Wont Fire up

[GX4SEVEND]

Well guys its happened twice to me today so far. I put the key in, turn it, all the lights come on and when i turn it to start it does nothing. Did it twice in a row and fired on the 3rd try.
So whats going bad? Starter? Ignition? Alternator?

any help is appreciated


Its a 1997 sr5 FYI.......the screen name is from when I had my 05

 

[Elton H]

where at in oregon are you ? does it click at all

 

[GX4SEVEND]

I'm in Eugene but will be in salem tomorrow. it didn't click at all

 

[Elton H]

thats a few hours from me anyway a little more info about your truck may help

 

[GX4SEVEND]

its a 1997 sr5, has just under 175K on it. Just did the seaform clearner and new plugs about 3 months ago as well as a new battery and coolant flush. Never had this happen before, it just started today so I really dont know what it could be.

 

[Elton H]

may want to try the battery treminals also if its auto put it in netrual and see if that helps

 

[TheDurk]

Cheapie battery or good battery? Was it ever fully discharged? Cheapies sometimes die real young and full discharge can kill any battery (that is not deep cycle).

So first I would put battery on a charger and then load test it. Clean terminals and cable ends. (Or borrow a batt from another car just to test). If battery is good, then verify charging voltage. You should see around 13.5 volts or more with engine running. (Of course, if still no start with known good battery and clean terminals, then we have a whole new set of things to look at. The starter contacts are a common problem, lots of threads on that.)

 

[Maxil]

My best guess would be the starter, considering you tried it 3 times and then it started up fine. Did it sound weak when it finally did turn over or did it seem to have plenty of cranking power? When my starter died, it would sometimes not catch at all, then click once in a while. Turning it several times would normally cause it to catch, or I even hear people say they pop the starter with a hammer to get it to wake up hehe.

Maxil

 

[GX4SEVEND]

Well its happened 3 separate times today, sometimes taking 5 tries before it starts. everything works just fine but it wont even click or anything. When it does fire up its weak but its been like that since I got it. I posted about it a while back but never really got anywhere.


Oh and the battery is a True Start from the local toyota dealership replaced 3 months ago.

 

[brian2sun]

Could be the starter, battery, corroded battery cables, or connections. I would test the battery first like TheDurk said.

 

[GX4SEVEND]

Battery terminals are clean, the cables still look good (old but good) and the battery is only 3 months old. the ground going to the starter is fine but the starter still looks new. So what should I do? replace the starter and all the cables?

 

[TheDurk]

I reiterate my comment about the starter contacts. Much cheaper than a whole starter.

As to the battery: I don't care if its only three months old, if you haven't tested it, you don't know if it's good (or good, but discharged). Don't assume--I learned this the hard way a long time ago.

 

[Maxil]

Most places like Auto Zone or Advance I think will check a battery for you. If you have a volt meter, it should read around 12.8 volts with the engine off. With it on it should be between 13.5 or so up to near 15 volts. I have a volt meter on my Ham radio and it's always around 14.6-14.8 with the engine running, 12.8 or so off.

Cheapest way is to take it to a place that will check it for you, that way you don't spend any $ you don't need to.

Just my $.02