Starting Problems - any ideas?

[bobdod04]

Hey,

I am hoping someone can help me figure out whats going on with my 2005 v6 SR5. I've owned my 4Runner for about 7 years and it currently has 198k miles. The starter and alternator are original as far as I know. I replaced the OEM battery a year ago (it lasted 12 years!) with a Bosch blue top AGM. The battery was replaced because of a starting issue and the new battery solved the problem a year ago.

Now onto the problem at hand:
- yesterday morning the truck wouldn't start. Had just a little bit of a crank and then nothing. Started right up with a quick jump.
- I drove around doing errands and had no issues starting it all day.
- This morning I went to start it up and again, just a little crank and then nothing. A jump started it without issue.
- Since the battery is only a year old, I went to pep-boys, thinking its a dud. They tested it and said it was good to go.
- I then went to autozone for a second opinion. They tested the batter, starter, and alternator. All tests came back with no problems (see print-out).

It has been very cold here for the past week and was in the single digits each morning it didn't start. However, I've not had any prior issues starting it in the cold, so not sure what the problem is. I do not drive the truck every day, but it does get a 70 mile round trip run to work every week or two and it did just that the day before the first no-start.

Any ideas?

 

[benztech82]

It looks like you have a parasitic draw in your electrical system. Cause could be as simple as light for cargo or a dome light is on.
Possible simple fix: disconnect battery for 5 minutes and turn ignition on with battery disconnected just to make sure that system is drained completely. Take out key out of ignition and connect battery back. Now, run your truck for 10 minutes without any power accessory's, a/c, heaters etc.

Check the next day again.

If this doesn't work. Battery draw test is the next step.

05v6LTD-daystar front 1", 1,25" wheel spacers, 5th gen brakes, Chinese Bluetooth.

 

[bobdod04]

It looks like you have a parasitic draw in your electrical system. Cause could be as simple as light for cargo or a dome light is on.
Possible simple fix: disconnect battery for 5 minutes and turn ignition on with battery disconnected just to make sure that system is drained completely. Take out key out of ignition and connect battery back. Now, run your truck for 10 minutes without any power accessory's, a/c, heaters etc.

Check the next day again.

If this doesn't work. Battery draw test is the next step.

05v6LTD-daystar front 1", 1,25" wheel spacers, 5th gen brakes, Chinese Bluetooth.

ok, I did this. I guess will see if it starts tomorrow.

Also, after thinking about this a little, I am not sure how the Autozone tester tests the starter. I mean, the car starts fine throughout the day, so I don't know if the starter would test "bad", unless the testing was done when its not starting. Maybe its receiving good power from the battery, but is on its way out and being exacerbated by the cold?

I had a 1996 Corolla about 10 years ago that would not start without a jump. I never had anything tested and just assumed it was a battery issue. I had no time to deal with it and just jumped it every morning for about a week. eventually it wouldn't start even with a jump and it turned out the starter was bad. I am wondering if maybe this is the same thing. Any idea if the starter/solenoid may be on its way out in a way not showing up on the autozone test?

 

[AuSeeker]

My first thoughts was that you were getting the starter tested after the vehicle was already running before testing and mostly likely at operating temperature, thus the starter would be much warmer than after sitting all night, extreme coldness can adversely affect things close to end of life that still work fine at higher temperatures.

 

[benztech82]

ok, I did this. I guess will see if it starts tomorrow.

Also, after thinking about this a little, I am not sure how the Autozone tester tests the starter. I mean, the car starts fine throughout the day, so I don't know if the starter would test "bad", unless the testing was done when its not starting. Maybe its receiving good power from the battery, but is on its way out and being exacerbated by the cold?

I had a 1996 Corolla about 10 years ago that would not start without a jump. I never had anything tested and just assumed it was a battery issue. I had no time to deal with it and just jumped it every morning for about a week. eventually it wouldn't start even with a jump and it turned out the starter was bad. I am wondering if maybe this is the same thing. Any idea if the starter/solenoid may be on its way out in a way not showing up on the autozone test?

Excessive draw from seized starter is a good possibility, than I would check if your headlights are bright enough, or get a hold of a battery tester, even a cheap voltmeter to check voltage overnight.

05v6LTD-daystar front 1", 1,25" wheel spacers, 5th gen brakes, Chinese Bluetooth.

 

[TowMeOut]

Even the $6 el cheapo Harbor Freight multi-meter is an invaluable tool for troubleshooting. Check the battery when you go inside after driving for a while. It should be 12.6 or better. When you come back in the morning if it's much less than that then you've got some kind of big draw happening when the vehicle is off.

I've heard of folks with ECUs that don't "go to sleep" like they're supposed to. When you shut your vehicle off the ECU normally stays on for a few seconds to a few minutes doing kind of an "orderly shutdown" like your PC. If it doesn't shut down then this can run your battery down. I think there are at least a few threads on here about such problems.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/140871-2005-4runner-v8-battery-drain-problem.html

 

[riceandpho]

could be a crankshaft position sensor going bad. do a obd2 reading if you can. also if you have any aftermarket alarm installed, check the start kill relay and look for loose wire.