Electrical Gremlins in starter? (1 Viewer)

[yoopermike]

So, here's my story. Last night I'm letting my dog out for his evening bedtime ritual and I can hear this loud click-click-click noise coming from my driveway in the front of my house. I go around to check, and my taco is sitting there, no key in the ignition, just clicking away. I popped the hood and disconnected the battery to make the noise disappear. It was late and I didn't have the forethought to try and hook the battery back up to see if it would continue the clicking....but what do you guys think? Do starters just go bad, like that (I'm assuming that's what it is)? Is it possible that something corroded to the point that it caused a short which caused the starter to try and turn the motor over? Any ideas would be appreciated. I also posted this on ttora to see if anyone had suggestions.....

 

[Duane]

what year and engine in your Taco?
My 96 runner 2.7L auto, will tick or click if you will after I shut it off and I always figured it to be the antilocks brakes bleeding down or something.... has been making this noise for years on mine..not sure if it is the same noise that you have though.
I think mine quits making noise after an hour or so... noise seems to come from drivers side fender area.... not sure as the antilock assembly is on the passenger side fender back by the firewall.

I have never noticed this noise on either of my 99 runners with the 3.4 L..

 

[zetasig]

Dumb first question, Did it stop clicking after unhooking the battery?

I would think if the starter was trying to engage, it would be something a bit more than a click, and you would hear the engine trying to turn over, however slight.

Was the engine hot or cold. Sometimes I get clicking after parking and it comes from the hot exhaust cooling down, More like a pinging sound.

Any issues recently with the starter? like not working at all, or sometimes when you turn the key you get nothing. Not even a grunt out of the starter. If so it might be the contacts failing in the starter which is easy to replace. Did mine on our 4runner a few years back for 11 bucks and an hour of my time.

God bless the U.P.

 

[raydouble]

So, here's my story. Last night I'm letting my dog out for his evening bedtime ritual and I can hear this loud click-click-click noise coming from my driveway in the front of my house. I go around to check, and my taco is sitting there, no key in the ignition, just clicking away. I popped the hood and disconnected the battery to make the noise disappear. It was late and I didn't have the forethought to try and hook the battery back up to see if it would continue the clicking....but what do you guys think? Do starters just go bad, like that (I'm assuming that's what it is)? Is it possible that something corroded to the point that it caused a short which caused the starter to try and turn the motor over? Any ideas would be appreciated. I also posted this on ttora to see if anyone had suggestions.....

Without something else physically shorting the battery to the starter solenoid, the only way for this to happen is for the solenoid contacts to become welded together or the ignition circuit to the starter becoming energized.
So if you unhook the small electrical plug connection on the left in this picture...and hook back up the battery and it still is trying to start (click) the solenoid plunger has become corroded/welded/stuck to the solenoid contacts.

More info in this thread here........
https://forum.ih8mud.com/95-gen-toyota-trucks/415811-intermittent-starter-problem.html

 

[yoopermike]

what year and engine in your Taco?
My 96 runner 2.7L auto, will tick or click if you will after I shut it off and I always figured it to be the antilocks brakes bleeding down or something.... has been making this noise for years on mine..not sure if it is the same noise that you have though.
I think mine quits making noise after an hour or so... noise seems to come from drivers side fender area.... not sure as the antilock assembly is on the passenger side fender back by the firewall.

I have never noticed this noise on either of my 99 runners with the 3.4 L..

It is a 2001 3.4L V-6 Extended cab auto.

Without something else physically shorting the battery to the starter solenoid, the only way for this to happen is for the solenoid contacts to become welded together or the ignition circuit to the starter becoming energized.
So if you unhook the small electrical plug connection on the left in this picture...and hook back up the battery and it still is trying to start (click) the solenoid plunger has become corroded/welded/stuck to the solenoid contacts.

More info in this thread here........
https://forum.ih8mud.com/95-gen-toyota-trucks/415811-intermittent-starter-problem.html

That is a definate possibility. I tried removing the starter but could not budge the top bolt. Need an impact wrench, torch, hammer & chisel, etc I think to remove it. Just going to have it rebuilt.

 

[yoopermike]

Dumb first question, Did it stop clicking after unhooking the battery?

I would think if the starter was trying to engage, it would be something a bit more than a click, and you would hear the engine trying to turn over, however slight.

Was the engine hot or cold. Sometimes I get clicking after parking and it comes from the hot exhaust cooling down, More like a pinging sound.

Any issues recently with the starter? like not working at all, or sometimes when you turn the key you get nothing. Not even a grunt out of the starter. If so it might be the contacts failing in the starter which is easy to replace. Did mine on our 4runner a few years back for 11 bucks and an hour of my time.

God bless the U.P.

Yes, it stopped clicking immediately upon disconnecting the terminal. So I went home after work on Friday, hooked everything back up, and the truck started the first time and ran great. I shut it off and went inside. About 4 hrs later, it happened again. Vehicle was cold, and this time it was actually trying to start the motor, you could visibly see the truck shaking and it wasn't clicking loudly. However, by the time I got the hood up and found my socket that I set aside just in case, it had stopped trying to turn over the motor and was just sitting there loudly clicking. In 9 years, I haven't had one issue with the starter, and I'm on my 3rd battery as of last fall.

 

[zetasig]

10-4 Thats a lot of batteries, but then again, pretty harsh conditions too.

removing the starter from our 97 3.4 4runner was the biggest pain ever. So much to the point that I just let it rest on the rack, to replace the starter contacts. I am told it can be done (removed from the vehicle) but man what a pain.

I was never any good at Rubiks cubes either so maybe that had something to do with it.

Good luck, Will be up there fishing in a month or so. two hearted river.