lillexrx

Hi All,

I have a 1999 RX 300 with 103,000 miles. It has just started not wanting to crank. I takes it between 7 - 12+ times to get it to start. At first it took just a couple of tries, it takes longer and longer each few days to get it cranked until we are up to over 12 tries this morning until I gave up.

We thought it was the battery, so we bought another one, but it still does the same thing. We wait about 90 seconds between each try, and we have tried waiting in the "Acc On" position for about 30 seconds before turning it over, it doesn't seem to matter either.

Any suggestions as to what this might be? I'm afraid if we take it somewhere they will replace something that might not be causing it. Starter? Solenoid? Or could condensation somewhere cause this? Please any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank you!
J.

Carver

Fuel pump?

rxdriver

No cranking - just "click" when you turn the key? Then after enough tries it finally starts fine? This is a common problem on the 3.4L V6 engines used in 4Runner's and Tacoma's. The cause is wear on the starter contacts. A dealer won't fix the starter, though. For what it would cost you in labor alone, you're better off just replacing the starter. (More expensive part, but no time spent opening it and fixing it.)

kschiu

Looks like the starter is going out

salimshah

Fails to crank => starter not spininng the engine ...wrr rr rrr sound is not there.
Fails to catch => srarter is cranking engine, but the engine fails to run.

Let us know which is your problem.

Salim

yoon

i had the same symptoms, and it was the starter

lillexrx

Thank you for the replies!! All good suggestions. In answer to your question, Salimshah, it is the first one, the starter is not spinning, no wrr rrrr sound at all. It just kind of clicks. Then if I keep trying, (it used to) start and it would be fine the rest of the day wherever I went, even stopping three or four times...

Does that point to the starter, fuel pump, solenoid, ... I'm not too good with this type of thing.

THANK YOU all!

salimshah

With this description, we can narrow it down to
battery (make sure the new one is fully charged and then it cant be this)
Terminals and wires (you should not be able to twist them by hand)
ignition swtich [seems to be ok as you get clicks]
Starter & Solenoid.

By elimination you can narrow it down to starter and solenoid.

There is a way to test the solenoid, but needs a bit of skill. Although you can buy these seperately, but you might be better off buying them together.

You may try to tap the starter and solenoid by a rubber mallet to unstuck a sticky mechanism, but based on miles, I would reccomend replacing them.

Good Luck

Salim

lillexrx

Hi Salim,

Thank you! Can you tell me where the starter is in the RX300? May try the rubber mallet trick to get it going today.

salimshah

Shine a flaslight 3", from the trasnmission dip stick towards the driver, straight down and you will see a metalic cylendrical shape sticking out of the engine block towards the air intake filter box.

12v without any fuse runs to the starter and proper care in preventing elctrical shorts is necessary as you mess with the starter. Voltage is not lethal, but the currents can be huge due to thick conductors.

The tapping thing is not gauranteed to work. But if it does then for sure there is problem with the starter.

Just a few weeks back there was a post on DIY starter replacement. I would place it at med level of diffculty, but would not reccomend to some one who is not mechanically inclined [needs skills more than replacing tires].

Salim