75 FJ40 Starts but dies when ignition is released

[Steamer]

If you connect your jumper to the resistor terminal that has the wire coming from the starter, you are bypassing the resistor and it will run even if the resistor is bad.

If you connect your jumper to the other terminal, then you're supplying power "through" the resistor which is what your switch does in the "run" position. if the resistor is bad, it won't stay running even with the jumper.

 

[Tenn 75 FJ40]

If you connect your jumper to the resistor terminal that has the wire coming from the starter, you are bypassing the resistor and it will run even if the resistor is bad.

If you connect your jumper to the other terminal, then you're supplying power "through" the resistor which is what your switch does in the "run" position. if the resistor is bad, it won't stay running even with the jumper.

It stayed running when connected to the single red wire terminal going into the coil, so it must be good. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Tenn 75 FJ40]

Well . . . you won't believe it . . . unless you're an old fj40 owner.

So sometimes when I mow my small yard for about 20 minutes, I'll start her us and let her run.

For some reason, I thought let's crank her and see what happens. You know. The damn thing started and runs just fine.

The dark side is I don't know why. Wires have been jiggled and the fuse was removed and reentered.

Who know. Just hope I don't go riding down the road and it goes dead.

 

[kerplunk]

Well . . . you won't believe it . . . unless you're an old fj40 owner.

So sometimes when I mow my small yard for about 20 minutes, I'll start her us and let her run.

For some reason, I thought let's crank her and see what happens. You know. The damn thing started and runs just fine.

The dark side is I don't know why. Wires have been jiggled and the fuse was removed and reentered.

Who know. Just hope I don't go riding down the road and it goes dead.

Keep an extra "jumper" wire handy with you...

I had a similar issue most of summer. Starter wouldn't turn. Was convinced it was the switch, but every time I tested the switch it started working. (pull the cover off the colum put a test light on that pole on the back of the switch, and when the test light lit up, so did the starter, aggravating as hell.)

Finally stopped failing on occasion and just failed. Switch tested fine, turn the key and voltage on that pole on the back of the switch. But still none on the end of the wire plugged into the starter. Ended up patching a new wire off the end of the plug for the ignition switch to the starter. Seems totally unlikely and random that one wire would just break, and not have any symptoms I can find of a short in it. But, new wire to replace it, and so far, it just works.

 

[Steamer]

Intermittent failures are difficult to track down and can get very frustrating. They can make parts changers out of you. It's much easier when somethings fails and just stays broke.

 

[n2666s]

If you put a jumper from the positive terminal on the battery to the positive terminal on the coil the start it again and see it stays running.

maybe a sticky??? same exact thing happened to our 74 fj55 ; bypassed the ignition switch as per Living in the Past's wise advice and ran nicely in run position till I pulled the bypass wire; purchased an OEM switch from VintageTeqParts.com Home Page – VintageTEqParts.com - https://vintageteqparts.com/ thanks to Living in The Past and Toyota Matt