RTH Request - New to Me 2003 LC Died While Driving (1 Viewer)

[miyagi]

Good Morning,

Just bought my second LC after a pre-purchase inspection. Decided to drive it on an 800 trip instead of my 1998, as the 2003 has rear a/c. 200 miles in, on a remote road 14 miles from the nearest small town, the AT/Oil Temp light came on and the accelerator didn't respond. It slowly coasted to a stop, all engine-associated dash lights on. The engine quit at some point, but I still had electrical power. Starter works but engine won't turn over.

Checking online in here, and of course youtube with all the sage advice the Interweb offers, I'm inclined to think the problem is the fuel pump; however, about 20 minutes prior to shutdown, the transmission started to cough / clunk. And as I noted above, the first light to come on was the AT/Oil Temp.

Might some of you post some of your thoughts / ideas / suggestions before the repair service tries to gouge me?

Many thanks!
Miyagi

 

[xplore]

Bummer! I hope you're at least well situated and safe for now.

My first suspicion when something starts to drive rough and then all of the dash lights come on is a dead battery. If the battery isn't charging up full because of either a bad alternator, dead battery cells, or just bad positive or ground leads, systems will tend to go offline right before it finally dies out on you.

You mentioned that the starter works, but that it doesn't turn over. Do you mean that it's able to rotate the engine, but that it just won't start, or can you just barely hear the starter engage, but with not enough power to rotate the engine? I just want to clarify, because there seem to be a lot of mixups on the terminology.

When you turn the key to the on position, do the CEL and Trans lights come on?

 

[miyagi]

Bummer! I hope you're at least well situated and safe for now.

My first suspicion when something starts to drive rough and then all of the dash lights come on is a dead battery. If the battery isn't charging up full because of either a bad alternator, dead battery cells, or just bad positive or ground leads, systems will tend to go offline right before it finally dies out on you.

You mentioned that the starter works, but that it doesn't turn over. Do you mean that it's able to rotate the engine, but that it just won't start, or can you just barely hear the starter engage, but with not enough power to rotate the engine? I just want to clarify, because there seem to be a lot of mixups on the terminology.

When you turn the key to the on position, do the CEL and Trans lights come on?

Thank you xplore!

Yes, we're safe at a hotel; still awaiting tow services. Hate leaving a vehicle stranded, but at least it's not in the ghetto (not sure which is worse - the ghetto or the open country with nobody around for miles).

The electrical system seemed fine, in that the a/c fans, interior lights, 12v outlets were working. The starter works like a champ, but the engine won't catch / rotate / start. Understood about terminology, and I agree about mixups - hope I adequately described the situation.

I don't remember if the CEL or Trans lights came on, as the dash lights are different than my '98; I've only had Thunder Cloud for three days now. I can only remember the AT/Oil on the right, and the Check Engine for certain. When I turn the key, it appeared as all the dash lights came on.

I very much appreciate your message.

 

[xplore]

Haha, I still get mixed up talking about the starter when you say the engine won't catch / rotate / start. The word rotate is the keyword of interest there. Is the engine rotating and the needle on the tachometer climbing when you were turning the key?

I was just wondering about the check engine and Transmission lights because I didn't know if the 2003s still had issues with the fuse boxes going and making the EFI fuse blow. That still doesn't seem like it since the accelerator was responding. The pedal not responding makes me think this was an electrical issue. Maybe something with the wire harness or even the engine computer.

 

[miyagi]

Haha, I still get mixed up talking about the starter when you say the engine won't catch / rotate / start. The word rotate is the keyword of interest there. Is the engine rotating and the needle on the tachometer climbing when you were turning the key?

I was just wondering about the check engine and Transmission lights because I didn't know if the 2003s still had issues with the fuse boxes going and making the EFI fuse blow. That still doesn't seem like it since the accelerator was responding. The pedal not responding makes me think this was an electrical issue. Maybe something with the wire harness or even the engine computer.

@xplore

THANKS AGAIN! We were quickly and safely recovered, after our Thunder Cloud overnighted on the side of a backcountry highway in Warshington State. The culprit? Wiring (mechanic told me the crank sensor wiring) came loose and was caught by the serpentine belt. No long-term damage, a quick fix not requiring Mr Toyota parts - all good.

To answer your question though, the engine did not rotate (words have meaning - heard that enough?) until the wiring was respliced and zip-tied out of the way. On the side of the highway, the starter would engage but not the engine; no rotation.

But as you correctly offered in your last statement, it was a wiring issue. My family and I appreciate your help, as it helped solve the issue and recover our journey.
Miyagi

 

[KliersLC]

@xplore

THANKS AGAIN! We were quickly and safely recovered, after our Thunder Cloud overnighted on the side of a backcountry highway in Warshington State. The culprit? Wiring (mechanic told me the crank sensor wiring) came loose and was caught by the serpentine belt. No long-term damage, a quick fix not requiring Mr Toyota parts - all good.

To answer your question though, the engine did not rotate (words have meaning - heard that enough?) until the wiring was respliced and zip-tied out of the way. On the side of the highway, the starter would engage but not the engine; no rotation.

But as you correctly offered in your last statement, it was a wiring issue. My family and I appreciate your help, as it helped solve the issue and recover our journey.
Miyagi

Not to beat the dead horse and I am glad you got it sorted, but there is still some confusion here.

If the starter is working correctly, then it will rotate, or turn over, or spin, or crank the engine. There is no other way for the starter to be working correctly unless your engine is completely seized, so when you turn the key to start, and the engine sounds like it normally would except it just doesn't catch and begin to run, that is typically described as a "crank, no start" condition.

So when say that the starter engaged, but there was no rotation, that is confusing and doesn't accurately describe the situation, because if your starter did indeed ingage, but not rotate, you would either have a seized engine or a bad starter. Obviously neither of those were the case, and neither of them would be expected based on your described symptoms.

The reason we ask about the cranking is to evaluate your battery and charging system. If your truck dies and it will not crank, that points to a bad alternator or a bad battery connection, or possibly a bad battery, but if it cranks just fine, then we can rule out all of those things and move on to other likely culprits--#1 being, as you found, the crank position sensor and associated wiring.

In any case, I am glad you got it sorted and hope you have a great trip!