1997 Camry LE startup issues - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

surati · 10-21-2008, 11:43 AM

Hi All,

I am having problems starting up my camry since last few days as mornings are little cold. I turn ON the keys and nothing happens, I keep trying and at 3 or 4th attempt it cranks a little and further trying starts the car.

I took the car to AutoZone last night and they said the battery is bad (around 6 years old battery), they did the battery test which showed bad battery on the screen, so I have them install a new one and still the problem exists.

The cables that connect to battery terminals had too much corrosion so the guy cleaned the cable before he installed the new battery.

I read few posts on similar issues but not sure what is the real cause?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Kep · 10-21-2008, 08:48 PM

Did AZ check the alternator also? If they did and the alternator is OK then next up is corroded connections in addition to the terminal to post connection.

Did the new battery work at first and then fail or was it no good from installation?

When you say nothing happens is there any click or clicking? Any noise at all?

Kep

surati · 10-24-2008, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kep

Did AZ check the alternator also? If they did and the alternator is OK then next up is corroded connections in addition to the terminal to post connection.

Did the new battery work at first and then fail or was it no good from installation?

When you say nothing happens is there any click or clicking? Any noise at all?

Kep

The battery worked after the installation. AZ didn't check the alternator. Something wierd happened last night. I was leaving work to go home and the car wouldn't start. Everytime I would try, I heard a click sound (this happens in the mornings as well). And suddenly the lights on the display went off, it was like there was no power. So I shook the battery terminals a little and the lights came up on the screen. Then I tried starting the car and the car started.

I am so confused that what is wrong with my car? The battery is new so battery is not a problem. But could it be the cables that connect to the battery terminals? Could it be the starter solenoid? This morning also I had to try for 5 mins to start the car. It happens only when engine is cold.

The cables that connect to battery terminals were not cleaned properly by AZ, should I get it replaced to ruleout that problem? How to check the starter solenoid?

Any advice is highly appreciated. Thanks a lot for replying.

Mike Gerber · 10-24-2008, 01:35 PM

"But could it be the cables that connect to the battery terminals? Could it be the starter solenoid?"

Yes and yes. It could be either, but do the simple stuff first, especially since you mentioned you lost all battery power one time by this statement: "And suddenly the lights on the display went off, it was like there was no power. So I shook the battery terminals a little and the lights came up on the screen." To rule out the battery cable connections at the battery you should remove them and clean them. You can do this easily yourself. Most auto parts stores sell a simple tool to clean both the cable ends and the battery posts for a few dollars. It's like having both a round shaped external wire brush (for the cable ends) and an internal wire brush (for the battery posts). Buy this tool and remove the battery cables and clean both yourself until they are shinny clean. You just rotate the tool around the battery posts and inside the battery terminal ends. Your battery shouldn't be too bad since it is brand new, but clean it anyway just to be certain. You will need a 10MM wrench to loosen and remove the battery cables from the battery. Just remember to remove the negative cable first and replace it last; this is just a precaution in case your wrench grounds to any metal while your are removing or installing the cables.

To check for the worn starter solenoid contacts problem, the next time the car won't crank get someone to help you. That person should hold the key in the start position while you go under the hood. Locate the starter. The solenoid is the smaller cylinder shaped part on top of the starter. Get a hammer or a wrench and tap the solenoid. Give it a good tap, but son't try to break it. If the starter now cranks the engine, you have identified the worn starter solenoid contacts problem.

Mike

Creeps228 · 10-24-2008, 01:58 PM

Make sure that your terminals are tight on the battery terminals and free of corrosion( correct me if it mispelled ). Then to make sure your getting battery voltage to the starter solenoid. get a voltmeter, adn connect the negative side of the voltmeter to the positive battery terminal, adn the the positive probe of the voltmeter to the positive side of the starter solenoid. ( It should be the cable from the positive side of the battery to the starter solenoid ) measure your, if its completely different from your battery voltage, then somethign is up with the cable, but if its not, then you wont someone to crank the engine while have the voltmeter ont the bettery and starter and write down you voltage drop, you should hear a "click" thast the solenoid engaging...then i forgot what else to do i have to refer to my notes on this.

ADD IF NEEDED ANYONE

surati · 10-27-2008, 12:51 PM

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Yesterday I changed the positive cable end and cleaned the battery posts. This morning, it clicked once and I was able to start the car at the second attempt. I will see if it clicks again in the evening... I read somewhere on this forum that if the key is worn out then it might cause this type of issue.. do you think it might be the key?

So far, the battery and the cables are ruled out. May be it is the starter solenoid thats causing the problem..

If the starter solenoid is bad then how much will it cost me to replace it? Any suggestions/advice is welcome.

Thanks!

