4Runner Guru's,

I'm having trouble starting my æ99 Toyota 4Runner 4WD Limited. In the morning I turn the key and the ignition seems to function normally but the starter does not engage. After a second twist of the key the starter still does not engage but the third time is usually a charm. Starter then engages most of the time. About 25% of the time when it does engage it engages for a half second and then releases/dies.

The problem is most pronounced in the morning. In the afternoon and evening it has the problem perhaps 10% of the time.

Starter sounds normal when it engages and the 4Runner fires up normally. Is my problem with the starter or some other ignition issue? Is it easy to replace the starter on this beast?

It could be your tumbler in your ignition, I would take it to an auto parts store and have them check your starter. If its not the starter its probably your ignition.

Check the battery connections; make sure they are clean and secure. Also check out THIS ARTICLE . I get my contacts from a local automotive electrical shop; dealer sends their stuff to them anyway.
Not likely your tumbler; truck is too new, unless you have 1# of keys hanging off your keychain.
You can also simply pull your starter and take it to a local parts store for a free bench check.

That is a good artical ^^^^. I have one that i did that is not as good as the one above but you can never have too much information if you plan on doing it yourself. Look HERE

I had the EXACT same problem with my starter and cleaning the battery did not do the trick. The starter was the problem. The hardest part is getting the starter out. Replacing the contacts is not hard at all.

Hope this helps!

I understand on the later trucks that there's an access panel in the wheel well you can take out to get to the starter. Haven't seen one yet myself, but it's been mentioned often enough to make it worth checkin out. On the 22Rxx's, I go ahead and do an oil change and get the filter out of the way. Makes it easier to get on that inner bolt.

My starter had the same symptoms with a bad contact inside. And there is an access panel in the passenger side wheel well that makes it much easier to get the starter in/out (it still sucks though) I'm not sure if it's the same on newer models or not. Good luck <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Did you ever get your starting problem fixed?

I also have a writeup on the starter solenoid contact repair procedure on my page...

All,

Thanks a million for your posts and advise. I took a trip to China and have not had the free time to take a crack at this repair yet. I have the parts and have taken a look with the wheel off but now I guess itÆs go time. IÆll advise of my success soon, I hope.

Jataga, thanks for the link to the Word document. It is targeted exactly at my vehicle which is precisely what I need to get the job done.

Magnifico

All,

I could just kiss you grease monkeys. Starter contacts indeed the problem. The larger contact of the two had worn down to about 1/8th of itÆs original size. Looked terrible. Two kits of starter contacts from the Toyota dealer for about $20 and two hours of my time and my beast starts like new again. I could have done it faster but I took my time and was careful. Putting that in perspective makes me feel fantastic; shop would have charged me $300-$400 for labor and $200 for a rebuilt starter plus tax! ThatÆs a plane ticket to Hawaii or a monthly car payment or etc.

Jataga, again the document you linked was excellent when I was on the job. Thank you very much.

Magnifico