Thunder

drive a 97 toyota 4Runner

it hasn't died yet...but it takes a while to start up. i used to turn the key and in less than a second ignition/starter...all that worked and i'd be sitting there with the engine on. now...it takes a couple seconds to start...it sits there and turns a couple times before it needs to start. This has only started to happen in the last couple days...today being the worst.

question #1) Is my battery slowly going bad?

question #2) Could something be slowly draining the batter?

stock sound, no funky light stuff..the car is stock...

question #3) A couple weeks ago...my car alarm went crazy...it wouldn't shut the lights of the car off...so the battery got drained. We jumped it..and took it to the dealer...they said the alarm is causing the problem...and the only way to fix it is to pull the alarm. They pulled it. Is it possible that they pulled it incorrectly...and something is still drawing power? That's the only 'electrical' thing that's been done on the car in some time...

any ideas???

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Nanotech9

one a battery is completely drained, it wont last very long. You'll probably need a new battery before the winter.

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CynJon

If you want to test if your system is still drawing power when everything is off, and you have access to a multi-meter, then disconnect the negative terminal of the battery and measure the current flow between the (-) terminal and the battery lug. If it's more than just a few milliamps, then something is drawing power when it shouldn't. Make sure you are not causing something to draw power, like interior lights or an underhood light (remove the bulb if it comes on automatically when the hood is opened).

If there is no significant current draw, make sure that all your connections are good and tight and not corroded. If the battery is the original one that came in the vehicle, it may just be time to replace it. Five years is a reasonable life span for a battery, especially one from a particularly hot or cold climate. Extreme heat and cold will kill a battery far faster than completely discharging it a few times. Good luck!

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Thunder

thanks...i'll check the connectors...

and yes...i think its the original battery... maybe its just time to change

Ladogaboy

The battery is probably the cheapest route to start looking for a problem, and you might not even have to replace the battery to fix it. Depending on the battery type, you might be able to add water to reactivate it. Only add distilled water though. Then it will just take one good charge before you will be back up and running.

There are other things that could be wrong, but they would cost a lot more to fix. So you might as well just spend the $0.50 for a bottle of distilled water and see if that works.

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johnnymk

Dying batteries generally don't give those symptoms. A dying battery will make the starter go slower and slower with time.
To make sure that you do or don't have a short(drain), disconnect the positive lead of the battery then lightly touch the terminal with the battery lug. There should be no spark. However, make sure that all of your doors are closed and that the hood light, if there is one, is disabled. This will ensure that nothing is ON while you are performing this test.

shoeish

My vote is that it is a clogged fuel filter, injector, or failing fuel pump. Change your fuel filter out to start (always good maint. anyway).

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psycho-

Toyota starters die pretty fast, for some reason. My friend's 96 LS 400 is already exhibiting problems

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Victor

Ladogaboy

The thing is, you can hear a starter when it is going out. This just sounds like the electrical system isn't getting enough power.

But shoeish is right, a full tune-up is never a bad idea.

Blu

I'm surprised that no one mentioned spark. If one or a few of the plugs are bad, it might take a while to get going. I'd do the shoeish route too. The best idea would be to take it somewhere where they have a diag machine to tell you exactly what is happening in the process, and what part/s are out of spec.

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Thunder

update:

took it to the toyota dealer down the street from my work...yes...i know taking it to the dealer is an invitation to get ripped off...under the circumstances, that was the best i could do.

they did a diagnostic (at least i hope they did) and said it was a bad battery...i had the battery changed 100 bucks for the battery and 40 bucks labor...its working fine for now..

thanks everyone for your responses...they were extremely helpful...