to the "On" position, and your starter is good, it should fire up. This would indicate a bad starter relay if it indeed turns over/starts up.
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weekendclimber
New member
Just so you or anyone else understands what we're doing (not that you don't), it sounds like we've tested the starter wire by using jumper cables to bypass that wire (circled in red). It's something that caused me and several others issues. Looks like this is not your culprit:
Now, we're going to test if the starter relay is bad by circumventing it with a jumper wire.
Now, we're going to test if the starter relay is bad by circumventing it with a jumper wire.
weekendclimber
New member
This is starting to sound like potentially a bad starter or bad ground. At this point I would remove the starter and bench test it to make sure everything is working. Do you have a powerprobe? If not, you'll need some wires and jumper cables. It might be worth the time to pull your battery out to use it on the bench to the test with as well.
You're going to test whether the solenoid plunger engages when providing power to the plug and then whether the starter turns when providing power to the starter motor.
Here's a link with some more troubleshooting: Toyota/Chrysler/Mitsubishi - Nippon Denso Starter Solenoid Repair
You're going to test whether the solenoid plunger engages when providing power to the plug and then whether the starter turns when providing power to the starter motor.
Here's a link with some more troubleshooting: Toyota/Chrysler/Mitsubishi - Nippon Denso Starter Solenoid Repair
weekendclimber
New member
Also, that wiring diagram for the starting and ignition is for a 2002, so it might not be pin 3 and 5. When you use the jumper wire you will hear the click of the solenoid and the starter turning the motor over if everything is in order.
[MENTION=10169]TheDurk[/MENTION]
not sure how to do this as it don't have a negative and positive terminal to hook to.
weekendclimber
New member
So, where the plastic plug goes into the connector on the starter is where you would apply 12 volts to.
Ignore the red arrow and circle, it's the black plug in the lower right corner of this image:
For the ground, just clamp/hold it to the case of the starter. With the ground clamped/applied to the case of the starter, when you apply 12 volts to the contact in the plug, you should here the solenoid plunger click. It's unmistakably loud, so you can't miss it.
If that works, then with jumper cables (you'll need the larger wire to do this), clamp the negative to the case and then touch the positive to this terminal (see image). Hold onto it or have it in a vice, the motor is pretty powerful. This terminal is what provides power to the starter motor once the solenoid plunger makes contact and is normally not connected.
If these all work properly, then it's something up stream such as the starter relay. In my mind it has to be the starter relay that's bad, so you may want to fiddle with jumping contacts on that first before spending the time removing the starter, which is a bit of a PITA.
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Ok, what we did yesterday was clamp at jumper cable to the positive on the battery and ran it around to the starter hot that was still on it. Then we clamped the negative on the battery with the other jumper and ran it around touched the starter body and another part on the frame area to get a ground and we heard nothing. Is what your describing the same technique? We left the starter plugged in and wired up the whole time we did this. Did I do it correctly?
weekendclimber
New member
That would bypass the starter wire from the battery, but you would then still need to turn the key as if to start it to get the solenoid to make contact (with the loud click) and subsequently have the starter motor turn over the engine.
The contact with the bolt in this image (just to the right of the red circle) is where the positive battery wire connects to the solenoid:
phattyduck
Elite Member
I think we need to step back a bit here! Grab the multimeter and start debugging.
- Are you getting a check-engine light when the key is in the "ON" position?
- Are all the rest of the normal warning lights on with key "ON"? (ABS, Airbag, oil pressure, etc.)
- What is the resting battery voltage?
- Are you getting 12V at the starter main power terminal (bolt-on one)?
- Are you getting 12V at the starter trigger wire (smaller one on the connector) with the key in the "START" position?
- Have you checked EVERY fuse? (at this point, pull them and check with the meter for continuity)
-Charlie
- Are you getting a check-engine light when the key is in the "ON" position?
- Are all the rest of the normal warning lights on with key "ON"? (ABS, Airbag, oil pressure, etc.)
- What is the resting battery voltage?
- Are you getting 12V at the starter main power terminal (bolt-on one)?
- Are you getting 12V at the starter trigger wire (smaller one on the connector) with the key in the "START" position?
- Have you checked EVERY fuse? (at this point, pull them and check with the meter for continuity)
-Charlie
