Another 5S-FE starting problem

[cccxyz]

It's my friend's car, 98 camry 5s-fe. When the key is turned, nothing happens, not a sound. The car seemed starting fine after sitting overnight. When it starts, it runs well. But the problem could occur after stopping in the middle of a trip. The car was towed back twice for this reason. Two auto shops examined it. The first time, they said it has no problem. The second time, they replaced the battery. But the problem did not go away. Right now, it is again sitting in front of shopping mall. We will try to start it later today.

Is this the common bad solonoid problem of 98 camry? Or the whole starter needs to be replaced? Or anything else?

[Mister_Perkins]

have you tried putting the car in neutral when the problem happens? Very common problem for the Neutral Safety switch to get dirty and not detect Park. When this happens, it will not do anything.

Way to confirm if its the starter solenoid, try to tap on the top of the starter with something hard. Give it a good whack while trying to start it. You can also Jump the Solenoid wires and see if it cranks over.

[cccxyz]

We had tried starting it in neutral, but nothing changed. We had also hit hard with an iron hammer on top of the starter. It still did not start...

Now I am confused...

[Mister_Perkins]

There are two wires on the starter. One running from the Battery to the starter. Next to that, there is a plug directly next to it. Unplug the smaller connector, and Jump the wire from the battery connection (On starter) to where the smaller wire attaches using a spare wire. If it starts, your solenoids need replaced inside the starter

[uuuuu]

Do any lights in your interior turn on? If not, check the battery cable terminals that connect to your battery posts (could be worn, corroded, or loose).

[cccxyz]

Yes, the lights on the dashboard are on.

[cccxyz]

We started the car this morning and drove it home. It seems that the car is able to start when it is cold.