Kevin Banes
Member
2011 Tacoma
It wouldn't start about a week ago. I had left the key on (with lights on) for a couple of hours. I had a jumpstarter with me, but it would not jump off. I flagged a guy down in a new GMC truck to jump me off, but I couldn't even get the starter to turn over. On inspection, I noted that there was quite a lot of corrosion on the battery terminals. I called my wife to come get me.
While I was waiting, I got a Coca-Cola and poured in on the battery terminals. I took off most of the corrosion. On a whim, I put the jumpstarter on the battery and it started right up. I drove home, and when I got there, I stopped and started the engine several times.
It has operated normally until today. I went to start it this morning at around 10:00, after going to work at 8:00. It would not start. I noted a SLIGHT amount of corrosion on the terminal. I put the jumpstarter on the battery, and it would do nothing. Starter would not turn over.
Yes, I went and got a coke, and poured it over the terminals. I went to start it WITHOUT putting the jumpstarter on. The starter turned over, and after grumbling a little, the engine started. I drove home. When I got there, I tried to restart, and I got nothing. The starter does not turn over at all.
On the drive home, I noticed that at various times, I would hear a clicking noise, quite like what you hear when the turn signal is on. In addition, certain lights in the truck were dimming in cadence with the turn signal sound. (Stereo, clock, dash lights, AC dials, odometer light. Gauges, AC, everything else was normal.) As I look under the hood, I can hear the same clicking noise, and it sounds like it might be coming from the fuse panel. I feel each relay, and I can't feel anything than makes it seem that one is cycling. It sounds like the clicking is coming from beneath the fuse box. I also noted that the running lights a blinking at the same frequency as the the clicking under the fuse box. But I also notice that the clicking in the cab is at a different frequency than the clicking under the hood.
At this point I'm pretty sure that the battery is dead.
When my wife gets home, I take the battery to autoshack. They test it and it says that the battery is good, and 100% charged. I take it home, put it back in. I try to start it, and it does nothing. Starter does not turn over. I'm still getting the clicking and the dimming lights. I put the jumpstarter on it, and it does nothing. Starter does not turn over.
I'm tempted to go pour a coke over the battery terminals, but I don't have a coke.
I am open to the possibility that the autoshack guy tested the battery, but didn't load test it.
The coke part is really throwing me.
Editied for solution
OK, it seems like the new battery did fix my original problem.
Most all of the other issues that I saw, lights dimming in a slow frequency, along with a clicking sound that mimics the turn signal, and along with a slower clicking from underneath the hood, all appears to be from the security system in the car. The dimming of lights is what normally happens when the security system detects an intrusion. This was apparently kicked off when the battery failed/was changed.
You might be asking why i didn't realize it was the security system that had locked out the starting system. I certainly should have been able to hear the horn going off. (That was the horn relay clicking on and off under the hood.
I didn't hear the horn, because the horn is not working. (Different problem to be solved later.)
It was while cruising the internet in search of an answer, that I saw a mention of the security system, and how it can lock out the starting system. On a whim, I went out, hit the reset button for the security system, and the truck started up just fine.
Still don't know if the Coca-Cola part was a coincidence.
I would like to update the thread title to show that it was solved. If anyone knows how to do that, I would appreciate a word.
It wouldn't start about a week ago. I had left the key on (with lights on) for a couple of hours. I had a jumpstarter with me, but it would not jump off. I flagged a guy down in a new GMC truck to jump me off, but I couldn't even get the starter to turn over. On inspection, I noted that there was quite a lot of corrosion on the battery terminals. I called my wife to come get me.
While I was waiting, I got a Coca-Cola and poured in on the battery terminals. I took off most of the corrosion. On a whim, I put the jumpstarter on the battery and it started right up. I drove home, and when I got there, I stopped and started the engine several times.
It has operated normally until today. I went to start it this morning at around 10:00, after going to work at 8:00. It would not start. I noted a SLIGHT amount of corrosion on the terminal. I put the jumpstarter on the battery, and it would do nothing. Starter would not turn over.
Yes, I went and got a coke, and poured it over the terminals. I went to start it WITHOUT putting the jumpstarter on. The starter turned over, and after grumbling a little, the engine started. I drove home. When I got there, I tried to restart, and I got nothing. The starter does not turn over at all.
On the drive home, I noticed that at various times, I would hear a clicking noise, quite like what you hear when the turn signal is on. In addition, certain lights in the truck were dimming in cadence with the turn signal sound. (Stereo, clock, dash lights, AC dials, odometer light. Gauges, AC, everything else was normal.) As I look under the hood, I can hear the same clicking noise, and it sounds like it might be coming from the fuse panel. I feel each relay, and I can't feel anything than makes it seem that one is cycling. It sounds like the clicking is coming from beneath the fuse box. I also noted that the running lights a blinking at the same frequency as the the clicking under the fuse box. But I also notice that the clicking in the cab is at a different frequency than the clicking under the hood.
At this point I'm pretty sure that the battery is dead.
When my wife gets home, I take the battery to autoshack. They test it and it says that the battery is good, and 100% charged. I take it home, put it back in. I try to start it, and it does nothing. Starter does not turn over. I'm still getting the clicking and the dimming lights. I put the jumpstarter on it, and it does nothing. Starter does not turn over.
I'm tempted to go pour a coke over the battery terminals, but I don't have a coke.
I am open to the possibility that the autoshack guy tested the battery, but didn't load test it.
The coke part is really throwing me.
Editied for solution
OK, it seems like the new battery did fix my original problem.
Most all of the other issues that I saw, lights dimming in a slow frequency, along with a clicking sound that mimics the turn signal, and along with a slower clicking from underneath the hood, all appears to be from the security system in the car. The dimming of lights is what normally happens when the security system detects an intrusion. This was apparently kicked off when the battery failed/was changed.
You might be asking why i didn't realize it was the security system that had locked out the starting system. I certainly should have been able to hear the horn going off. (That was the horn relay clicking on and off under the hood.
I didn't hear the horn, because the horn is not working. (Different problem to be solved later.)
It was while cruising the internet in search of an answer, that I saw a mention of the security system, and how it can lock out the starting system. On a whim, I went out, hit the reset button for the security system, and the truck started up just fine.
Still don't know if the Coca-Cola part was a coincidence.
I would like to update the thread title to show that it was solved. If anyone knows how to do that, I would appreciate a word.
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