Will not start

[futbolking]

Went to grocery store last night came back out & 4Runner would not start. Tried to get a jump, but would not turn over. Just clicking. Had a road side service meet me. He attached a battery charger to it, tried to jump, same outcome. He said my battery was fully charged. He asked for my keys & stuck it in the drivers side door. Turned it a few times, while charger was still attached to the battery, & it started. He said it had to do with the anti-theft on the vehicle & there was a sequence (unlock 3X's, lock 1X, unlock). Drove home. When I tried to use the key fob to lock truck, it made no beep, but it locked. Thought that was strange. Tried unlocking & locking a few times, all no beeps & all times locked & unlocked. Tried to start, same outcome as last night. Lights work when door is open. Gauges light up when key is in the On position. When I try start, all goes dead. Attached a battery charger to it & tried to reproduce sequence I was shown. Tried to start, just clicks.
Notes of interest:
- Immobilizer light goes off when I insert key.
- Key fob no noise when lock pressed & will not lock.
- When unlock is pressed makes a very faint beep & unlocks.
- Tried both keys, which are factory keys. Did not try valet.
- Have not looked at fuses yet. Didn't have needle nose pliers with me. Will try this next. Not really sure which ones to check though.
- I have disconnected battery & will check in 30 minutes to see if that resets anything. (read on here that might work)
- Tried to do homework on here, but did not see anything about immobilizer/anti-theft sequence road side assist used. Does anyone know it?
- Am I missing anything? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[ThorInc]

Don't have a 4th Gen but I would Google it.......if it is to do with the anti-theft system then guaranteed, it's happened enough times to have Google links.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

That doesn't sound like the Toyota Theft Deterrent System (nor the Immobilizer system as if the key was not valid it would crank but not fire), I've never heard of being able to bypass/disable it via the exterior driver's door key cylinder switch. That sounds like something you'd have for an aftermarket alarm set-up.

Did you verify that there's no aftermarket alarm in the vehicle (sometimes they are installed as dealer or port installed items and the customer never knows until they act up)?

 

[futbolking]

Just checked battery & cleaned battery terminals. Hooked back up & nothing.

Don't have a 4th Gen but I would Google it.......if it is to do with the anti-theft system then guaranteed, it's happened enough times to have Google links.

Tried that, nothing so far.

That doesn't sound like the Toyota Theft Deterrent System (nor the Immobilizer system as if the key was not valid it would crank but not fire), I've never heard of being able to bypass/disable it via the exterior driver's door key cylinder switch. That sounds like something you'd have for an aftermarket alarm set-up.

Did you verify that there's no aftermarket alarm in the vehicle (sometimes they are installed as dealer or port installed items and the customer never knows until they act up)?

I have had the vehicle almost 5 years. Do not think there is an after market system on it. How would I verify if there was/is one?

 

[ThorInc]

https://www.google.com/search?q=4th...utf-8#q=4th+gen+4runner+won't+crank+or+start?

I did not read through the threads but the solution may be in there...

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Just checked battery & cleaned battery terminals. Hooked back up & nothing.



Tried that, nothing so far.



I have had the vehicle almost 5 years. Do not think there is an after market system on it. How would I verify if there was/is one?

Peek under the dash on the driver's side. You should see out of place wiring (i.e. crimp on connectors, plastic taps, ect.), possibly a small black box that's zip-tied somewhere.

 

[futbolking]

https://www.google.com/search?q=4th...utf-8#q=4th+gen+4runner+won't+crank+or+start?

I did not read through the threads but the solution may be in there...

Thanks. Already read some of them.

Peek under the dash on the driver's side. You should see out of place wiring (i.e. crimp on connectors, plastic taps, ect.), possibly a small black box that's zip-tied somewhere.

Doesn't seem like anything like that under there.

Won't even click now when I try to start & it kills the power. Close the door, open back up & power is restored in the interior. Click anything power related (seats, doors, windows) & power goes away. Checked fuses & all seem fine.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Thanks. Already read some of them.



Doesn't seem like anything like that under there.

Won't even click now when I try to start & it kills the power. Close the door, open back up & power is restored in the interior. Click anything power related (seats, doors, windows) & power goes away. Checked fuses & all seem fine.

Do you have any flashing LEDs or security lights beside the immobilizer located on the HVAC display?
There's nothing in the literature about bypassing anti-theft via the driver's door key cylinder switch, typically most aftermarket alarm systems can bypassed/put into valet mode through cycling the ignition switch and/or the driver's door key cylinder switch. I have never heard of that particular sequence to be honest, but it does not sound factory.

 

[futbolking]

Do you have any flashing LEDs or security lights beside the immobilizer located on the HVAC display?
There's nothing in the literature about bypassing anti-theft via the driver's door key cylinder switch..

Oil light & charging system light are on. All others blink.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Weird...

Well in any case it sounds like something is shorting out and taking the voltage down drastically when you try and crank the vehicle. The easiest place to start is go from the battery to the starter and check both out.

 

[earthrealm]

not sure if its the same, but someone had a similar problem...turned out the EFI fuse was bad.......might b worth checking it out with a meter

 

[futbolking]

Weird...

Well in any case it sounds like something is shorting out and taking the voltage down drastically when you try and crank the vehicle. The easiest place to start is go from the battery to the starter and check both out.

Thanks for your help. Seems like this issue has exceeded my limited knowledge.
Looks like it will need to be towed.

 

[07V8]

I'd honestly check the battery. Electronics can do some very weird things when the battery is on the way out.

 

[radlynx]

how old is your battery?

Thanks for your help. Seems like this issue has exceeded my limited knowledge.
Looks like it will need to be towed.

 

[futbolking]

not sure if its the same, but someone had a similar problem...turned out the EFI fuse was bad.......might b worth checking it out with a meter

I believe I saw that thread when I was researching. Checked the fuses, specifically the EFI fuses & they looked good. Unfortunately don't have meter.

I'd honestly check the battery. Electronics can do some very weird things when the battery is on the way out.

Road side that helped me yesterday said battery was good. Battery check on my battery charger also said it was good.

how old is your battery?

Battery is a little over 3 years old.

Going to try to take battery to get checked before towing. Hope you guys are right.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Like I said, easiest place to start is the battery and starter. Hopefully it's just a battery and the whole "Theft Deterrent" thing was just a red herring.

 

[futbolking]

It was the battery.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

It was the battery.

Thanks for all the help.

LoL

Yeah, it happens; I was starting to feel like the theft deterrent was a red herring. Always good to start with the basics.

:lol: