2014 Tacoma Not Starting - No Cranking or anything

Hey All! I'm a Tacoma World Newbie - you can see my intro thread here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tacoma-world-newbie.528806/

Was about to head up to RMNP today to do some hiking, went to the gas station on the way to fill up, got back in the truck and NOTHING. No cranking, no clicking or anything. Let me describe as best as possible:

Truck just rolled over 91,000 miles. Had the front pads and rotors replaced yesterday. Wife went and ran some errands this morning with the truck and stopped to wash it at the car wash.

After she got back we loaded up to head to RMNP to hit some hiking trails. Stopped at the gas station to fill up. Got back in the truck, turned the key and nothing! Dash lights did come on but very faint.

After trying to figure out what to do a guy in a Jeep pulled up next to me and I asked him if he could give me a jump. He pulled over and popped his hood. I was a little worried because he started looking at his fuse box and seemed confused, but then we got the cables hooked up. Tried starting the truck and the horn started going off. I'm in a gas station, everyone is staring at us, panicked a little and figured the best thing to do was get all the cables off. Went to his Jeep first and pulled them (It was a rush, but I think the cables might of been crossed on his side) then pulled them off the Tacoma.

Guy seemed worried so I let him go on. Another friend stopped by to try and jump again. No luck trying to jump it several times.

So I decided to look at fuses and this is what I found:

ALT 140amp Fuse appears to be blown (I do not know if this happened with the bad jump from the Jeep - It almost looks like it is making connection but I am 99.9% sure there is a small break in the connector)
Radio Fuse 20a blown
ETCS 10a Fuse blown (Replaced this with a spare I had)
Couldn't find any other fuses that were blown - wasn't able to check relays

After walking home to get my tools and looking at everything I could think of and Googled I decided to just get it towed back to my place.

The tow truck driver looked at a bunch of stuff as well and couldn't figure it out. He did put one of those portable power packs on it and we could see the truck getting much more power. Dash lights were a lot more bright and the dome light worked.

He put a volt meter on the battery and it read 12.25volts.

If I turn the key to the on position the dash lights come on. If I try to start it no cranking or clicking or anything. I can feel the break system power on the break pedal. The lights on the dash start to flicker a little too.

When hooking it up for towing we noticed the break lights are not working. The tow truck driver thought this is why we couldn't put it in neutral either because that system is probably connected.

Conclusion:

I obviously need the ALT 140 amp fuse, but don't know if this is the actual issue as it could've happened after the first jump where I think the wires were crossed. Also does anyone have a good write up on replacing this fuse? I found that it is a serious PITA, but couldn't find a thread on it actually being done without destroying the fuse panel.

Could this just be a battery that shit the bed out of nowhere? It is the original battery and has never been replaced.

Would love any and all feedback. This is my only vehicle and I'm picking up a rental tomorrow AM to run around and get this figured out.

Thank you all in advance!

 

weird........battery could be toast ....but should last more than 4 yrs..

dirty terminals ? good luck !

 

Bad battery to start with.

If that 140A alternator fuse is indeed blown, then the jeeper did cross his wires, adding to your problems.

 

Who knows with batteries? I've seen batteries crap out after 2 years or last as long as 7. Cold weather of CO probably shortens the life.

 

Do you think that fuse would cause the truck to not start though? I was under the assumption the truck would start, but the battery would not charge if that fuse was blown.

 

Do Not let Jeepers jump your Taco !!!!!!!!!

 

Lesson has been learned!

 

Terminals do look good, not crazy dirty or anything. Going to take them off tomorrow just make sure.

 

Your battery is probably shot. It’s common for them to die quickly.

 

Tap on the starter with a hammer and try to crank it.

 

a new battery may be the most economic fix to your problem.........

get a new big badd azz one........

 

Before you buy a new have battery have a load test done on it that will tell you if it is good or not.

 

Good idea - should of mentioned the tow truck driver and I did this. No joy!

Will do!

 

alt fuse would not be the cause of no start. it would most likely be battery but it should still crank with 12.25 v. do the lights still go dim when you try to crank?

 

So I just went out to see what it does.

Turn the key to On and all the dash lights come on - looks normal for the most part.

When I try to start nothing happens engine wise. No noise at all except for the dash lights. They all start blinking and not in any order. The check engine light also flashes when trying to start but goes away when in just the on position.

To clarify even the lights that light up the speedo and gauges are flashing. Its not just warning and systems lights. All the dash lights go in and out almost with the same sequence you would expect it to crank at.

 

If your battery has bad cell it can give a voltage reading and still be to weak to turn over.

 

sounds like maybe water damage. try to take the cables off the battery and let the system drain itself for couple hours. maybe look around the wiring for any signs of water.

 

This.

Unless you are measuring 12.25V WHILE trying to crank, that number is meaningless. Best to have the battery tested, and go from there.

 

X2


The old school test is to turn the headlights on, then turn the key to start. Headlights go out=weak battery. Headlights stay on and nothing else happens, other issues.

 

A couple months ago somebody posted that AAA jumped his taco with a jump box and crossed the leads, took out his ECU, along with a couple fuses. Hope this isn't your lot. I would put a known good battery in it and start testing from there. First test is to put a volt meter on the battery and have some one turn the key while you watch the meter.