New old member, and a question (1 Viewer)

[Keep]

Hello!

I've been a Cruiser owner for many years. Joined MUD when the SOR forums members merged 9 or 10 years ago. But recently I acquired a 1988 Xtra Cab. It has become by daily driver since the MPG is so much better than my built 80 and stock 40. Immediately after buying it I sunk more money that I care to admit into repairs and beautifying.

My goal with this truck is to keep it mostly stock so I can retain the on road drive-ability and decent MPG. I've got the 80 setup for wheeling so this truck won't see much beyond the occasional dirt road.

My first tech question is this... Occasionally when I try to crank it (clutch fully depressed), I get nothing or it pauses for a couple of seconds before turning over. When it does crank the starter sounds good. It has a Clutch/Start/Cancel button and I'm wondering if the problem could be related that? From past experience on I'd begin by looking at the starter, but a few times when it didn't immediately start I pressed that button and tried again and is started instantly. Is this feature prone to problems with normal starting?

Attaching a pic of the truck... just cause I'm loving it.

 

[Doable]

Welcome back new old member. I do not think that the clutch/delete is prone to giving trouble, but with it wired in with the starting circuit (key switch,starter,etc.) with that many electrical connections corrosion will reek havoc. You could check and clean a few electrical connections on the starter circuit and see if the condition improves.

Nice extra cab

 

[KLF]

On the contrary, I think the problem could actually be in the clutch safety circuit. I would take a look at the switch under the dash that gets depressed when you push in on the clutch pedal.

We had an '88 Camry that had this exact problem, occasionally it would refuse to even crank, but if you pushed down really hard on the pedal it would start right up. I decided to not even fix it, I sorta thought of it as a hidden theft prevention device (these cars were stolen a lot back then).

I actually have my Clutch Safety Switch bypassed, you can do it with a simple jumper on the switch connector behind the dash. I put a fog light switch in the old hole.

Wicked nice lookin' truck, post more pics!

 

[WckedMidas]

my 86 4runner . the prior owner mounted a button on the kick panle when the key dont work i hit the button fires right up

 

[arndog123]

That's a nice and clean XtraCab you got there.

 

[maco35]

We interior pics. That's a nice clean truck.

 

[Keep]

Good suggestions. So far all the connections look clean. I think I'll start by bypassing that button and see what happens. TBH I don't really understand its purpose..?

And thanks for the compliments on the truck. Will take some interior shots and post soon.