Help! Cruiser won't start

[drohweder]

My wifes 97 FZJ80 started acting up tonight. Its only got 48K on it and the battery looks fresh. We have never had a problem with it in the last 5 months. She drove it yesterday on a short errand and it was parked for about 20 hours. I come home after work and need to pull it out to get to the mower (useless info I know) and it won't start. Voltmeter bottoms out and there is a fast pulsating clicking under the hood. I pop the hood have her start (try) it and it definately is coming from the starter. I throw jumpers on it from my 55 and it fires right up. I let it run at idle for about 15 minutes shut it off and it fires right back up. 20 minutes later same thing, no worky.

So I jump it take it out for a 20 minute drive and come back, 30 minutes later no worky.

So what is going on. Just out of th blue this happens. Does this sound like a battery or alternater issue? When I put the voltmeter on it I only read 12.4V when it wouldn't start. Once jumped and the engine running it was 14.4ish V. So I assume the alternater is working. The door may have been left ajar and the dome on for that 20hrs. Would it take a long drive or battery charger overnight to bring it back to life.

What do I do? I am a wrench on an 80 and I don't want to screw anything up. I recall numerous threads on bad starter contacts and cars starting on fire so I don't want to be the next guy with that title in a thread. Thanks for your help and reading this disertaion if you stayed awake.

 

[sea2skydad]

Sounds like a battery issue. I just went through this with my '96. Is yours the original battery? If so 7 - 8 years is good service and it may be time to replace. I replaced mine after doing the contacts in the starter ( it was time after 100k ), because the bendix wasn't disengaging due to low voltage. A new battery and no trouble. Good luck, Greg.

 

[landtank]

Your alternator is working just fine. It's either a battery of a bad connection to the starter.

 

[Beowulf]

Battery. Same thing happened to me last Thursday.

I no longer recommend Optima as mine was not abused and failed at 24 months. I'm not impressed as the original Panasonic lasted well over 5 years.

-B-

 

[cruiserdan]

Battery.


I understand that the Wulf even waxed his Optima on occasion. That is how rough a life it lead....

 

[drohweder]

It actually has the OEM Toyota True start battery. Its a monsterous thing. Is that a good battery? Looks like I am under the 60 month warranty for it. How come this thing just up and died over night? Seems like it should be a gradual death not full on arrest.

Oh yea, if I change the battery you guys recommend changeing out the connecters at the same time. I've see some using the "military" type connecter, what is the advantage. Seems like the OEM connections are somewhat thing and frail compared to the replacement connecters I bought for another vehicle. Thanks again. Really glad its not a starter or alternater issue. Whew!

 

[cruiserdan]

Dan,

Any battery can fail completely "overnight" regardless of it's age. If you have a "Truestart" then it has been replaced once already. Truestarts are Toyota's replacement batteries here in the US. I run a Truestart in mine and have replaced it twice. Once at about two years of age when it flat quit and again just a couple months ago. Not because it was dead but because it was leaking electrolite out around the positive post where it comes through the top of the case. I suspect that the latter is my fault as I imagine that I may have twiisted the post at some point when I was securing additional feeds to the positiive terminal.

I have also switched to military terminals that I got through Curtis-Bowman.

 

[lagwagon]

A 100% charge resting should be 12.6. 12.4 is only a 75% charge. As for the contacts, has anyone tried the old VW-Ford solenoid fix? It gives direct battery voltage to the starter solenoid.

 

[acf]

Check the cable clamps on the terminals. I had the same problem and good contact wasn't being made.

 

[drohweder]

Thanks guys. I'll check the cables before I go get a new battery. Hopefully its just a contact issue. What about those terminals, where do I find them (internet or local source).