No click from starter but drain on battery when key turned

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fil1983

fil1983

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Threads
16
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61
Location
Sausalito, CA
My 1986 FJ60, 155k miles, doesn't want to start. :bang:

When I turn the key, there is a drain on the battery from what I can tell from the dash but there is no sounds of any kind. No click, no turning over, nothing. I wan't to get the car up to Mudrak but I'm hoping to get it started so I can drive it up (its about an hour away). Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

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check to make sure you have good connections for both battery cables first. then i would check the solenoid on the starter. since there is no click i would guess that that is the problem.

i think you can jump the solenoid with a screwdriver and see if it engages. just hold a screwdriver to where it touches both bolts. ive done that on other vehicles but im sorry to say i havent really took a good look at my starter on my FJ60.
 
Definetly check battery connections first. I have seen a poor connection cause the solenoid to not even click. High resistance in the connection causes there to be not enough voltage to even pull in the solenoid. To prevent problems in the future clean the terminals good with a wire brush and put some vaseline or antisieze on the posts.
 
If in a hurry hopefully you are on a hill and can do the roll and pop the clutch method.
 
Thanks for the tip about the screw driver. I will give that a shot today. I was having problems like this intermittently and thought my battery might be on its last leg. Replaced it with a brand new Optima Yellow Top and made sure all connections were clean and tight. The car worked great after the new battery installation but then the starting problem happened again and this time, for good.

If it does happen to be the starter, where is a good place to get a new one?
 
Maybe ask around about shops that will repair/rebuild yours. In my experience buying one from Napa, autozone or any other parts store like that is that they are mostly junk. They are rebuilt in malaysia probably by someone less than professional. I would check pricing with a dealership, (might be rediculously high) or try taking it apart yourself, might just need to be cleaned/lubed, thats all my wiper motor needed to get going again.
 
Be careful if you do the screwdriver jumper. What you want to do is jump power from the battery cable that goes on the large lug, to the solenoid power-in terminal. The correct terminal is the one with a wire on it.

You don't want to end up with a screwdriver welded to your starter, and all the smoke leaking out of your wiring...
 
If I try jumping the starter, and it doesn't click, is it safe to assume its the starter or might I need to check something else as well?

I really appreciate all this helpful advice. My car has been parked on the street for a few days and I'm nervous the neighbors will get it towed soon. Last resort would be pop starting it I guess. Just have no where to take it.
 
TS888 said:
If the solenoid doesn't click when jumped, then it's not working.
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what he said, and sorry i forgot to mention all the precautions. it is very true if not done properly you can weld your screwdriver to the bolts lol. i know from experience.:doh:

and losing the magic smoke from the wires is never a good thing.;)

correct me if im wrong but this set up is the one where you can buy just the solenoid. (damn i need to learn my rigs starter) if thats the case then you can just purchase the solenoid which should be cheaper than the whole starter.

in case you dont know, the solenoid is what makes the bendix (small gear) "jump" out to make contact with the flywheel, thus turning the motor over. no click means solenoid no workie. which means truck no startie lol.

but before you do all that, make absolutely sure that all connections are good, tight, and corrosion free..
 
The solenoid is the path for power to the starter motor, so if the solenoid (which is a big relay combined with an electromagnet) has completely failed, the starter motor gets no power.

But -- the solenoid could be sending power to the starter motor but failing its other function (the electromagnet part), engaging the starter drive gear to the flywheel. Then the starter would spin but not contact the flywheel, so the engine will not turn over.
 
TS888 said:
The solenoid is the path for power to the starter motor, so if the solenoid (which is a big relay combined with an electromagnet) has completely failed, the starter motor gets no power.

But -- the solenoid could be sending power to the starter motor but failing its other function (the electromagnet part), engaging the starter drive gear to the flywheel. Then the starter would spin but not contact the flywheel, so the engine will not turn over.
Click to expand...

again what he said...
 
Started the car by having a friend tow me until I had enough speed to pop the clutch. I have the car in my garage now and I'm ready to test the starter. If anyone knows of a good link to a site that illustrates where the starter is and how to go about replacing it if it does happen to be the starter, It would save me a load of time.
 
Pull your starter out. It's a 10 minute job in a 60. Open the rear plate(3 small screws)-there you will find the contacts and that they are practically worn through. If it's a Toyota starter, order the contacts, plunger, spring and ball from Toyota. Repalce all after throughly cleaning out the open part of the starter. Problem fixed for another 75k miles.

Totally agree with checking the wires-the large one for corrosion and the smaller one to make sure it gets 12V with the key in start position. If they are bad, you'll need to fix them before the starter itself.

The solenoid is not a separate piece on the housing. That's only on the old non-gear reduction starters before 79.

THe great thing about Toyota starters is that they are super simple to fix. No need for a new one, just replace the wear parts in your old one. I think the contacts, plunger and spring are under $30.
 
fil1983 said:
Started the car by having a friend tow me until I had enough speed to pop the clutch. I have the car in my garage now and I'm ready to test the starter. If anyone knows of a good link to a site that illustrates where the starter is and how to go about replacing it if it does happen to be the starter, It would save me a load of time.
Click to expand...

Crawl under the truck, passenger side. Back of engine, down low. It's got a big fat wire going to it from the battery. Then has a green plug that goes to the wiring harness.

First disconnect the negative wire at the battery. Then disconnect the positive wire from the battery. Then disconnect the green plug and the wire to the battery.. Then remove bolts. Reverse to reinstall.

As others have said, many of the replacement starters are of poor quality. The OEM toyota starter is high quality - AND IT CAN BE REBUILT!! It is a wear item. Parts to rebuild it are cheap. Rebuild time I believe is in the 1-2 hour range.

Here is the link with part #'s, tool list, and pics.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/105626-here-toyota-part-s-starter-rebuild.html
 
Hm,

Had the exact same thing happen to me about 2 weeks ago...about 60miles into the arizona strip (can you say $2k tow job). No, I didn't tow, a rancher happened to cruise by just as I was satellite emailing ranger for non-emergency help. Roll/jumped for the next 5 days.

Got to town, checked battery...10 years old w. low water = shorted cells.

Moral of story, did you load test battery?
 
Prob the easiest way to go. I was going to suggest checking the connection at the green plug. Also, if you were going to rebuild and needed to get it moving really soon, buy the cheap autozone starter and keep it as a spare once the the original starter is ready to go back in. Atleast they only take 5 minutes to replace. The cheap one is prob warranteed for life.
 
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