New Rig/Electrical Issues (1 Viewer)

[60series777]

Hi everyone, I am the proud new owner of a 1985 fj60 as of this past weekend and I'm looking for some help with a starting issue. I purchased the truck saturday morning at which point it started up fine and I was on my way home. On my 30 minute ride back to the house I noticed a couple of things happening which I am now realizing were obvious signs something was up, however I was so pumped on my new ride I didn't pay them enough attention. After about 10 minutes on the road I noticed the battery gauge (which had been sitting roughly at the center around 12 volts) drop to the bottom of the gauge momentarily and then returned to normal. I also noticed the aftermarket head unit did not have power (I had the volume turned all the way down so I don't know exactly when it went out). There was also a faint burning smell coming from under the passenger side of the hood (at the time I attributed this to old/low coolant levels, the truck had been sitting in non op for a few years). Nothing seemed hugely alarming to me so I got home and parked it in the driveway.

Fast forward 20 minutes and I was headed out for a joyride with the family, only thing is the truck would not start. Dash lights and head unit come on, I can turn the key to the start position, I hear a click, but nothing happens under the hood. First I checked that the battery posts were clean and the terminals were tight. Then I tried jumping the car but nothing happened. Next I had AAA come by the house to test the battery and starter and both appear to be fine. Tried knocking on the starter but that did not work. The AAA guy thought it might be the ignition cylinder so I purchased a new one and replaced it but that did nothing.

This is where I need help - I am thinking the power loss is happening either at the starter solenoid or at the wire that connects the solenoid to the starter. Would that cause the momentary voltage drop I saw on my ride home? Can I test that theory without purchasing a new starter solenoid or should I just bite the bullet and order one? I've seen a few posts/videos of people installing a starter relay rather than replace the starter solenoid wire - should I do that instead? I am a novice wrencher at best but I bought this truck with the intent to learn. Well, I got my wish day one!

Any and all advice is appreciated. This forum has an amazing amount of information that I am looking forward to utilizing.

 

[OSS]

For your 37 year old vehicle, there’s no such thing as wasting money by throwing new parts at it.
EVERYTHING that currently is working or sort of working has long passed its designed lifetime.
You could replace anything in the cruiser and it wouldn’t be wasted money - because it’s all on its last leg anyway.
I’m not a fan of running something until it finally dies (on the road at night in a bad area). From experience, it’s better to replace something that’s mission critical (like a starter) BEFORE it stops working.

Your starter is likely original and 37 years old. If so, it’s waaaaay passed due to be replaced.
Even if you do replace it and the problem persists, at least you took it out of the equation which will make finding the culprit just that much easier.

My vote : Replace the starter. Even if it does seem to work. They don’t last forever.

 

[Seth S]

1. Do you own a Digital Volt/Ohm Meter? (DVOM)
- If yes great
- If no: go buy one. You can get a cheap one from walmart for $20 and it will honestly do everything you need it to do.

2. with your Voltmeter (new or old). Measure the voltage across the battery with the key off. You should see about 12.6 volts.

3. Assuming your battery is ok the problem could be a lot of things..but one of the more common ones on these old trucks with all original wiring....is that the ignition wires that run from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid have too much internal resistance and are unable to provide enough voltage to fire the starter solenoid sufficiently.
- You could either replace these wires entirely...which to do correctly can be a fair amount of work...or you can install another relay and use the old wires to actuate said relay. This relay will have heavier gage wires running from the battery, through a fuse to the new relay....and from the relay to the trigger terminal on the starter solenoid. Your stock wiring triggers the new relay which now triggers the starter through new heavier wiring.

4. So: If your battery is good. and your battery cables are good, and your fusible link is good, and all your grounds are clean, and your ignition trigger wires are in good shape and the terminals are all clean and it still doesnt fire...then I'd suspect the starter.

 

[Seth S]

Also....you are going to want to measure the voltage across the battery when the truck is running. It sounds to me like the alternator may not be working. I'd also be looking to identify where the burning came from....I'm suspicious about the condition of your fusible link.

 

[2mbb]

Also, besides the fusible links check the fuses. There really aren't so many of them that you cannot check them all, but in particular there is a 7.5A charge fuse and a 10A ignition fuse. Although, neither of these fuses, if blown, should prevent the starter from engaging.

You should check (take apart, clean with wire brush, reassemble) not only the battery terminals but also the ground connections from the battery negative post and the +12 connection on the starter motor. While cleaning the lugs on the ends of these cables, also make sure the cable to lug connection seems good.

 

[60series777]

Thank you all for the replies. I'm going to run to the parts store tonight and get myself a wire brush to really clean up the battery terminals and connections. It would be sweet if that's all it was. While I'm there I'll pick up a relay as a backup plan.

 

[84cruiser60]

Anyone wanna trade a CJ5 for an FJ60?

 

[60series777]

Had a few minutes between calls today to take a look. Cleaned battery posts/terminals and made sure the connection was solid. No dice. Took my multimeter and tested both the battery and the fusible link and both appear to be getting good voltage (12.51 on both). I did notice something unplugged up by the windshield washer tank. Anyone know what this is for?

 

[60series777]

Also, how do I test the starter with the multimeter? I am new to this. I am not a smart man (forrest gump voice).

 

[2mbb]

That connector may be for the power antenna option. My ‘85 is wired for one.

 

[Seth S]

Also, how do I test the starter with the multimeter? I am new to this. I am not a smart man (forrest gump voice

Without getting too fancy here is what I would do:

1. Make sure the parking brake is on
2. Make sure the truck is in neutral
3. Maybe even put the T case in neutral
4. make a jumper cable and connect it to terminal 50 on the back of the starter solenoid. Then touch the other end to the battery. If the starter is good it should crank the engine over no problem. If its bad you will just hear the solenoid click.

No need to get all fancy measuring and testing the starter with a DVOM.....just a simple jump test will reveal a lot.

 

[60series777]

Thanks Seth. I bought a $15 remote starter switch to test just that. I connected one end to the positive terminal on the battery and the other into terminal 50 (plug outlet on solenoid). I turned the key to the on position and hit the switch. No click, no noise whatsoever. I’m guessing that means the starter/solenoid need replacing? I have one on order just in case.

 

[60series777]

Update for those that might come across this in the future - I pulled the starter and immediately identified the solenoid as the source of the burning smell. The old starter was probably stuck open while I was driving home. I installed a new starter this afternoon and bingo, the truck fired right up.

Question to those who might know - what would cause a starter to stay in the open position like mine did? I want to keep an eye out for any signs that it could happen again to the new starter. I checked under the hood after starting the truck and I didn't notice any grinding noise from the starter area but I really don't want to fry this new one.

 

[Seth S]

Update for those that might come across this in the future - I pulled the starter and immediately identified the solenoid as the source of the burning smell. The old starter was probably stuck open while I was driving home. I installed a new starter this afternoon and bingo, the truck fired right up.

Question to those who might know - what would cause a starter to stay in the open position like mine did? I want to keep an eye out for any signs that it could happen again to the new starter. I checked under the hood after starting the truck and I didn't notice any grinding noise from the starter area but I really don't want to fry this new one.

Age and sitting for a long time could be two drivers for problems. Could have just worn out.