My 85 pickup, 22R, used to do the single "click" once in a while. I replaced the contacts, so far, so good. about a year later, starter would give the same problem as the single "click" problem, but no "click". Teeth looking nasty on starter anyways, (teenager scratching all the time), so I took it out, and replaced it with a re-built from Pep-Boys. (free, I used the paperwork from the PO on my 85 4Runner). Same problem. Starts up great in the morning, but seems to fail after warm-up and driving a while, then parking it for a few minutes, "click" problem without the click. So, It's not the starter itself, I had it tested again, It's not the contacts. I am thinking of replacing the solinoid wire from end to end. Any other thoughts from you guys? Thanks for putting up with the long post!

Corrosion inside battery cables...

Make up a jumper wire , 10ga., about 10 ft. long w alligator clips at each end. Next time it doesn't start , set the emergency brake, put in neutral, turn the key to on , pop the hood ,connect one end of the wire to the + terminal of the battery and CAREFULLY touch the other end to the solenoid contact (small wire terminal) on your starter. If it kicks right over you have low voltage to the solenoid, poor battery condition , bad ignition switch , corroded/broken wires, worn relay or a combo of all. I just carry the jumper in my glove all the time. Got me out of a jam on many hot days.

I agree with the bad wiring or relay (if you have one). I added a relay and haven't had a starter problem since. Pull the small activation wire off of the starter and use it to operate a relay. One end of the relay should be wired to the battery, the other to the starter (where you removed the previous wire from).

It's probably high resistance in the starter windings, which increase when hot. A good rule of thumb is to never ever install cheap electrical parts on your vehicles. Pep boys and auto-zone are ok on some mechanical items, but I have seen too many folks burned on the electrical parts. Sure it's life time warranty, but how many times do you want to remove and replace the part. I would say this is just my 2 cents, but instead it's my professional opinion and experience.

John

My '85 has no starter relay, just ignition switch direct to the solenoid. I'll shortly be installing a Painless Wiring HotShot starter relay kit, it comes w/ a push button start switch as well. Will be adding a writeup of the install on my starter repair page.

My old truck did this after I installed my body lift, turns out I pulled apart a ground lifting it up. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for all the info. The ignition key switch is getting harder to turn (on and off). I'll jump the solenoid next, before switching out the ignition switch! Staceman