Creeps228 · 10-27-2008, 02:21 PM

a worn key doesnt have anything to do with the cars electrical system. If its clicking that means that teh solenoid is being energized and functioning, but it may not be kicking out the motor to spin the flywheel

***ASG14*** · 10-27-2008, 03:41 PM

^ Yup, exactly as Creeps said. And he knows, he had the problem, lol.

If it is the starter, get a rebuilt one.

Mike Gerber · 10-27-2008, 04:11 PM

"Yesterday I changed the positive cable end and cleaned the battery posts. This morning, it clicked once and I was able to start the car at the second attempt. I will see if it clicks again in the evening... "

This was a good start to finding the source of the problem.

Have you tried this test yet?:

"To check for the worn starter solenoid contacts problem, the next time the car won't crank get someone to help you. That person should hold the key in the start position while you go under the hood. Locate the starter. The solenoid is the smaller cylinder shaped part on top of the starter. Get a hammer or a wrench and tap the solenoid. Give it a good tap, but don't try to break it. If the starter now cranks the engine, you have identified the worn starter solenoid contacts problem."

That click you are hearing is the starter relay sending current to the starter's solenoid. The solenoid's contacts are probably not allowing the current to go through to the main portion of the starter to allow the starter to crank (turn over) the engine.

Mike

surati · 10-31-2008, 01:32 PM

LATEST UPDATE:

The car DOESN'T start at all. Since last two days I've tried jump starting the car, tried tapping the starter solenoid but the car won't start. Now I have to tow it to a repair shop in order to atleast start the car. I am so tired of this problem. All I hear is one click when the key is turned to start position.

Any suggestions/advice?

Thanks!

jtex2717 · 10-31-2008, 02:22 PM

Its your alternator. What happens is your battery terminals were prob so badly corroded that they didnt allow current back through your old battery. So in turn your alternator strains and your battery dies because there is no charge. Then what do you do. Replace your battery right. Of course bcuz its bad. Not really thinking that your alt is bad. Then what happens? new battery......runs well.......not until.........dead car.......dead battery again......WTF.....well my friend you have a bad alt. Hopefully you put a warrenty on your battery so you can get a new one.(GOOD NEWS). Bad News- need an alternator......cost? around 2 to 300 for parts and the labor is all depending on who you go to...........I believe this is your problem........Hope this helps. Your solenoid should be fine. But just to make sure check that as well.

surati · 10-31-2008, 02:35 PM

thanks for the reply. I do have warranty on the battery. If the battery had no power then jump starting the car would have helped, but thats not the case... I will still get the alternator and starter solenoid checked....

Thanks again.

jtex2717 · 10-31-2008, 02:57 PM

yeah in this case jump starting wouldnt do anything because the battery is shot it cant hold a charge anymore

Kep · 11-01-2008, 12:25 AM

Too many options floating around that need to be eliminated rather than just guessing.

I think you can eliminate a worn ignition switch ("key") because when you turn the key you got a click. That click was the starter solenoid actuating. It also exonerates the wiring from the ignition switch to the relay.

You mentioned that you replaced the positive cable and cleaned the battery posts. OK, I am guessing that you thoroughly cleaned both sides of each connection at the terminal and also the post on the starter. If so, and if the connections are nice and tight (can't wiggle them with your fingers),then you have exonerated the positive cable. Have you cleaned the negative cable ends as well?

jtex2717's points are possible as well. A weak battery can result in the one click scenario. If you replaced it with a new battery and it worked well initially and then got worse then his comment about the alternator is well taken. When you try to jump start a completely dead battery it often won't work until it is charged up enough and that can take a long time (or maybe never if a cell or two has been damaged). Since you can't drive the car to the parts store, one more test would be to remove both cables from the suspect battery and jump from the donor car directly to the pos and neg cables. (Being very careful not to allow the positive clamp and cable to touch anything. A rag would help.) You can do significant damage to the car by disconnecting the cables before you turn the car off. Turn the car off before disconnecting the cables in this setup. This takes the battery completely out of the equation. If it does start then your battery was bad (or maybe drained) or your alternator is failing (thus allowing the battery to drain). Again, the best way to determine this is a free check at a car parts store but since you've waited until it won't start at all you may not have this option. If you have another vehicle that you could swap batteries with it would also give you some excellent information.

I can't think of a direct method to check the alternator at home. An indirect test would be if the car started with a good battery and then, after time (several hours of operation or a lot of starts), the battery drained to a point that the car wouldn't start. Then charge the battery back up and if the car starts up again, the alternator is suspect. A battery charger (at 2 amps) should charge a good battery back up over night.

Single clicks are often a sign of a bad starter relay (the contacts wear out). Use Mike Gerber's test to check this possibility. This happens a lot to our Camrys.

Good luck. You can do a lot yourself or a mechanic will figure it out for you.

Kep