My Starter Clicks

Hello All,

I have a '96 Runner with the V6 engine and auto trans. The battery is fully charged and the Runner won't start. When attempting to start it, it just clicks. Does that mean I have to replace my starter. What else can I check?

Thanks in advance

 

If the main cables to the starter and block are good, it looks like the typical worn out contacts on the starter solenoid. Not a hard job, just a knuckle scraper.
Search for Toyota and/or Tacoma starter contacts. Plenty of info/vids on the subject.

 

aldaman014 I should add that making gnarly sparks right next to the battery cell covers could explosively ignite the hydrogen/oxygen inside.

 

^^^ This. very common in Tacoma. This was the first thing ever I did to my Tacoma. Next was gear lever saddle (for MT).

 

Mine had worn out contacts a few years ago too. Same clicks. Thought about replacing the contacts, but did not work for me to do it myself at the point in my life. Shop wouldn't just replace contacts so we swapped the whole starter with a Denso one. No problems since.
Don't remember how much it cost all together, but I know that if I agreed to it it must have been a good price.

 

This was also the first thing I ever did on my truck too! I was stranded at a friends apartment complex. Got AAA to tow it back to my house, pulled the starter, took it apart, took the copper contacts to an auto electric place and got new ones for $6.

 

Use my video to fix your OEM Denso starter. Please don't pay for a replacement starter until you try the starter contacts and plunger replacement first. Also, if you have a decent set of basic tools, please don't pay a shop to do this for you. This is a very straight forward and easy repair to do. The hardest part is figuring out how to get the starter out and my video shows you how to do it so no guesswork involved. Some people have chosen to replace the solenoid contacts and plunger by working on it in the engine compartment but why would you do that when you can pull it out and work on it comfortably on a work bench.

At the time I made the video, I had a hard time verifying one of the more affordable contacts and plunger kits you can find on Ebay would work for my starter so I bought the expensive kits you can get from Toyota. I've since renewed the contacts and plunger on my buddy Sean's starter and we used a kit we found on Ebay. It worked great so I provided a link to this Ebay seller in the video description.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WV1t5-wcoOI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

How do you know the battery is good?

Load tested? New? Guessing?

 

When this issue started, I had the battery recharged at a local Oreillys auto parts store to rule that out.....

 

Thanks for the video. I will look it over...

 

I wish I had that info back in 2001 (or so) when I replaced mine. I went to OSH and grabbed same electrical cable connectors with big pieces of copper contacts instead. I formed starter contacts using file and vise. I must did good job because after 16 years the starter still works.

BTW I have 4cyl so removing starter was quite easy.

 

Update..

I replaced the contacts and that didn't solve my clicking issue.

1) Had the starter tested after the rebuild at Oreillys and the person said it passed twice

2) Tested starter relay by using one from a working vehicle but that didn't help.

3) used a different battery from another working vehicle and that didn't help.

Could it be my starter ignition switch? Thanks.

 

OK, there are two things that can click when you turn ignition to Start: Starter relay powered directly by the ignition key switch and starter itself powered by the current from starter relay. So first what is clicking: relay or starter? If relay only then the problem is in the circuit between the relay and the starter or bad relay itself. If starter is clicking than you need to look for the continuity between battery plus via big fat cable to the starter and from the starter negative via engine block to truck's body and then from truck body via big fat negative cable to battery minus. Assuming starter was OK. If the the ignition key switch is bad nothing would click.

 

Has it been sitting a long time? Are you sure the engine isn't seized? Perhaps water in the cylinders? You might see the engine slightly jolt in this case.

Hopefully that's not it though. Clean & tighten your battery contacts. This happened on my '96 Ranger. The high current was too much for the bad contact.

 

Let me inspect both the positive and negative cables. Engine isn't seized. It's my son's daily driver and was working fine before this issue. Thanks.

 

Put your hand on the starter as someone turns the key to see if the starter solenoid is pulling the plunger in. (Keep clear of pulleys and belts!)

If you feel the plunger click then it's possible the new contacts aren't sitting flat. It's really easy for the contacts to rotate when you are tightening the nut. And it can test good off the car. I don't know why. Maybe gravity affects it when it's positioned on the engine.

 

Thank you all for the advice / help. Found the culprit. It was a bad connection from the positive battery cable. It was all corroded by the terminal connection. Previously my son changed the terminal post and I never bothered to check the wires connected to it. I assumed he cleaned up all that area thoroughly. After inspecting it and cleaning the wires of all the corrosion, the Runner started right up with one turn of the key.
thanks....

 

Good deal. Thanks for letting us know the fix. Was the positive cable corroded at the battery or down at the starter?

Replacing the contacts is a good thing anyway. I have a 98 Camry with 326K with original starter but did place the contacts at 184K.

 

Corroded at the battery, the terminal post was replaced but the corrosion was at the wires...Pic for reference, taken from the net and not the actual part..