CLICK-CLICK-CLICK when turning ignition

INTRO: i had to rewire one of my knock sensors. i first followed the book, which told me that cylinder heads must be taken off for that, which should be preceded by setting the 1st cylinder in TDC. so i removed the spark plug and set a long rod inside to measure and turned the crankshaft.

subsequently, i posted questions on this forum and was told that i may be able to reach the sensor without removing the cylinder heads, just by lifting the lower intake manifold and trying to reach under the exhaust pipes. that worked.

then i put the intake manifold and air intake back and went to start the engine. the engine would not start, only making really bad, almost visible reverberations as though the starter was spinning but there was a lock somewhere in the transfer of motion, resulting in reverberation. really bad.

i tried twice, same result. finally, i realized that i had forgotten to put the spark plug back in. so i lifted the air intake again to put the spark plug back in.

this time the engine started fine, however, after about a minute, it started smoking from the bottom of the engine, left (driver's) side. turned the truck off and then back on, same thing after awhile. this time, i realized i had forgotten to reconnect what i think is the coolant hose on the driver's side of the upper intake manifold, the hose that points upwards into a plug pointing downwards (there are lots of plugs/hoses in that area). so i did and the truck started fine, without smoking anymore.

i also replaced the oil/filter as well as refilled the radiator with tap water (was gonna do the coolant later).

that was all last night and, after the two failures to start with the forgotten spark plug and two smoky failure due to the disconnected coolant hose, i turned the truck on twice last night and left it running for 5-10 min both times.

today, i was able to start the truck once and left it running again a few min. i did not drive it. the 2nd time i tried to turn it on, it wouldn't start. i just got CLICK-CLICK-CLICK upon trying to ignite. it sounded like the starter was dead.

my first thing that came to my mind is that i may have fried the starter last night when i tried to start the truck twice without the #1 spark plug and getting really bad reverberations. but went to check the fuse anyway cause maybe the only the fuse got fried. the fuse was not the problem, i switched it for the horn fuse and it worked when placed in the horn slot. the horn fuse in the started slot did not make any difference in the ignition behavior.

next thing i though the battery may be worn out by not having driven the truck a few days. i measured it with a multimeter (set to DC-15) and it measured 12.5V. then i got my neighbor to try to give me a jump and the jump did not do anything either. the CLICK-CLICK-CLICK remained, the kind of CLICK-CLICK-CLICK when the ignition isn't even getting to the starter but it's only coming from the electrical assembly.

is my started dead or could it be something else? maybe the ignition coil?

it is a 2007 V6 4L 4WD Tacoma

thanks in advance

 

I had that problem before in a car and it was the solenoid. I could start the car by shorting the solenoid terminals with a screwdriver, but I'm not recommending you do this

 

do you think i will have to replace the solenoid?

 

First go back and retrace your steps and check every single thing you did. It's almost always the last thing someone messed with.

Does the click sound like it's coming from the starter? Or could it be from the relay box under the hood? If you hold the key to start does it click rapidly or just click one time?

I am thinking loose or corroded battery terminals, loose heavy gauge cable at the starter, loose engine grounds or possibly you disconnected a wiring harness to the starter solenoid.

 

Really doubt this is a parts failure. I think it's a loose connection somewhere. Sounds like you dug into this truck pretty deep.

 

it is most certainly not coming from the starter. more likely from the relay box (is this the same thing as fuse box?). sounds entirely electric and NOT mechanical. clicks rapidly many times, like 5-10 times a second, the speedometer needle jumps rapidly to about 30 mph and then back down.

the thing is, the truck started several times WITHOUT ANY CHANGES BEFORE this ignition failure.

thanks y'all for your assistance.

 

Hmmmm. A relay can chatter if it's getting insufficient volts to the coil (internal part of the relay) If it's coming from the big fuse box under the hood (what I meant when I said relay box), then that's where the starter relay is located I believe. The speedo needle behavior is flat out weird and has me stumped. I agree sounds like a purely electrical issue.


I would seriously check those battery terminals again and clean them with sandpaper or a terminal cleaner. Or at least get a volt meter and put the probes on the battery terminal clamps (not on the battery posts) and see if you have 12V when trying to crank the truck.

My brother once drove home from work with no problems, parked, went inside, came out 15 mins later and his truck was DEAD. Nothing at all. Turned out to be dirty battery terminals. Cleaned them, problem went away and the truck ran for another year before he sold it with no issues.

While you are in the fuse box under the hood you should check all the fuses. Particularly the big ones.

 

PROBLEM SOLVED !! i did not tighten the ground battery terminal ... i just left it loose to be able to easily take it on and off. tightened the nut and my baby now starts

 

Good simple free fix

 

Took more time to type all the post than to actually fix the problem haha

 

definitely !! dude, i think i can be a technical writer after this post

 

It's almost always the last thing someone messed with.

 

Well, i got to read it, but didnt get to help this time, glad you got it fixed. Now put all tools down and leave the truck alone!