68 let me down yesterday - towed home

[oldsub86]

I have had this truck almost 20 years and this is the first time I have had to tow it home. I think the starter is the culprit. I have never had it off the truck so it doesn't surprise me really. I drove it to a restaurant yesterday morning - had breakfast and then drove it to the office. Went out about a half hour later to run over to my accountant's and it wouldn't go. Click - Click but no go. Left it until 6PM. Still wouldn't go. Went back in the evening and tried to jump it - no go. Finally towed it home with the 4Runner about 9 or 10 last night. Haven't had time to look at it but probably tomorrow. Likely either the solenoid or the strarter. No big deal but surprised as it has never left me on the road before. If it was a standard tranny - I'd have rolled it a bit and got it going and driven it home. Darned automatics just don't work well in old vehicles.

[cdowns]

probablly if you had crawled under it and smacked it with a hammer you could 've gotten 1 more start out of it

[mr402]

I must agree. These babies seem to go forever. Only one time has my truck let me down. That's when it split an exhaust rocker arm up the middle. Now I check my rockers for wear about every 50k miles just in case. By the way. It now has close to 300k miles on it. I did a rebuild on the 402 about 80k miles ago.

[special-K]

For two years my`71 CustomCamper/20 needed a starter.The headers would make it hot and if it didn`t sit for too long,I`d turn the key and nothin`.Lot`s of juice,but no click.The first year,it was only in the summer.I was picking my son up from a day camp,turned the key,nothing,just the warning lights.Tryed the hammer,didn`t help.After a little while it started right up.I started popping the hood when I stopped,then started carrying water to toss on it to cool it down.People were always asking if I needed help or if it was over heating."No thanks.Just need to toss some water on the starter to cool it off."Now,I was working out of this truck everyday.It got to where it was doing it in cold weather,too.So,that spring I put another starter on.I just get a kick out of seeing how far they`ll go sometimes.

[greenhorn male]

Mine did the same thing after a 2 hour drive. It just clicked and won't jump start either. It turned out to be the positive cable. It started on it's own after bending the cable where it goes in the battery connector.

[MISTERSHOTGUN]

Wow that's pretty funny guys. Considering I had something like that happen to me as well. My sweet old baby goes through hell and back sept one day she just click click click.. wouldn't start. I scratched me head and push started the things to a shop and told the mechanic that the starter was out. He said ok... Turned the key and click click click... He then opened the hood and did something.. I wasn't watching what... He then got in the cab and the thing started right up like the sweetheart she is. I asked him what the heck he did. He said if you hear the click the first thing to check is good positive wire connection. One wiggle of the wire and that did the trick.. Talk about feeling like an idiot. I would try taking off the lead wire and cleaning it up a bit.. Should'nt take that long to try.. You never know.

[special-K]

Poor Coca-Cola on it.Or Pepsi,Root Beer...I said ROOT beer!!If you hear a buzing noise the next day,watch for yellow jackets.