4Runner Not Starting....

[Cabin2N]

Hey guys, my 4runner is not starting. I've had the battery, alt and starter tested at autozone, and they all passed. I cleaned my battery terminals after I had the battery tested but still no go. Any ideas? The one thing that it might be is I have a Starter Interrupt on my alarm. Had it for over a year with no problems but i don't know. The starter interrupt is just on the key so it dose not affect the starter power cable. Any help would be very much appreciated. If I can't get her running by Monday or Tuesday I going to have to take her in to a shop since I need to drive home next weekend.

Thanks,
Nate

[DHC6twinotter]

Hey Nate,

Check to make sure your cables are good and have no tears, etc. There's been two different times that my 4Runner wouldn't start because the cables were grounding out (once on the PS pulley, and once somewhere else).

What exactly does it do when you try to start it? Does it click, make no noise at all, turn over, or anything else?

As for the starter interrupt, I have no experiance with those, so I have no clue.

[Good Times]

Check all cables including the ground cables.

Worst case it could very well be your alarm. Is it possible to remove that trigger for now so you can test to make sure everything is working?

Side note, was it working before and just suddenly stopped working? maybe your alarm needs a new battery? if you made any changes recently that might be your culprit.

[4x4mike]

Do you have an aftermarket alarm? One day all of a sudden my old truck wouldn't start. I spend 3 days, like the entire day trying to figure it out. In the end I took out my Viper alarm and re-attached everything. It needed a jump, because the doors had been open a couple of days but it started. I guess the alarm got old and decided to stop working. I was ready to take it in somewhere but didn't want to spend the money they wanted.

[Cabin2N]

Forgot to say how it didn't start, sorry. It just clicks repeatedly when you start it.

I don't think its the alarm since I think if it was the problem there would not be any click sound. The alarm is aftermarket

There is nothing obvious wrong with the wires but was going to try cleaning all the connections.

[Good Times]

check your starter. it may need to get cleaned or repaired. make sure you fix the one you have and not buy a remanufactured starter cuz they're junk.

[corax]

here's some reading on this

4crawler starter page (http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml)

[MTL_4runner]

Forgot to say how it didn't start, sorry. It just clicks repeatedly when you start it.

I don't think its the alarm since I think if it was the problem there would not be any click sound. The alarm is aftermarket

There is nothing obvious wrong with the wires but was going to try cleaning all the connections.


It's either going to be the connections to the battery (provided the battery is good) or the starter itself. If you hear clicks that means the relays on the alarm are working and thus you can eliminate that from the list of possibilities.

[Cabin2N]

Just an Update.

I checked the contacts; they had noticeable ware(looked like it was machined, but was less then a half a millimeter. I put it all back together again to do a voltage test at the starter and it started. Been a week now no problems. I guess it was a corroded connection.

[fustercluck]

Without hearing the starter, I'm going to bet it's the contacts. When they are worn, a click is all you'll get upon turning the ignition. You can still 'click' or 'bump' it over by repeatedly turning the key until it engages, but this is a temporary remedy. Eventually, the contacts will have to be replaced. They are cheap and after the starter has been removed, the process for replacement is easy. When I did mine, I repaced the plunger too.

I can't find the online supplier I used to get my contacts, but here is a link to 4crawler's site. I've bought other parts from him and he's an honest guy. http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml#OnlineOrdering