Topic: electrical worries, please help..

[DRTYLUVN]

hello guys i need some help to track down my electrical problem

i just came back from a 3 day weekend and started driving my truck again

well i drove it around town just fine and made a quick stop at my moms house to drop off some stuff,
came out and couldnt start my truck

(it seemed to have a little trouble cranking then usual, but i paid no mind cause it sat for 3 days)

it seemed like the last time i had a blown fusable link that went to the battery (+)
power turns on and stays on (when the link was blown before the power wouldnt stay on), starter clicks, but wont turn over

tried jumpin with a battery booster and a car just incase it was my battery, still wont start

checked my fusable link again and everything looked fine
checked battery connections to the starter and alternator still nothing
no blown fuses that i could see


so we towed it back to my house which is like 3 blocks away with my bros camry
got it on the driveway and disconnected the battery
let it sit for a few hours then re-connected the battery started up like a champ

totally confused

the only thing that i noticed is that when i signal left it blinks/clicks at the regular pace
then if i signal right it blinks/clicks really fast

the only other electrical things i have hooked up is my arb compressor for my lockers and my stereo, all 3 switches for my compressor comes to the stereo din/opening

please help, i dont know where to start the chase

it also seems that the previous owner jumped the right head-light straight to a power source but i cant see where it goes after the firewall, he must have had issues with that headlight before

[bleakhorizon]

the only thing that i noticed is that when i signal left it blinks/clicks at the regular pace
then if i signal right it blinks/clicks really fast

..... do you have a blinker that is burned out on that side?

what year is your rig?

[Wermz84]

you said "starter clicks, but wont start."    Have you pulled the starter out and tested it?  I would start there.

Volt meter to your battery reading?   you said power comes on and stays on.

Blinker is most likely a separate issue.  they fast blink when one of the bulbs is out.  or a short, or a fuse.

good luck.

[DRTYLUVN [OP]]

bleakhorizon- sorry its an 85 toy pickup, just heard about the light/fuse mite be out that causes the fast blinking

wermz- i was just informed about that starter being the problem too after i described to the techs here at work, sounds like a     starter going bad, doesnt do it all the time so far its been 2 times, both times near my home, i'll check to make sure before i head out to the hills to test out my/this newly built rig

thanks for your help

[Wermz84]

That is what it sounds like to me.  Either it is going bad, or the wires and/or connections to the starter need work.  I would also check them and make sure they are clean solid connections.

[superyota]

Kinda like this...?

http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=82334.new#new

[DRTYLUVN [OP]]

thanks guys for your help
now i have somewhere to start looking

[Rockdiver]

My 85 after siting for a month or so doesnt start like that . I just tap on the starter and it starts fine after that.

[bleakhorizon]

My 85 after siting for a month or so doesnt start like that . I just tap on the starter and it starts fine after that.

X2... Sometimes a light tap works to get the funk outof the brushes in the starter

[Cheesemaker]

This is a very common problem with older Toyotas.  As a matter of fact, my BIL carries a ball peen hammer, and I a rather large marlin spike in our rigs, just for the whacking of starters.    Neither of us have gotten around to install a relay to upgrade the starting issue. 

[Rocksurfer]

Yep, every now and then I have to give my starter a tap or two to make it come back. There could be a couple reasons this happens and they are related. You probably have a weak starter armature and a weak ignition switch. A common issue with older Toyota's and Samurai's, the fix is a simple one by using a relay between the ignition and the starter. Wire the switch side on the low voltage side of the relay and the starter side through the high voltage side of the relay. Wire the other side normally to the battery. This will give you less strain on the switch side since all it will now do is trigger the high side. The added power to the armature will keep it from sticking. I've been thinking about doing my 85 since it has recently started sticking.

[DRTYLUVN [OP]]

cheesemaker- sounds like a good idea for me to do the same

rocksurfer- thanks for the tip, now just gotta get around to doing it

thanks again guys for your input