Dead 4runner. No clue where to start.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

L

Linkspast

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jul 24, 2009
Threads
25
Messages
84
Location
Salem
So I have an 87 4runner with the 22RE

Its got about 277xxx miles, and was running great till about .3miles until I was home.

I turned a corner to get home and all the sudden It started to lug, hard. Kind of like when your not giving it enough gas in a higher gear. There was alos a loss of power, and the dash lights turned on ( I believe it was the Check Engine light, as well as the Charge light.) I got home still luggin. and then shut her down.

Then I try to Start it up to get some information, but nothing. No clicks, no turning over, nothing.

It doesn't feel too hot, The coolant is not boiling. The oil looks like oil should, not like a delicious milk shake.

Last night My battery was dead But Im not 100 percent sure if its cause I left my lights on or not. I got a jump then drove home ( about 6 miles) and parked it. This morning when I went to work the battery was dead and I had to swap in a new battery.
(not sure if this is related or not but figure it cant hurt)

Im at a loss of even where to start to figure out whats wrong.
any help or direction would be great.
 
Hmmm... I would look at the electrical system first, based on your battery issues. Could be the alternator died, and the battery didn't have enough juice to run the truck for very long.
 
KLF said:
Hmmm... I would look at the electrical system first, based on your battery issues. Could be the alternator died, and the battery didn't have enough juice to run the truck for very long.
Click to expand...
X2

Check the fuses in the engine compartment. One is critical for the alternator to charge. OK, it is labeled CHARGE.

If you have a battery charger, charge the battery up. Check the voltage before starting the truck. Start the truck. If the voltage is lower after starting, the alternator is dead.
 
Last edited:
Start the engine and disconnect the battery while it's running. If it dies you have a charging problem - most likely the alternator. An auto parts store can test it for you.

A fuel injected motor with act the way you describe when it loses power and can no longer fire the fuel injectors.
 
toyminator said:
Start the engine and disconnect the battery while it's running.
Click to expand...

I know that people have done this without issues, but I would not do this on an EFI truck. Without the battery there to feedback to the alternator, it can go to "full charge" mode, sending too high voltage into the truck, which could fry the ECU or any other sensitive electronics in the truck.

I would swap in a battery that you know is good, see if it starts. While you have it out, check all the grounds. Then get the alternator tested.
 
Toyota/Chrysler/Mitsubishi - Nippon Denso Starter Solenoid Repair start there. These are notorious for starter problems. I put in a relay as mentioned in mine, instead of having to have a 2nd person push the wire on the starter :) If the starter is ok, then work your way up the wires to the coil/igniter, cap and plugs.

As KLF mentioned, alternator is good to. You can remove it and have it tested at Autozone or somewhere. Same with your battery. Good luck and let us know how it goes
 
Sounds like you probably need a new alternator or the belt that turns your alternator is worn or out of adjustment. If the tension on your alternator belt is fine and the bolt that holds your belt in place is tight, then its probably the alternator that's bad. I would take your new battery in to get recharged at the parts store while you have them check the alternator - both for free. If you need a new alternator, might as well pick up a new belt while you're at it too.
 
this happened to me in another vehicle, it was the alternator, definately check it out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom