jaz Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I have a 1991 Toyota dolphin. Engine V6 3VZ -E 59,350 miles Has been running fine but after a longer drive, stopped for gas, turned off engine, filled up, then when attempting to restart, it would not turn over. Just a feeble attempt then nothing. Then only the click of the starter. With a jump it started asap and off I went. Once home tested battery, it read 12.4 but since it was old replaced it with a brand new one with good cranking power. Started fine in driveway testing it out several days. Next major trip started up fine, got to camp ground, started fine after a day of rest, then again returning home after using a full tank of gas stopped to refill, same issue, turned key and nothing. No attempts to crank, just DEAD when trying to start. Attached a jump start charger and cranked over asap. now back home. Car has rested a day, Checked Battery amp and it reads 14.5 and she started up fine...so appears battery is holding her charge. that is not draining. Does not appear the alternator is at fault unless YOU have thoughts here, the starter does not chatter when turing the key like it is going bad? Or to indicate a hot spot in the starter....so I am stumped? Seems when she runs for a length and gets hot then when turned off it won't fire back up...needing some extra boost to turn over OR time to cool down perhaps but not sure how long or if that is the case. Any suggestions as to where to problem solve this would be appreciated? Had a VW bus years back that when hot the starter locked up so had to do the tapping trick with a hammer underneath to get er started but this does not appear to be the same as the starter chattered on turning the key. Anyone else have this problem or can give me advice as how to trouble shoot this? I am a novice with engine stuff but am learning......thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Seems like either a bad connection somewhere or some phantom pull on the battery. I don't know electrical systems very well so I can't help much, but if jumping it works, then it's not the starter. If the same thing happens with a brand new battery, then it's not the battery. Have you tested the alternator output? Just in case. I would look closely for loose grounds, frayed wires, clean the terminals and make sure they're in good shape, and test the alternator. If that doesn't pan out, you'll need to bring it to someone who knows how to test electrical systems to find where the problem is. If you know how to test the ignition module, coil and distributor, that's a good thing to do. The service manual will explain how to do it, if you have it and the tools. Like you, I just don't know the electrical system well enough to imagine what part of the system heat could be shutting down. I would start with cleaning or replacing the battery terminals, looking around at wires for something obviously not in good shape, and go from there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 I would check your alternator drive belt my guess is you'll find it loose. It is fairly common for the contacts to go bad in the starter but that will give you nothing but a click and more often than not a jump will not help it. The alternator will show a good charge often with a loose belt but at speed and battery load it may not produce enough of a charge to keep the battery up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaz Posted September 27, 2014 Author Share Posted September 27, 2014 Thanks for the feedback. I shall investigate all the areas you both have mentioned yet this month and let you know my progress or culprit. Hopeful it is a minor fix like a bad connection. BUT Does replacing the alternator belt or tightening it require intense labor, tight maneuvering, and is it a difficult repair? Any do's or do not's in regards to tackling the alternator if need be? Kudos to you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 I don't know the V6, but on my 4 cylinder, tightening the alternator belt is very simple. Loosen two bolts, wedge something like a crow bar against the side of the alternator and keep good pressure on it so the belt is really tight, then tighten the bolts back up while you keep the belt tight. Having a helper is really nice for this, obviously. But I know the V6 is a lot more cramped to work on.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 I'm a firm believer that if you don't have a clue how to do something you should have a mechanic do it. Over tightening can ruin your alternator. Just not getting it right can make it looser. Tightening a belt should cost very little. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontanaChinook Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 That much is true. Less than an hour labor, no parts (unless they decide to replace the belt). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Money well spent to get it adjusted to the proper tension, ESPECIALLY if the mechanic will teach you how to do it yourself. If a new one gets installed, anticipate it needing readjusting soon after because new belts tend to stretch a bit with use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Just a feeble attempt then nothing. Then only the click of the starter. With a jump it started asap and off I went. Once home tested battery, it read 12.4 but since it was old replaced it with a brand new one with good cranking power. Next major trip started up fine, got to camp ground, started fine after a day of rest, then again returning home after using a full tank of gas stopped to refill, same issue, turned key and nothing. No attempts to crank, just DEAD when trying to start Attached a jump start charger and cranked over asap. now back home. Car has rested a day, Checked Battery amp and it reads 14.5 and she started up fine.. Next time it will not crank – turn on your headlights. If they go dim when cranking – then you’ll know for sure that there is a lack of electric power problem. If they stay bright – and it will not crank – you’ve got a switch problem of some sort and KNOW the battery is not the issue. The 12.4 volt reading you got with the first battery is kind of meaningless if the engine was not running. Normal battery voltage with the starter cranking is 9 to 9.5 volts. The real test of the battery is if it can stay at 9 volts or higher with the starter’s load on it. 12.4 volts is just a nominal (not in use) battery reading. To properly test a battery – you put a high load on it (usually half its CCA rating) and see if it can maintain 9 volts. So a 600 Cold-Cranking-Amp battery should read 9 volts or higher when loaded to 300 amps. If using a hand-held carbon-pile load-tester, your problem could be found in 10 minutes. Without – it takes some guessing, deductive reasoning, etc. When you put jumper cables on your battery you are doing two things. One – you are adding battery amp power (assuming you are hooking in parallel). Two – you are bypassing the battery post connections and sending power to the outside of the battery terminals. Since it has worked for you – I’d suspect the connections at the battery posts themselves. Have you carefully checked the ID of you battery terminals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 it still could be the starter. I bought a rebuilt years ago. every time it got good and hot would not work but would work cold. one of my prime suspects would also be the solenoid contacts. high resistance would take more power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 it still could be the starter. I bought a rebuilt years ago. every time it got good and hot would not work but would work cold. one of my prime suspects would also be the solenoid contacts. high resistance would take more power. If there's a problem with the starter -jumper cables are not going to make a difference. Going by what the original poster says - using jumpers consistently worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanman Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 When mine started doing this I could always get it to go by jumping with my battery jump/light/air pump unit. Turns out it was the starter, the 13+ volts added by the starting unit on top of a good battery was enough to get it to work. When I had the starter replaced the mechanic said if this didn't work he would fix it for free, was sure it was the contacts on the bendix clutch. Didn't have to take him up on this, it's been fine ever since. In my case with the truck battery only every time it failed I saw no voltage drop on the truck battery while I was trying to crank it. YMMV John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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