Intermittent starting FJ62

[rfj62]

The truck always starts when its cold, just has a problem after running around town, doing errands. It will start 7 out of 8 times but I'm never at home when it happens and it is alway above 90 degs, not sure if that's a coincident or not. When I turn the key I can hear a clicking in the engine compartment so I thought that the starter was going. So I rebuilt the starter with new contacts. Same results though, starts most of the time but not all of the time.

Any other thought on what it might be?
Thanks, Jeff

 

[slcfj62]

When mine started having problems, I would turn the key and NO click. Rebuilding the starter with contacts cured the problem. If you are hearing the starter click, then you are getting voltage, just not enough. So I would look at your battery cables and where they connect to the starter and battery. Have you checked for corrosion at the battery terminals?

 

[Godwin]

After doing a contact and plunger replacement I had the issue come back a few months later. Going with a Toyota remaned unit took care of the problem.

 

[rfj62]

Is there something else in the starter. besides the contacts and the plunger, that could go bad? There is zero corrosion at the terminals. Any other possibilities?

 

[HBFJ62]

Check to see if you are getting fuel. Intermittent fuel pump, at least on my 62, acting the you have described. First thought it was electrical but have much testing proved to be a dying fuel pump.

 

[bignic75]

Yours auto or manual? I know its a long shot, but mine does what you describe because my neutral switch on the auto is faulty. It still clicks behind dash, just wont start sometimes because it thinks its still in gear.

 

[FL cruiser]

Solenoids in general require more current to operate when their windings get hot.

When ignition switches get old and marginal, they may not flow enough current when the vehicle is hot.

Both my 60's suffered from this.
The old 'add a Ford solenoid trick" worked for me. Put them on 5 years ago. Never a hot start problem since.

Link:
Adding a Remote Starter Solenoid to your Chevy, My Way

 

[rfj62]

Check to see if you are getting fuel. Intermittent fuel pump, at least on my 62, acting the you have described. First thought it was electrical but have much testing proved to be a dying fuel pump.

Wouldn't it still crank?

I know its a long shot, but mine does what you describe because my neutral switch on the auto is faulty. It still clicks behind dash, just wont start sometimes because it thinks its still in gear.

When ignition switches get old and marginal, they may not flow enough current when the vehicle is hot.

Any way to tests these parts? In the manual I only found a continuity test for the neutral switch and nothing for the ignition switch. Since it only happens once in a while how do I prove it?

 

[HBFJ62]

Wouldn't it still crank?QUOTE]

Mine didn't crank with a totally dead fuel pump. Don't really know why. There is a fuel pressure input signal to the ECU (at least the wiring diagram seems to show that) so I have been thinking that with zero fuel pressure the ECU won't let it crank. But need the 3FE Mud gurus to answer this.

 

[rfj62]

So I'm looking at 4 possible problems.

1. Starter still bad
2. Fuel pump going bad
3. Neutral start switch going bad
4. Ignition switch going bad.

Where to start? All connections are tight without corrosion.

Any way to narrow this down since it only happens <10% of the time?

 

[gfoz]

after what I just went through I'd be checking the chassis ground and the engine ground first. Then I'd swap out the battery with one I knew was good.
I have a remote starter switch so I guess next I would hook it up and the next time it happened I'd see if the remote worked. If it does then it would be somewhere in the wiring or ignition switch.

Just to make it clear. The problem is the starter motor won't crank the engine right? The clicking you hear might be the EFI main relay or the Circuit Opening Relay.

Good luck, hope you find it

 

[HBFJ62]

Agree that you have to start with all the electrical stuff first. Bad connections are hard to find. Could be as simple as a bad or loose battery connection (has happened to me). Get a FSM and follow it through on the trouble shooting guide to not starting. You can jump the fuel pump at the test connector but I forget which terminals it is.

Depending on how long its been since routine maintenance I would replace plugs, wires, rotar, cap, air filter, in-line fuel filter, clean the throttel body, recalibrate the throttle body sensor, double check the battery and ground connections, replace the air-intake hose and any other bad looking tubing, replace the fuel pressure regulator, replace fuel dampener, test the main relay, test the fuel pump relay (passenger kick panel), and if its still the original fuel pump go ahead and drop the tank and put in a new one, adjust the valves and timing, and fix the horn by putting in a new pin, and since your at it fix the wacked out fuel/temp gauge gremlin.

Sounds like a lot and is if you buy OEM but I now get nearly all my parts from the local guy and they are all after market stuff.. so far so good. Just guessing all the stuff to do the above would be around $500 or so assuming the relays test fine.

If you do all that you will likely fix the problem plus head off some others.

 

[rfj62]

I finally had some time to look into the starting problem and located the fault in about 25 minutes of digging with the Fluke meter. It turns out it was the sensor wire connection to the starter.

I checked the ignition switch first and all was ok then I was going to test the neutral start switch when I though, I should just check it at the starter first . I'm a little slow, I know, most people would of started there first.

But this is what I found.


So I replaced the connector with one from Vintage Connections and I was good to go.

 

[HBFJ62]

That was a fine job of troubleshooting.

 

[John McVicker]

rfj62

Good find. So exactly what was at fault, the actual connection or a broken wire ?

John

 

[rfj62]

It was actually the connector, the inside metal tab was basically gone. I don't think the wire helped either, maybe it wasn't getting enough current throug the frayed wire.