sudden loss of all electrical power?!?!?!?

basically i heard a click sound as I was trying to start truck and then lost ALL power....no lights no nothing......if i try and turn on the headlights with the key out of ignition all i hear is a fast clicking sound somewhere around battery.....i removed most of the relays and it still does it......what could it be? I had just started and moved the truck less than a minute before.....

So i set out to change all the fluids in my 99 tacoma this morning. I moved my truck to inside garage then realized I needed to move again to give me more leg space when I lay down under the truck. I was not wearing my normal work boots so when I went to start it I did not have the clutch pushed all the way down like normal. so as the truck was trying to start and I tried to scoot up in the seat, the clutch moved in and out and then CLICK.....no more power...

Please help....

 

Check your battery terminals. On my old T100 I had the same thing happen, one time after I pulled out onto the highway. Lost all power completely. Thank God it was at 2am, no one was around. I replaced both terminals and cleaned up the wires, lots of corrosion can build up. Especially on an older vehicle

 

both terminals looked fairly good and tight....the power side had some corrosion and damage, so i replaced it I cleaned both post and put in all the fuses and relays back into the box. i went it put the key in and everything lit up like normal....
pushed the clutch in, and turned the key like normal....then CLICK....all power gone again...i just disconnected battery again to see if things "reset" and then will try again....could it be the starter is jammed or stuck some how?.... but i dont know why that would kill all power....

 

Could be starter jammed up. Try rocking the truck a little while in gear just in case the armature got snagged on the flywheel. Also check the ground cable to the engine block, as well as the power cable to the starter for corrosion/poor connection. You may have a discharged battery, which could cause this, so if you have a volt meter, check the voltage.

 

well things did reset....after I hooked up the battery again i tried turning on head lights with key out of ignition...1st time nothing happened but 2nd try they turned on....i put key in ignition and all lights and radio come alive like normal....This time i pushed the "clutch cancel" button on the left side of steering wheel......then turned the key....CLICK.....all power gone again......could it be the battery some how???

 

Could be the clutch pedal ignition switch, about a $40.00 part.

 

I had the exact symptoms on my 4Runner this AM. Had to replace the positive battery clamp. The original clamp was ever so slightly loose. New clamp and and all is good.

 

it definitely could be the battery, seen them before show volts but not allow amps to flow. get another battery or vehicle to try with jumper cables and see if it works, if not look under the dash at the clutch kill switch and see if you knocked it loose.

another thing to try is hook jumper cables like replacement wires from battery to ground and battery to starter solenoid side (not the starter side)

then try, this will tell you if you have bad cables, often they can corrode away from the inside and not show it

 

Sorry, but no, it wouldn't be the clutch pedal switch. The cancel switch bypasses this, and if it was the clutch pedal switch, he wouldn't get a "click" and then lose all power.

 

well....got all my fluids replaced on drive train....hooked battery back up and it wont reset....no lights no anything.....bout to swap batteries from my corolla....hope its the battery....later...

 

Alternator?

Sounds like the exact same thing that happened to me and it ended up being my alternator. Just a guess.

 

well i just swapped the batteries......i put the corolla battery into the truck and then turned on headlights....they worked and i got my hopes up......but maybe 3 seconds later before i even put key in ignition....i hear a small click right around fuse box and battery and all power is gone...... so what would kill all power from battery???? what ever it is seems to reset it self when battery is disconnected.....i put the corolla battery back in car and it started right up.....so since it did that with a good battery that i just proved works, it cant be the battery....any other thoughts?

 

well looks like its the starter.....i disconnected the power cable from the starter...but i lefet the smaller cable to the solenoid on........i hooked up the battery....my lights worked....put key in ignition and everything is normal....tried to start it and i could hear the solenoid clicking.....so i again disconnect battery....hook up power cable to the starter.....hook battery back up.....turn lights on they work....then i turn the key to start and CLICK....all power gone again.......How is the starter doing that??
not to try and get my 6'2" & 250 lb frame in there to try and get the starter out.....chiltons said i need to remove tire and wheel well...... parts store has one in stock life time warranty for 90 bucks.....not how i planned on spending my 1st saturday off.......wish me luck.....anyone seen this before? could it be anything besides the starter???

 

Sounds like the starter from your description in detail, unless it is a bad ground or loose cable somewhere. Did you verify that the main connection at the underhood fuse block was tight?

 

all the wires to the main fuse box off the battery are tight......i disconnected both wires off the alternator and it still did the same thing.....I changed the starter and it still did the same thing.....i put jumper cables on it with the other vehicle on.....still would not start....the second i turn the key, all power is lost.....not even the dome lights will work...i have to disconnect the battery and wait a few minutes before I can try again.....

Any other ideas.....its been out two weeks now.....i only have time to work on it on weekends because of work....

Thanks

 

ADG handle pull

 

what is adg handle pull?

 

Sounds like you have a dead short. The clicking you are hearing just before all goes dead is a self-resetting circuit breaker. It resets over time (as it cools). You've diagnosed the problem goes away with the starter battery cable removed...bypass that cable, run a new battery cable straight to the starter from the battery and see what happens. Better yet, remove that section of wiring harness, it's not too difficult, and see what's up inside.
Here is the link to when I replaced mine,
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...retts-average-build-thread-7.html#post8203782
something comes to mind, maybe check the 4 pin plug... mine was gone and wired straight from the PO. something to check as it's starter related.

Edit: 4 pin plug is alternator related, still wouldn't hurt to check it.

 

When I had this problem. I verified the battery voltage 12.7 at the battery post. 4.56 volts at the bolt/nut for the line to the fusebox. I replaced the clamp and cleaned all the lugs going to the fusebox. No problems since then. One other thing my dome light has been very dim for several months, since the repair it's working great.

 

It was the cable from battery to the starter.......wish I would have figured that out first.....but now my truck has brand new starter and I got a set of air tool....all for a 13 dollar cable failed......no external damage to cable.....going to cut it and see how it looks......thanks for the help....still not sure how a bad cable was killing power to entire truck.......