I have replaced the starter, battery and ignition switch and I find often that when I try to start my Toyota pick up it clicks but does not turn over. If I get a jump though it will start no probblem. Any help would be greatly appreciated in what to do next. It is an automatic if that matters.
The fact that it will start with a jump suggests that the clamps at the ends of the battery cables aren’t making good contact with the battery, or that the battery doesn’t have enough charge to turn the starter motor. You’ve replaced the battery, but is the alternator charging tha battery as it should? Your post seems t indicate that this doesn’t happen all the time, so my guess is the cable ends.
Often overlooked because of its simplicity is the ground connection of the negative battery cable. It’s worth investigating.
Do you hear the starter solenoid (starter relay?) click ONCE each time the ignition key is turned to START, or several, rapid clicks? If there is only a signal click, and it sounds like the starter is engaging, but, not turning the engine over, loosen and retighten the cables to the starter and attached to the engine block and car body (grounds). The electric power has to flow through the starter and through the engine block, the ground cable, and back to the negative side of the battery. The returning is just as important as the going.
The battery is not dying so I am assuming that that the battery is being charged correctly. I have checked the negative connection to the battery and stripped the wire back a bit to make sure that it is not corroded too and nothing. It sounds correct that when I do get jumped there is a better ground and it starts no problem but I don’t know where else to check if there is a bad ground.
is there two negative cables; one from the battery to the frame and one from battery to the frame/body?
Some Toyotas have a battery cable which is bolted to the battery terminal. This can be a poor connection. Loosen that bolt, wriggle the cable, tighten the bolt, and see what you have.
You did not state what year the vehicle is but is this click coming from the starter solenoid or somewhere else? If it’s from somewhere else I think most of these vehicles use a starter relay in the circuit between the ignition switch and starter solenoid. Maybe the click you hear is the relay clicking and due to burned contact points inside the relay any power provided is not passing through the relay.
This may vary by year but look and see if you have a smaller black/white wire attached to the starter solenoid. Connect a test light or VOM to this connection and try to start it. If the test light does not illuminate or the VOM shows nothing but you hear a click sound then this means the relay is faulty.
it is a 1990. Where exactly do you think the starter relay is located at?
The wiring diagram for a “1990 Toyota Pick Up, automatic (transmission)” doesn’t shows a starter relay for your truck; but, it does show one (a starter relay) for a truck with manual transmission.
Right about now, using a voltmeter to check those cables (from one end to the other) for battery voltage, seems like a good idea. What’s so hard about that?
To use a voltmeter (I have one but have never used it) I check the voltage at the battery connection and then at the connection of the wire to the starter and check if they are the same. I have the digital kind. Of the 15ish setting on the volmeter which one do i use and roughly what should it say (your probably going to say 12volts).
You should check the voltage at the small wire at the starter solenoid when the key is turned to the START position. It may show a tad less than the battery voltage across the battery terminals. This is due to voltage drop caused by wire resistance/wire connectors, battery charge, load applied during cranking, etc. The battery (non-running engine) should be about 12.6 and the solenoid wire voltage may be in the 12V, or even less, range; it all depends.
Disconnect that little wire at the starter solenoid. Touch the red lead of the voltmeter to the wire. Touch the black (negative) lead to a clean metal surface on the engine or car body. Have someone to turn, and hold, the ignition key to START while you check the voltage. If the voltage is more than 1/2 volt lower than the battery voltage (about 12 1/2 volts), there is too high resistance somewhere in the circuit (likely the ignition switch).
A 74, 76, and79 Corolla would get fixed by scraping the paint off the firewall where the engine was grounded to the body with a small wire. When the wire was put back on, the problem would go away. There is no way to guarantee that it will fix yours, but electricity hasn’t changed a lot. Some pickups (Mazda) had a wire on the bellhousing of the transmission.
And there are two ends to each cable.What about the 75, 77, and 78 Corolla’s?