Starting System Ground Issue?

[jaredawoodruff]

Hi there,

I have a 1998 3.4L 4runner.

Lately, I've been noticing a dry click sound when I start my truck, like the battery is dead but it's only once or twice and my truck starts. Sometimes when I start my truck, everything will go out like I have a bad ground cable but would be fine after a fidget with the key or open the door. And sometimes, there will be no problem.

Today, however. I drove home from work and shut off my truck. When I got back in to leave 20 minutes later, I turned the key and everything died. No power to ANYTHING. Just like a bad ground.

I couldn't get it to come back on for 20 minutes. I was reconnecting/disconnecting the battery, pulling the starter fuse, fidgeting with crap. Power eventually came back on and happened AGAIN when I tried to start it.

I eventually got power going and left and pulled over and shut off to test and I was in the same boat. It kept completely dying like the North Koreans hit us with an EMP. :redbrick:

I got back home and shut it off, came in for a while and went back out to test again after being off for an hour and it started right up, no clicking either. Did 3 starts to test, all good. :jaw drop:

I'm really baffled as to what it could be. Perhaps bad start contacts? Bad solenoid? (I don't even know where it is so if someone could help me there it would be great) Bad ground somewhere?

It's driving me nuts!

Any constructive advice is very appreciated :thumb3:

 

[jaredawoodruff]

I'm guessing it could also be a bad ground elsewhere unrelated but the load of the starter trips everything off.

My guess is still in the starting system since the solenoid sometimes clicks like the battery is dead

 

[mark3406e]

Have you checked the grounds? There is one right below the oil filter on the block, and another from the back of the engine to the firewall on the passenger side. It sounds like you have a bad solenoid or a battery with a shorted plate inside it.

 

[jaredawoodruff]

Yeah I checked those, they seem to be fine. I suppose I should pull the starter and solenoid and have them bench tested

 

[wardriver]

Yeah I checked those, they seem to be fine. I suppose I should pull the starter and solenoid and have them bench tested

I had to rebuild my solenoid contacts about 3 weeks ago. It took about an hour, I never pulled the starter out of the frame and it was less than $15. If you pull the end cap off the solenoid, look at the copper contacts and see if they are trashed. I'll have to dig up the link where I bough the contacts. I actually had the contacts laying around from my 2nd gen when I didn't know which style of contact to order.

:edit: Found it. You can order the parts from Toyota of from this site. The write up is excellent.

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml

 

[hrt4me]

I had to rebuild my solenoid contacts about 3 weeks ago. It took about an hour, I never pulled the starter out of the frame and it was less than $15. If you pull the end cap off the solenoid, look at the copper contacts and see if they are trashed. I'll have to dig up the link where I bough the contacts. I actually had the contacts laying around from my 2nd gen when I didn't know which style of contact to order.

:edit: Found it. You can order the parts from Toyota of from this site. The write up is excellent.

Toyota/Chrysler/Mitsubishi - Nippon Denso Starter Solenoid Repair

thanks for the link; I have a similar issue with my own 4Runner, so this helps a lot!