Shut off in traffic, please help!

[benhar]

Need help with my 04 Sport...

It has gotten to where it sometimes will not start. I had the battery and alternator checked, and they both tested OK. I then suspected the starter, but then the 4Runner SHUT OFF on me while driving yesterday. So at this point I'm not even driving it.

When it won't start, I've found I can sometimes get it to start back by knocking the fuse/relay box, or shaking it a little. That obviously makes me think the problem is in there somewhere, but the place for the "Ignition" relay is empty (according to the box lid), and I cannot find a Haynes manual anywhere in town.

Can anyone advise me, or at least point me to the correct fuse/relay/connection to check?

Thanks!

 

[BamBam]

Check for a random loose ground. Follow the ground wire off of your battery and look at it everywhere it goes. It could be loose at the battery, at the body, at the starter, or even farther back. That is where I'd look first at least.

I dealt with this once years ago. It turned out that the ground was loose on the engine block and the only reason I figured it out was that the ground to the fender was smoking as all ground was attempting to go through that tiny wire. I had even inspected the ground to engine block and it looked fine, but it was just loose enough that it would move slightly while driving. You'd come to a stop and it would shift and lose enough contact to shut the car down. After a few minutes it would settle back down apparently into place and you'd get a ground and be on your way. So weird.

I saw it several times after that in other vehicles and just started tracing the ground and would typically find a loose connection, a short of some sort, or some funky wiring that somebody had done on a stereo, alarm, or otherwise that was creating this condition. Best of luck. Keep us updated about what it turns out to be.

If you need a specific page or pages out of the service manual, then I am sure there are those who could help pass along info if you know what I mean. Plus local libraries typically carry such things.