Thanks for completing this thread, very helpful when it is finally diagnosed properly!

 

It's always the basics that are overlooked.

 

Thank you all for the advice / help. Found the culprit. It was a bad connection from the positive battery cable. It was all corroded by the terminal connection. Previously my son changed the terminal post and I never bothered to check the wires connected to it. I assumed he cleaned up all that area thoroughly. After inspecting it and cleaning the wires of all the corrosion, the Runner started right up with one turn of the key.
thanks....

 

OK, so you have starter that tests out OK on stand at parts store. yet, it won't turn on vehicle. leaves me with only one idea - bad negative. Actually, does not have to be bad on starter. Check ENGINE negative. As starter is most likely engine negative.

 

Ok, will do. Thanks

 

Thought so. But that's done with rocker switch, not by sparking gap. Every time gap is breached by electricity, it is high voltage discharge.

 

Watched your video. What exactly is that you are trying to do? You realize you'll fry something by doing this? Every time you do so, you have high voltage gap discharge. Like a lightening.

 

That was a jumper wire I conected directly to the bottom of the starter. I was trying to bypass starting it by the ignition switch / key....

 

Make sure ground on starter is solid. Also, make sure all contacts and cables to it are solid and not rusted.
try jumping starter on the vehicle.
If it turns, then it is OK.
Test voltage supplied to starter.
Unfortunately, then you have to investigate the entire path from battery to starter.
If your vehicle has main relay, you may want to start there.
Ignition lock is next suspect.
Corroded battery terminals, loose cable connections, are to be checked. Unfortunately, Toyota likes those modular plates for cable terminals, so sometimes the battery clamp is Ok but where you have cable connected to the plate, between terminal and plate it gets corroded and is not plain view.
You starter does not get enough power to turn, so something is preventing it from getting there. Gap, corrosion. Bad negative.

 

Update..

I replaced the contacts and that didn't solve my clicking issue.

1) Had the starter tested after the rebuild at Oreillys and the person said it passed twice

2) Tested starter relay by using one from a working vehicle but that didn't help.

3) used a different battery from another working vehicle and that didn't help.

Could it be my starter ignition switch? Thanks.