'02 Camry starting issues

[GR redfearn]

'02 V6 Camry will occasionally won't start like it has a bad battery,but if you wait for a while it will.

Symptioms include clock resetting & CD changer making mechanical noises.

The Alt & battery check OK & can't be duplicated.

A Toyota dealer thinks it could be underhood heat issues or starter going bad

Also some thought of a problem in the steering column/ ignition area as sometimes key reminder chime goes off without key being in cylinder.

Any thoughts?

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

check fuses...alternator....listen to the dealer and have it fixed.

[Redline_Me]

I had a Chevy lumina once and sometimes it would start and sometimes not, until one day it just stopped. The starter went. I was trying to change it out in the middle of winter and hurt my hand really bad when the wrench slipped so i took a hammer to the intake manifold and put a hole into it.

Moral of the story, get the starter checked.

[PRINCESS PEACH]

it might be your battery.

[AlmightyCamry777]

Check out the ignition switch. (How many miles on the car?) Intermittent problems of this kind can sometimes be traced to a worn out ignition switch since, not only does it get alot of wear, it also routes and controls the power to almost everything in the car.
I have tried to diagnose cars with this maddening start/no start/start condition and after much gnashing off teeth traced it to the ignition switch: turn the key on the sweet spot and it would run and stay running, a fraction of a millimeter off (from the wear) and it would not.

Do you have a heavy key ring? Lighten it and see if it makes a difference. A light key ring also will help your ignition switch last longer.

I know worn ignition switch would probably NOT explain your clock resetting itself though - i would also, check your battery cables their entire length, for worn insulation, short to ground (i.e. section of bare cable touching metal where it isn't supposed to), loose connection, or badly corroded connection.