2002, Unpredictable Cranking

[SharonCook]

My Camry got a new starter about 1 1/2 years ago, approximately 14K miles ago. Initially, every thing was fine. Within the last few months, it goes through periods where it will crank, then the next stop I turn the ignition with nothing. Eventually, it will crank again, and be fine for a while. All connections have been cleaned and properly re-connected, even though there was zero corrosion. As soon as I let my guard down about getting stranded, it starts up again! Yesterday, it was different. Once I turned the ignition and got nothing. I turned it the second time and it cranked. Later at another stop, I turned the ignition and got nothing, the second time I got about 1/4 of a crank. The third time, I got about a 1/2 of a crank. The fourth time, it cranked and started but seemed a little rough. I made several more stops with no more cranking issues. I went to the auto parts store: battery check - good, starter check - low cranking amps (starter amp draw is low with OK starter voltage) and charging system - no problems. I don't know where to turn now. How likely is a cable to be "bad on the inside", with no visible problems outside? Is it maybe the ignition switch? Is it likely there is problem within this replacement starter? Any input you can offer will be greatly appreciated. I am out of work, so of course I would like to start with the most likely cause and the least expensive. Thank you very much.

[BlackCamSe]

I'd Check the starter relay.

[CamrySExxx]

Next time your having problems , try tapping on the starter.

It sounds more like a starter problem to me ..even with the check, there is signs of the starter not running at its full potential, this should be a sign.

[gdanaher]

It might also be a grounding issue. Try loosening and retightening the ground strap to the frame and the battery. You need clean connections at these points. They might work just fine for low amperage but the high draw of the starter might force the ground to fail

[AlmightyCamry777]

Your voltage is alright and it is getting it reliably through the ignition switch every time, and the starter is responding erratically. I believe the problem is the starter. I was in this spot recently - alternator, battery and starter all went out within a day of each other and i wound up changing them all. I knew the alt was bad due to voltage with engine running under load (12.8 volts, way too low, should have been 13.9 bare minimum) and i knew the starter was bad because it wouldn't respond after changing the battery and beating on it (starter) for an hour trying to get a click (the battery was actually still good but 6 years old and leaking acid, so i just kept the new battery).

The starter could have been poorly rebuilt or just gone bad too soon, it happens.

The low buck way to fix this is to find the post on changing your own starter brushes here on this site. You can find the post, i think it is a sticky, or do a search, there's a good article with photos on how to do it. The starter has to come out of course then you change the brushes - might be soldering involved. Changing the brushes is not too hard and the brushes are cheap if you can make sure you are getting the right ones for your starter, they are maybe $10-20.
Other then that a junkyard starter might be a good bet, you might find a good one, and some places will even test them for you before you buy it.