1995 Landcruiser won't start. It makes a quick clicking noise. It might be a loose wire (2 Viewers)

[GregMacd]

I have a 1995 Landcruiser (FJZ80?). It wouldn't start tonight, it just made a quick clicking noise. The interior dome light and alarm worked, so maybe not the battery. Anyhow, I tried to use a portable jumpstarter and it didn't make a difference.

After trying to jumpstart it, I noticed a loose wire. I'm not sure if I knocked it loose when clamping onto the + battery terminal or if it was already loose. Anyhow, I'm assuming the red wire in the attached photos should be connected to the + battery terminal? Just want to make sure before I comnnect it. I'm assuming that I could strip some plastic off the end of the wire and wrap it around the bolt that tightens down to the + terminal, but I don't want to screw it up. Thanks in advance for any advice..

 

[ajax1]

Sounds like bad starter, did you give it a smack?
No idea on your wire thing going on, what are they hooked up to?

 

[GregMacd]

Sounds like bad starter, did you give it a smack?
No idea on your wire thing going on, what are they hooked up to?

I didn't smack the starter, but I replaced the starter every 2-5 years over the last 20 years. So the starter usually is the issue. However, the fast clicking sound sounded different than in the past when starters started yto fail. Anyhow, I don't have a clue what any of the wires in my engine do. There's a blue one that runs diagonally across the engine to the passenger area near the windshield as shown in the photos below. I guess I'm hoping someone will say to connectr the red wire to the positive battery terminal and all of your problems will disappear

 

[Mark W]

Your pictures show some (hacked in) add on wiring. Not factory. And with 99% confidence I will say, that has nothing to do with your starter.

Sounds like starter solenoid or dirty battery contacts not allowing sufficient amerage to pass through. At least as a first guess from what you describe.
Get yourself an FSM... learn what "all dem wires do".


Mark...

 

[GregMacd]

Your pictures show some (hacked in) add on wiring. Not factory. And with 99% confidence I will say, that has nothing to do with your starter.

Sounds like starter solenoid or dirty battery contacts not allowing sufficient amerage to pass through. At least as a first guess from what you describe.
Get yourself an FSM... learn what "all dem wires do".


Mark...

Thanks! Replacing the starter has always worked in the past. I'll probably tow it to my mechanic, give him the spare starter that I drive around with, and hope it starts or that he knows what the extra wires are for. What is a FSM?

 

[Mark W]

Thanks! Replacing the starter has always worked in the past. I'll probably tow it to my mechanic, give him the spare starter that I drive around with, and hope it starts or that he knows what the extra wires are for. What is a FSM?

Factory Service Manual. The Bible for your Cruiser.

Mark...

 

[mudgudgeon]

Fast clicking at the starter means the solenoid on the starter is not fully engaging, and is repeatedly trying to engage.

Either not enough current getting to the starter. Due to bad battery, bad cabling, bad connections etc.
Or, contacts inside the solenoid are worn out, and not making a good enough connection.


I would suggest you don't reconnect the random red wire until you know what it's for.
Does that brown wire have a bare broken end on it too?

 

[jonheld]

Don't you think that having to replace a starter every 2 to 5 years indicates a problem???????
I'm guessing you're using aftermarket starters from budget auto parts stores as opposed to the OEM Denso units.

The wiring on your truck looks like a bad dream to me.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Don't you think that having to replace a starter every 2 to 5 years indicates a problem???????

Agreed. 15-20 year replacement interval sounds better

 

[lumbee1]

I'm a bit confused. You've had the Cruiser for twenty years, replaced 3 to 5 starters, but you don't know what the non-Toyota wiring attached to the battery is for. While this is not directly related to your problem, you should check the condition of your fusible links as well.

 

[JohnVee]

Negative terminal looks cracked.

 

[sedonut]

Before you tow it to your mechanic, change the battery cables, or at least the ugly battery clamps. You have a poor connection to the battery.

 

[sogncab]

Yep, cracked terminals almost certainly a bad connection.

 

[GregMacd]

Factory Service Manual. The Bible for your Cruiser.

Mark...

Thanks! I was able to download the 1996 version

 

[GregMacd]

Fast clicking at the starter means the solenoid on the starter is not fully engaging, and is repeatedly trying to engage.

Either not enough current getting to the starter. Due to bad battery, bad cabling, bad connections etc.
Or, contacts inside the solenoid are worn out, and not making a good enough connection.


I would suggest you don't reconnect the random red wire until you know what it's for.
Does that brown wire have a bare broken end on it too?

Thanks. I'll have my mechanic look at the wiring and have him replace the starter if that is necessary.

Brown wire
Yes, the brown wire is not connected to anything. The only non-repair modification that I had done was to install a Clifford alarm/immobilizer 20 years ago when I bought the TLC. I remember that when the alarm was first installed it kept going off when it rained and landed on the hood, so the guy removed the sensor that went to the hood. Maybe that is when he clipped the brown wire. I was also thinking that maybe someone used a nonstandard connector, and didn't need the brown wire, so they clipped it off.

green wire
The green wire seems to connect to a blue clip. I was thinking that the blue clip may be for grounding.

red wire
I'm assuming that the red wire was for power and may have been connected to the battery at one time. The disconnected red wire may have been used to power the aftermarket alarm. The red wire connects to a connector behind the drivers side headlight. The keys are working to unlock the doors so I was thinking that the alarm does work. However, maybe the red wire is related to the alarm/immobilizer and it being disconnected is preventing the car from starting. I'll avoid trying to connect the red wire.

blue wire
the blue wire goes from in front of the battery near the driver side headlight to the opposite corner by the passengers window. This certainty does not look like a factory install. Overall, I need to have my mechanic look at these wires.

 

[GregMacd]

Don't you think that having to replace a starter every 2 to 5 years indicates a problem???????
I'm guessing you're using aftermarket starters from budget auto parts stores as opposed to the OEM Denso units.

The wiring on your truck looks like a bad dream to me.

 

[GregMacd]

Replacing the starter is quite annoying, because I never know when its going to start. When I bought cheap starters online that were remanufactured likely by unskilled craftsmen is when they only lasted 2 years. One Toyota dealer said that he could put a cheap one in right away, but it wouldn't last, and recommended that I wait a week until he could get a "good" one. Anyhow, the "good" one lasted 5 years. Thus there is a difference between starters and quality. I heard the TLC is great except that it has brake and electrical problems. So when the starter would go, I assumed that this was one of the electrical problems.

 

[GregMacd]

Agreed. 15-20 year replacement interval sounds better

I didn't know a starter could last that long. I'll look for a OEM Denso unit.

 

[GregMacd]

I'm a bit confused. You've had the Cruiser for twenty years, replaced 3 to 5 starters, but you don't know what the non-Toyota wiring attached to the battery is for. While this is not directly related to your problem, you should check the condition of your fusible links as well.

Yeah, embarrassing right? I replaced some small parts in the past, but only learned what I had to from youtube videos to get the car running again. Once I got the car running, I took a "don't fix what's not broken" attitude and didn't pay much attention to the rest of the parts and connections under the hood.

I should clarify that outside mechanics replaced the starters. I had replaced a started on another vehicle when I could do so from above the hood, but the TLC seems to require that you get under the car somewhat and I didn't want to do that, because I didn't wanna run the risk of having the car fall on me.

 

[GregMacd]

Negative terminal looks cracked.

View attachment 3563148

Thanks! I didn't notice that. I'll have my mechanic look at it