Won't start

So after some trail riding and a couple mudholes yesterday I took her to the car wash to get all the mud washed off. Everything had been working fine the whole rest of the day. Go to leave this morning and all I get is a hard click from the starter. I have made sure it is not the battery. It is resting at 12.8. It sounds like the solenoid is clicking but the motor itself is not spinning. Are these starters that sensitive to getting wet? Has anyone had luck rebuilding them?

 

You pressure washed under the hood?

 

Check electrical connections first. But you provide no info on vehicle/battery age/type.

 

I sure did. I also went through some quite large and deep puddles. But I had also turned the truck of and restarted it at least a dozen times since getting wet. Only after it sat overnight did it stop working

 

Oh no.

Last time i washed my engine bay very carefully, my starter shorted out next day. But yeah, pressure washing is not a good idea.

 

Yeah a splash is nothing like a pressure wash. It could be almost anything. You could have cracked some plastic and water seeped in or just got something wet that needs to thoroughly dry. Pressure wash under the hood is a big no in the detail world nowadays.

 

Never pressure wash under the hood. Ever.
Easy running water and a soft long bristle brush does the trick.
If you tell me "I've done it before with no problems" then I will tell you you've been extremely lucky.
Pressure washing shoots water where water won't normally go.
Which is why I always go around mud and if I have to go through water, I go slow.

 

Stick or auto? If it’s a stick try to push start. Starter may be hung up. You can try the same with an auto but the speed must be quite a bit higher.

I don’t know about Toyotas but many older cars had a hole that allowed you to get a very large screwdriver and move the flywheel. It might only take a small amount of rotation to break things loose.

 

Yeah, thats why i try to avoid mud at all costs. Its crazy how much work is needed to clean everything off properly. Also getting stuck in mud is not fun at all.

 

Note a blow dryer of carefully used heat gun can speed up drying out wet parts.

If you don’t have enough patience to go slowly DO NOT use a heat gun. Put the truck in the sun and open the hood.
Once you get it started drive it until everything has heated up then drive more before shutting it down.

 

Thats how i always done it, with trickling water and brush. I tried to cover all my electronic parts as well. And every single time, i had small isues after. So never again i will be touching my engine, especially on my taco.

 

Need to test the battery under load...give the starter a couple lite taps with a hammer

 

Is the battery the one that came with the truck when you purchased it? Although the voltage shows at 12.8 volts, the battery could be bad.

Hook up jumper cables to your battery and have someone try to jump start your truck. When you hook up the jumper cables from the other vehicle, let it sit for a couple minutes before you try to start your truck.

 

Once you've 100% eliminated the battery.

It's very possible it's the starter, and no there's no reasonable way to rebuild them, but you could try to disassemble and clean it.

It's a bear to get out, all through the drivers front fender well.

You have to remove the manifold then you can get at the starter.

I would remove it, clean it, bench test it.

 

WD 40

 

Hammer starter while someone cranks.

 

OP......
Any update? Did you get your truck started?