New Battery, new starter and still won't start

2000 3.4L tacoma with manual transmission. Took my kids to a restaurant, came out and truck wouldn’t start. Turned the key and just got one loud click. Tried jumping it but it wouldn’t jump. I push/roll started it and got it home. I bought a new battery and terminals, put them in and the truck fired right up. It worked great for about a month, but now it is doing the exact same thing. Turn the key and it just clicks once. This time i put on a brand new starter, but still just one loud click. So now I have a brand new battery and starter and it wont start. I read through another thread and tried disconnecting the little black box for alarm system. That did not work either.

 

Have you had your alternator tested?

 

Check your grounds. You might have a loose ground wire under the hood somewhere. It's either that or the starter relay.

 

Disconnect your battery. Step on brake - to discharge and capacitors. Hook up battery and try to start. I had that happen to me in the middle of nowhere and that's what I did at the direction of a master tech and it worked.

 

If it wont crank it could be battery related, or lead related. But its likely the starter.

If it were security related it woudn't crank, security just disables fuel.

Look at all the 1st gen starter threads and see if you have simliar symtoms.

Often failed starter contacts make it "click" and it will eventually start.

 

The starter is brand new.

 

Means nothing, I warranty new starters and alternators all the time.

 

Does it matter what position the key is in?

 

I sprung for the new instead of the reman, hoping that would eliminate possibility of a bad starter.

 

So what I would do if I got your truck would be to first test the battery, lets say it passes.

Next I would run my own lead to the starter solenoid from the positive battery terminal, this bypasses the whole electrical end of the ignition switch. If that doesn't start it, I'll remove the starter and bench test it.

If it starts with my long wire, its an ignition switch issue, or relay.

Because the starter is "clicking" its likely getting ignition switch signal, and low battery charge, or failed starter are the most likely culprits.

 

There's also a small possibility if you tightened the wire onto the starter too much it rotated the contact inside which would give the same symptoms as worn out contacts.

Another possibility is that you have a bad connection of the big wire from the battery to the starter. That could be a bad connection at the battery terminal or corrosion in the wire.

 

Check your powers to the starter and check all your connections in general. I have found a few T4Rs and tacos with loose connections exhibiting the same sort of conditions you are describing. You would be surprised how a loose connection will cause hell on your system when starting.

 

Once you get it started check charging voltage, check ground continuity, check your connections continuity from the alternator to the enginebay fusebox, check connection continuity from battery to enginebay fusebox.

 

a voltage drop test is going to need to be preformed on all of the battery cables/wiring associated with the starter circuit. After 20 years cables can get so much corrosion on them that they no longer will pass the amperage to make the starter work. A shade tree mechanics test is to grab the cable near the starter, then the battery and have someone crank it... be carefull, somethimes these get so hot you can burn your hand... in certain cases you will see the cable jump when amperage is applied.

 

I take the key out. Disconnect the battery, step on brake, wait 10 seconds and then hook the battery back and start it up. Also - clean the cable connections.

 

no doubt, have a feeling its a parasitic draw.

 

Okay. So I tested my relay and it works fine. I pulled the starter and tested it hooked directly to the battery and it worked fine. Then I put it back on and started testing it all kinds of different ways. I was able to isolate the problem somewhat.

The solenoid was actuating every time but the motor was not turning. Then when I ran a lead direct from the battery, it worked. So I figured that since the solenoid side of the circuit was working fine that maybe it was the cable from the positive side of the battery to the starter. I think I confirmed my theory by hooking everything else up normal and bypassing that one connection. Hooked up that way it worked, but I was out of daylight and the parts store was closed so I called it a night. But before going to bed, I thought, just for the heck of it, I am gonna try to start it with the key. Well, it fired right up! I literally changed nOthing since starting this thread! All I have done is test everything I could possibly test. But now it is working again. And it has started 8 times in a row since.

However, I am still convinced that I need a new cable from the battery to the starter. I think is is just intermittently working.

 

Having removed the positive cable then reinstalled it .

You managed to get a good connection either the terminals or just moving the cable enough it works for now.

Interesting how things can be corroded you can`t see with the naked eye yet not complete the circuit yet the probes of your meter make a good connection.

 

sometimes one of these is your best friend

 

check 12v to starter, what brand starter did you buy