3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
Car was running fine till yesterday and today when i start to drive it went 200m and then just suddenly died so i towed it back to home and AAA guy told me that battery is fine since all lights etc are working but engine is not cranking so when i try to start the car it do click click click but no power.
Last week i did the tuning and replaced the spark plugs, air filter, coolant flush etc. I was planning to do timing belt and water pump since mechanic told me that water pump is making some noise but since there is no leak I can drive for sometime so I am not sure this is related or not.
I still have the original alternator and starter in the car and battery was replaced 2 years ago and I have 182k miles on the car.
the clicking if from your battery not having enough juice to crank the motor. your lights will still work just fine because they dont use much power. since the car died while driving and there isnt enough power to re-start the car, i would point my blame at the alternator. check the connections to make sure something didnt jiggle loose. you can try to jump start the car. if it dies again after a little bit of time and the car only clicks when starting, the alternator isnt doing its job.
what you did last week shouldnt have any delayed effect. any problems would have made an appearance right away.
when you do replace the timing belt, even if the water pump is in good shape its a good idea to change it out since it runs off the timing belt.
If the AAA guy is right and the battery is fine, the problem may be the starter, not the alternator.
The click-click-click sound when turning the key is a classic symptom of starter failure. That is the sound the starter solenoid makes when trying to engage the starter. Which would explain why your car won't start, even though the battery is good.
From replies it looks like either a starter or alternator and both of them were not replaced on this car with 182k miles.
Since I don't want to buy new and will get from ebay ($35+$50) , Is it worth buying both and take it to mechanic since it will take some time for shipping and it may not be possible to go to mechanic and debug the issue and then order.
Have you look at the battery cables and terminals? Your battery, starter and alternator can all be good, if your terminals are corroded, loose or dirty, none of that matters; the starter can't start the engine properly if there is insufficient power from the battery. The alternator can't charge the battery if it can send the power through to the battery. Why not spend a little time yourself take a look at those items first.
I checked the connectors and they looked ok but anyhow i cleaned them but still the same issue. Also the noise when starting the car is more like squirrel and not click click . Also my wife just told me that for last 3 days when starting the car in morning she can see the battery light(+-) on for few min before going away if this can give us any idea.
So your problem is a little different than what you had described in your OP, if the starter is spinning over but not engaging the ring gear then it is the starter solenoid pull in circuit not working properly. If that is the case, you will need to replace the starter assembly, which is a fairly straight forward replacement job. Unless you want to let someone else make the repair.
I have a mechanic and hopefully he will fix it for me but I need to get the parts. Please tell me what i exactly need to get for "starter assembly" since I can only see Starter in parts category.
correct me if m wrong - a bad starter wont cause the car to die as its driving, correct?
You are absolutely correct, a starter won't cause a car to die when driving, that was why I asked about the battery terminals and cables. And then he had indicated that the starter was not engaging and turning the engine over even when the starter itself was turning, that became a different condition. Unless the starter can turn the engine over and start it up, the alternator won't make much difference whether it is working or not. Of course this is all under the assumption that the battery does indeed have enough power to get everything to work.
I checked the connectors and they looked ok but anyhow i cleaned them but still the same issue. Also the noise when starting the car is more like squirrel and not click click . Also my wife just told me that for last 3 days when starting the car in morning she can see the battery light(+-) on for few min before going away if this can give us any idea.
Does the Squirrel noise sound kinda like a machine gun sound ??
That combined with the battery light sounds to me like a bad alternator, and insufficient battery voltage to engage the starter solenoid. Have you tried to jump start the vehicle ??
From what you said, this is classic dead alternator and battery.
This would account for all the problems that you listed.
If the alternator is bad, the car will run on the battery for a little while (your 200 mile trip)
then die. When you try to restart, and get the click, or rapid click sound, that is the solenoid trying to engage, but it does not have enough voltage.
Try jump starting the vehicle first before spending extra money that you may not have to.
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
ToyotaNation.com is an independent Toyota/Lexus enthusiast website. ToyotaNation.com is not sponsored by or in any way affiliated with Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. The Toyota, Lexus and Scion names and logos are trademarks owned by Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
Linear Mode
