Starting Issue back again

[JamieR]

Any lookers of my last post well it turned out to just be a loose connection on my Positive post. Retightened and all good for a while until now. 89 4Runner, V6 having trouble on the start up. Seems worse on the cold start after the engine has been left idle overnight or after my shift at work. I just re-cleaned my connection to my positive post and it's nice and tidy lots of spark on the meter guage but when I go to turn it over just a click. Both the box inside the cab by the front quarter and ouside I can here clicking but just a single click no cylinoide for the starter tapping away. Every once in a while it will start to pick up but it seems it's got no power and then nothing back to the single click. It's even hard to jump start at this point.

Could this be the start of my starter going? The buchings going? After I get it going and drive around to where I have to and try a restart it seems to pick up just fine.

Any advise is greatly appreciated. I am due to have my timing belt and cam seals done soon could this have any effect? I just had my distributer cap and rotor done and new plugs.

Thanks everyone.

[Brian R.]

The problem is likely your starter solenoid contacts. See the post in the FAQ thread related to this problem. It is a cheap fix.

[JamieR]

So starting simple, a lesson hard hard to grasp I took everything apart from the battery, checked all connections cleaned up the pos and neg posts. Ground cable at the fuse box and reassembled it all. Next morning out to go to work and no instrument panel lights at all. Guess I popped a fuse 40A fuse, had headlights and power to both posts. Replaced the fuse and turned over first crack big time. After work, 3-4 turns to get it to start but it did go. Guess the starter is the next go, My connections to the battery are a bit loose and I will replace them before taking a crack at the starter.

Brian I appreciate your advise as always. Thank you

[Brian R.]

Well, if you're not getting power to your instrument panel, then the problem is the battery or the connections for sure. If the battery is over 4 years old, it is getting long in the tooth.

Also, you may have a solenoid contact problem in addition to the above. See what happens when you replace the clamps. If you have intermittent starting problems with new connections, but have strong starting most of the time, then it is probably your solenoid. If things are screwy in general, then it is a good time to replace an older battery being before winter.