Loss of power when attempting to start 2005 Tundra

Good morning,
I am the original owner of a 2005 Tundra SR5 Double Cab. 227K miles. My son uses it as his daily driver now. Been super reliable, but we have a new problem...

When the key is inserted, and we I switch to on, everything is normal, lights are normal, battery terminal voltage is 12.5VDC. When attempting to start there is a click (like the starter solenoid is pulling in), all lights go off, battery terminal voltage drops to 10.0VDC. Release the key, and it remains like that for about a minute, then voltage returns to 12.5VDC. Tried jumping it

Initial thoughts are starter, but I'd like to know if somebody else has seen similar. It is parked in the mud next to his apartment, and I'm trying to limit my time spent in the mud.....

Thanks in advance

Randy

 

IT IS 100% NOT THE STARTER! Kills me how many people go to that place first. You DO NOT want the pain of replacing the starter, and if you did replace it, you DO NOT want to use store brand parts. Believe me when I tell you this. We've seen some shit here on the forum.

Battery is likely fucked. Remember, battery is VOLTAGE (V) and AMPERAGE (CA, CCA). Battery could have 14V DC, and still not be able to turn over if there's no amperage to deliver that voltage!

It sounds like the CA or CCA of your battery is shot and is unable to delivery the blast of power required to kick the starter over.

Other possibilities would be bad/corroded/damaged/loose terminals, and potentially corrosion inside the cables, which happens periodically on these trucks.

 

Took battery to place I bought it 6mo ago and tests good. And it does the exact same thing when jumped to my other car. I'm beginning to suspect the cables. They don't appear bad, but who knows.

 

Sometimes it's absurdly thorough: https://www.tundras.com/threads/battery-cable-corroded.151441/#post-3775582

Sometimes it's minor, just in the first few inches: https://www.tundras.com/threads/1st-gen-psa-clean-your-battery-terminals-you-lazy-sods.131635/

If you don't keep felt washers on your terminals, don't use dielectric grease, and don't clean the terminals regularly, you're a sitting duck.

That 2nd link, it should be pretty obvious if anything has gotten into the wire casing and started traveling up the wire.

Couple other thoughts...

• If one of your terminals are broken, and you clamp jumper cables to a broken terminal, you're liable to still get broken behavior.
• If the terminal is loose enough you can forcibly move it even a millimeter, as this happened to me recently I can tell you, the truck won't start. (I had a random no-start issue I traced back to a tight-enough-my-kid-couldn't-move-it, but I could move it, tightening fixed)
• To that point, I'd be loosening my terminals anyway and inspecting them carefully for breaks, etc. The OEM positive terminal is hollow-ish
• I'd be checking all my grounds in this case, the one from battery terminal to fender, back of engine to firewall (near where the rubber coolant lines go into the firewall), and there are one or two others
• I'd be checking for corrosion as you see in 2nd link above