masonshear

I have a 1991 LS400 that I can't get to crank. About a year ago my buddy was driving and the fan bracket bearing went and it was parked. He disassembled it and it has been sitting since today. I replaced the fan bracket and put the car back together and now I can't get it to crank. The battery is tested good, when I turn the key the car just makes a faint clicking sound. Is there a sensor I could have forgotten that could cause the car to not crank? The security light does not seem to be on but I'm not sure if I have an immobilizer. I checked everything over and everything seems to be in place. Could the starter have gone bad just from sitting? Or maybe the relay?

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Are you sure there is no corrosion on the battery terminals? That click could be the starter but I don't see how it could have just went bad from sitting. How many miles are on the car?

masonshear

The car has 220k and even after the bearing went it would still fire up and run fine, but that was over a year ago. The terminals looked clean, but I will try cleaning them anyway.

CELSI0R

If I knew a few more details, I may be able to help more. I'll provide some of my questions and thoughts here:

1. How old is the battery?
2. Was the battery tested for CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) and voltage, or just voltage?
3. Related to the previous question, have you been trying to start the car in a very cold climate? This could affect the battery, especially if it is old.
4. Are you sure that the engine is not cranking at all, when you turn the key? As-in, the belt isn't moving, etc?
5. How old is the gas in your car? [this isn't really relevant, if the starter isn't even engaging]

Here are a few of my thoughts/possible solutions:

1. There is no immobilizer chip from the factory, so that should not be an issue
2. Check to ensure all fuses and relays related to the starter, fuel pump, etc are good. These can always go bad, just from wear and tear as they age.
3. Test your battery's CCA, if not already done in the battery test. If the CCA has gone below 700 CCA (which I believe is the CCA reading from the very original batteries), it is probably time to find a replacement.

Worse comes to worse, the starter may just have gone bad from the number of miles and age. If this ends up being the case, I would recommend installing an OEM Denso unit.. It's not a job that you would want to do again anytime soon, so the best parts matter. However, I don't think that this is necessarily the problem, given the amount of information provided so far.

EDIT: Have a look at this solution from another UCF10/11 here. It provides a few electrical tests, which will likely help you out.

The car experiencing problems in that post was in a similar state as yours is: 200k miles and not cranking.

dicer

Does the engine turn? It could be frozen from sitting so long. Does it sit outside?

The security system will immobilize the starter from working, it could be you are hearing some relay clicking?
The solenoid contacts could be corroded and not making good contact. Ignition switch ? Just floating some ideas.

masonshear

The car is sitting outside. It is cold but I tried the battery from my Jeep that was cranking it over fine (Big 5.2 V8) and it did the same thing. I'm sure the belt isn't moving. The gas is over a year old, I'll deal with that after I can get it to crank

I'll go see if I can turn the crank pulley by hand

dicer

So what is the temperature there? If its below freezing and any sort of moisture has accumulated even that could prevent something from working. Or there could be a rusting seizure deal going on too.

CELSI0R

Okay, this helps. Have a look at the electrical test that I linked in my previous post. If you can cause the starter to crank the engine by jumping the specific pins mentioned where the starter relay sits, then the relay could be bad or it could potentially have something to do with the ignition switch, as dicer mentioned.

oldskewel

iTrader: (1)

I'll guess it has nothing to do with the fan bracket. Probably related to sitting for a year, maybe compounded by the cold weather. Please keep us posted on how it works out. Good luck.

masonshear

Turned over fine by hand, I tested the starter relay and had no continuity where it was supposed to, I ordered a new one I will update when received

CELSI0R

Excellent! I'm glad that you were able to diagnose the relay, and I wish you luck as you install the new part.

oldskewel

iTrader: (1)

Here's how you can test whether the starter relay is your only problem. It is also a workaround, in the case that the relay is not working and you still want to start your car. This has been confirmed to work on my 1991 LS400, with starter relay PN 28300-16010.

- Remove the starter relay (pull straight up while wiggling it; there are no catches to release). The starter relay is the green cube thing in the fuse box between the battery and the coolant tank.

- Turn the key to ON

- Use a paperclip or wire to momentarily jumper the two left sockets that the relay had been plugged into. "left" means the left, or port, side of the car. That should run the starter and start the engine if everything else is good. Remove the paperclip once the car is started.

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So if you do the above and it does NOT start, that means you've got some problem other than the starter relay (which may also be bad).

If you do the above and it DOES start (but it does not start with the relay in place, with the key, as you normally start the car), it might be the relay, or it might be the signal coming to the relay that is not as it should be. You can test further to confirm if the relay is working (apply 12V to the right posts on the relay and see if the resistance between the left posts goes to zero). Either way, you can hot wire your car and drive around to get parts now ;-).

masonshear

Well it turns out the starter relay wasn't the problem. I noticed when I turn the key to try to start it I see a small spark from inside the starter relay if that is any help. Where is the neutral safety harness located to test?

masonshear

Well it seems it is the starter that is bad. It worked well when parked, is it possible that if I get it unstuck it will be okay? How would I go about hitting it? I don't see a way to get close to it.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

Your not going to be able to bang the starter into person since it's buried under the intake manifold. I suggest you read up on the DIY starter replacement thread or find a trusted indie shop to get it replaced. You don't want to get stranded anywhere in the winter. You can save some money by ordering a Denso reman starter from amazon and make sure you get the gaskets for the coolant pipe and intake manifold.