battery vs engine - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

doolittledd · 10-09-2010, 07:29 PM

Solara 2006 After driving for a bit today i stopped and shut car off. It would not start, it whined but wouldn't turn over. We jumped it and it started right off. All the way home 5 miles the temp guage was just below red or hot and never moved. Does a hot engine shut the car down or is this two problems. The posts were corroded pretty bad.

***Zembonez*** · 10-09-2010, 08:01 PM

A seriously overheated engine can stall and be very hard to crank. If your battery and cables are not up to the task, this could explain a lot. What it doesn't explain is why the engine is running hot.

Definitely check that out before you toast it.

gdanaher · 10-09-2010, 08:06 PM

Forget the hard starting. The real problem to resolve is why did the engine overheat. Was it overheating before you stopped it? How long did it sit before you tried to restart? You need to find out why it got hot.

troidus · 10-09-2010, 08:27 PM

Dunno about Camrys, but on some vehicles low battery voltage can cause the instruments to wig out. Get your battery sorted so you know it's working and connected properly and check your engine coolant level to make sure you're not low, then see if you still have a temperature problem.

doolittledd · 10-09-2010, 08:30 PM

I didn't know the car was hot when I parked it. I had it on for a few minutes with the air on, and shut it off. When I was ready to leave it wouldn't start. A guy that walked by said it smelled hot, but I didn't notice it. I had a friend bring cables to jump it. Then it started and when I pulled out I noticed the guage was almost on red. I pulled it back in and checked the fluids and they were all up. I drove it home slowly, the guage never moved.

gdanaher · 10-09-2010, 09:24 PM

If the radiator is full when cold and there is coolant in the overflow tank then I would first suspect a thermostat that stuck closed or the radiator fans are not coming on. Even if the fans failed, driving it down the street should provide enough air flow to cool it down. Never but never drive the car if the Temp gauge goes hot unless you are already in the market for a new car.

CamrySExxx · 10-10-2010, 02:03 AM

Take your car for a spin (if it starts) , and keep an eye on the temp gauge, if its higher or lower than normal you have a problem. Your thermostat is probably either stuck open or closed (clsoed if over heating)

As for the battery I'm not sure if this is a separate problem or not, try to see if it still over heats first and go from there.