Conditional No Start problem. (1 Viewer)

[sojahseh]

Cheers!

I have a 1990 FJ62 that has an odd starting problem. The truck will crank, when stone cold, once but not twice. If for some reason I start then stop the motor, then try and restart it again, all I get is a clicking sound, like the starter has a bad solenoid. If the motor cranks but does not start, and then you try and crank it immediately after, all you get is clicking. I have replaced the starter, and the replacement starter does exactly the same thing. To me, it seems like it is a ground problem, but I was hoping for some guidance as to where to start looking.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Hi, How old are your fuseable links? Mike

 

[sojahseh]

I have no idea. Original for all I know, or at least old enough to replace at this point. Are there options that people like more thank others? It seems as though the genuine part is NLA.

 

[sojahseh]

I hope all is well with you down in Texas.

 

[OSS]

When my starter began acting up like that, (just a click). I discovered that it was caused by a poor electrical connection of the positive battery cable clamp on the battery post. It seemed like the clamp was secure mechanically (I couldn't wiggle it) but the electrical connection was poor.
I removed the clamp and cleaned it and the battery post and reconnected them — and the starter behaved normally from then on.

 

[Seth S]

It’s also common for older cars to have worn starter trigger circuits. The wires get old and can no longer carry enough current when hot to properly trigger the starter solenoid. You can replace the factory wiring with a heavier gage or you can do the fender mount starter relay mod.

 

[2mbb]

Yep. I agree with the above. You probably have a bad connection or cable. running electricity through during the first start heats up the problem area and then you lose the connection for the second start.

Clean all the connections from the battery to the starter and from the starter back to the battery (ground path). If the problem persists, it's probably easiest to just replace those cables. There are some MUD vendors that make kits for what you will need.

 

[sojahseh]

Thanks, people! I'll start digging into these solutions.