mattrblack50@gmail.com Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 Was having issues with my starter so I rebuilt it. New contacts and all. Bench tested it and works great. Reinstalled and now will not work consistently. Thought the battery was weak so I bought a new one, from 2016. Same issue. It starts right up with a jump pack? Thinking it's got to be a ground or something similar but wanted to see if others had the same issue. Toyota V6 3.0l 3VZE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 Run a large ga wire from the battery- to the engine block. Removing a starter bolt and connecting the extra wire there is even better. Don't forget to reinstall the starter bolt🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john*thomas Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021  Did you clean the area where the starter mounts to the block real good? Many do not and this is a major ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattrblack50@gmail.com Posted September 17, 2021 Author Share Posted September 17, 2021 Probably not as well as I should have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 I kind of remember two ground points from the negative cable one went directly to the body work the other to the engine block. There was a joint close to the battery. As far as the starter just bolting it up should be fine two bolts and wide opening should be more then enough. Remember these things are OLD things happen. I also kind of remember a short ground cable from the frame across to the engine mount and that caused some interesting things. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpanzar Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 Does it click rather than crank when attempting to start? I had a box truck with the 3vze in it would never start consistently. i ended up having to install a solenoid to bypass the "worn out" starting system, then it worked every time. there is a ton of information on the forums regarding this issue. I think LCE has a small writeup about it too. From my understanding there is a fundamental issue with the way toyota designed the starting system and there is relay that is sensitive to "low" voltage. The low voltage is not so low that the engine cant crank but its to low for the relay just before the starter.   Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpanzar Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 mine would also start whenever it was jumped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpanzar Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 this is the write up i mentioned in the earlier post.  https://lcengineering.com/engine-starter-relay-tricks/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpanzar Posted September 17, 2021 Share Posted September 17, 2021 Sorry for all the posts, squeezing them in at work. The LCE writeup is talking about a 22RE but its fundamentally the same fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattrblack50@gmail.com Posted September 18, 2021 Author Share Posted September 18, 2021 (edited) Thanks everyone. Going to try a ground cable direct to the starter and then a relay if needed. Edited September 18, 2021 by mattrblack50@gmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 Standard starter wire gauge is a #4 wire why down grad to a #8? Those starters were pretty good the early gear reduction starters did have issues with the internal starter relay burning the contacts inside the starter very common. This of course increased the current demand leading to poor cranking or just a click. Here is what they looked like, ebay.com/p/664903917?iid=183335442973 much cheaper than an external relay. It does require removing the starter and some basic knowledge. Because the problem is at the starter it's self a jump pack charger etc. will increase the current flow to it and in some cases would be enough over come the poor contact issue but eventually they would burn to the point of no start even with two batteries. I can't begin to tell you how many of those kits I installed years ago. Toyota eventually addressed this and produced upgraded starters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattrblack50@gmail.com Posted October 5, 2021 Author Share Posted October 5, 2021 Got the RV out of the cave where I store it today. Started up no issues but later had the same issue of not wanting to start. I cleaned up my grounds really good from firewall to engine, battery to frame and it seems to be working normally again. The cave has a lot of humidity and I have gone through before and coated what I could with dielectric grease. I may also run a ground directly to the starter tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tstockma Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 Matt, if coating the connections wasn't enough, then I recommend simply going thru each connection, take it apart, coat the contact surfaces as well & re-install. That's likely where the moisture is causing the surface corrosion, even if you can't really see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 Before you spend the money try jumper cables to the starter. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattrblack50@gmail.com Posted October 5, 2021 Author Share Posted October 5, 2021 I rebuilt the stater and bench tested it before reinstall. It's a grounding or weak solinoid issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extech Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 so meter leads on each side of relay. when cranking, voltage should be less than .2v. more means bad relay. ground side. meter leads on starter case and neg terminal of battery. same readings as before, but higher reading indicates resistance in the ground circuit. usually the neg cable or bad connection to engine block Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 On 10/5/2021 at 10:37 AM, mattrblack50@gmail.com said: I rebuilt the stater and bench tested it before reinstall. It's a grounding or weak solinoid issue. A bench test will tell you it turns not much more zero load. There is no relay the contactor is in the starter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steeve Posted October 25, 2021 Share Posted October 25, 2021 I have the same problem couple years ago with my motorhome.I install a relay between the starter and ignition key and no more intermitent start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattrblack50@gmail.com Posted October 25, 2021 Author Share Posted October 25, 2021 Its definitely an ignition issue. Probably was all along because the contacts in the solinoid weren't that burned up. Just need to find the time to make the repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattrblack50@gmail.com Posted July 30, 2022 Author Share Posted July 30, 2022 Reviving an old thread. Starting circuit was the issue. As Steeve mentioned once I installed a $5 relay between the battery and starter solenoid the issue was resolved. If you are having issues like mine start there first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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