Lights are on, but no one is home...

Hello all. This is my first post here, and am anxious to see your opinions and suggestions. I am the proud owner of a 2003 Tacoma, 4 cylinder 2.7 litre engine, five speed manual transmission with 4x4. I bought her used from a kid who was not a great owner- Duke's of Hazard over the hood and a bunch of other stupid shit that I've been finding slowly through time. She's been a dream truck for me despite this, doing all I have asked and demanded from her. This morning though, was rough. At 22 degrees Fahrenheit, she would not start. The lights are on, no dimmer than every other day, but no peep from the engine. No crank, turnover, not even any clicking to suggest that the battery is going. Any ideas? I feel like it is due to the cold weather, though I would greatly appreciate opinions and suggestions.

 

Could be lots of things that are in the starting circuit:
1 - Weak battery (test and/or replace)
2 - poor battery cable connections (detach/clean/re-attach)
3 - faulty clutch switch ( test for continuity)
4 - faulty starting relay (replace)
5 - faulty starting switch (on the end of the ignition cylinder)
6 - blown ignition fuse (in the cab)

2 and 6 are the easiest things to check, so start there.

 

Then try #3 and #5

 

Id say start by getting your battery charged/tested at a reputable auto parts store, and keep giving us feedback for more suggestions!! I for one do this for a living and don't mind offering more after hours to fellow taco enthusiasts. Just don't burn me out is all i ask.

 

Alright, so far I've checked the ignition fuse, which looks to be in good shape. I'll have to wait until its light again to start any of the other solutions. About the battery - I don't feel like pop starting my truck to drive it to a store or shop just for me to pop start it again to leave, if she will start by that method (haven't tried it yet since I had to get to work). I appreciate the posts so far, and will keep updating with progress!

 

since no clicking could it be a bad connection on the starter or a faulty starter?

 

This is what it sounds like to me. It sounds just like the bad starter on my buddy's car. All electronics were working without issue but nothing at all when the key was turned over.

 

I would agree with checking the starter. It sounds exactly like a faulty starter to me. Welcome to tacomaworld. It's quite entertaining at times and has a lot of knowledge to share. I bought my truck and the PO also just beat the piss out of it and I've spent a lot of money getting it where I want it. I'm glad they hold their value is all I can say.

 

Get a hammer and tap/smack the starter a few times, otn enough to leave marks or damage it. Then try to start it. If it does try replacing the starter solenoid. I got a kit on Amazon for 12$. Most if not all shops will only sell you a new or remand starter.

 

do NOT do this. hitting the starter with a hammer damages the magnets internally and if the starter is not the problem you will damage it for no reason. ive had plenty of customers coming in trying to to warranty their starters only to be denied because they smacked the shit out of them this way.

if you want to test the starter, get under there and cross the terminals. jump a wire from the large top terminal to the connector in the plastic housing next to it. this will manually engage the start. make sure the key is in the "on" position so the truck may start normally. you can even put 2 separate wires, 1 on each terminal, however long you want, so you may start it remotely. or you can go buy a

 

and im sorry I didn't mention this earlier, check your clutch start switch!!!!!! its located right behind the clutch around where it pivots. All you have to do is remove the connector and jump the wires with a paperclip or similar. this is a very common and forgotten issue. another option is, do you have a "clutch start cancellation" switch? if you do, engage it and try to start the truck. that will bypass the safety switch and hopefully turn it on.

 

My 2000 Tacoma the clutch has to be pushed all the way down to the floor to work...My wife got stranded because she didnt know about the clutch start cancel and that you had to really mash on the clutch pedal to start it. She said the same thing lights came on but no clicks nothing...I got in started it up and she waslol. also I know this should be common sense but make sure you take it out of gear before you use the clutch start cancel button...

 

So, after a while of head scratching and troubleshooting my father helped tow my unresponsive Taco over to the local shop to test the battery. The reading suggested it was a little low, but not to the point of causing these issues - so scratch the battery! We put in a new battery for good measure and then moved forward. I mentioned that I had asked for opinions here and told the tech what other options were suggested. We fiddled around trying the ignition and listening, checking the cab and engine bay fuse boxes, giving the starter a smack or two but still, nothing. The tech went and snagged a mechanic who started scratching his head over this problem and went through all the motions we had before. At this point, the tech attempted to start my truck and happened to press the Clutch Cancel Start button (mentioned earlier in others posts) and "VROOM!" I wanted to smack the tech because he did not ask my permission before attempting this, nor did he have the slightest idea what the button did. Though I felt really dumb that I didn't try this, I was really happy that the problem dropped in price tag once he did this. He thought that I could survive with just pressing this button every time I wanted to start my truck. I mentioned to the mechanic that I had read the manual about how this was a button to be used only in sticky situations and that this was not an option for me. From here, he ducked his head into the drivers foot space and started checking and wiggling things. Turns out that the Clutch switch? was bent ever so slightly and with it bent back into place, it started without need of mashing that button. My truck has to have the clutch pressed FIRMLY down in order to shift and start, and in my attempts, I have apparently bent this little, crucial thing.

I wanted to thank all of you for your time with suggesting solutions and providing support! Your assistance was invaluable and helped narrow down the time I spent stranded at home scratching my head. I now have a repair manual which would have helped from the beginning (Amazon was slow and work was calling).
Again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!

 

Also.... I am afraid to ask... but since this summer, my clutch pedal has a creaky, cracking noise and has become immeasurably stiffer, which was probably the root of this issue. In your opinion, does this mean I need a new clutch?

 

could just be a master/slave cylinder

 

I highly doubt it's the clutch. if it goes bad, it becomes to easy to press. plus youll hear a lot of clankity clanking.

could just be pin the clutch pivots on. get some dry graphite lube and spray a couple shots onto/into that area. keep in mind, its messy. its as though you're spraying pure pencil graphite, and it sticks! also, the pedal is known to squeak. it's from the spring. you could do the spring mod to fix that.

in fact. look at the spring. it may be tweaked, making you press harder. heres a link

and yes, check your master/slave cylinders. they may be old and rusted internally, causing everything.