car randomly doesn't start, no ticking, then later is fine

[DailyDriveCamry]

94 Camry LE 5sfe Auto

Car has picked up a new problem of late that is intermittent. Sometimes when I go to crank it nothing happens. No ticking, nothing. The lights in the dash come on, the door chime dings, and it obviously has power from the battery, but nothing happens when cranking it other than the dash clock going dim. It'll do this for awhile, and then it'll suddenly start like normal 10-20 minutes later. It does this hot or cold.

First thing I did was replace the battery, and also the positive terminal on the cable since it was corroded. No change.

This happened to me once at a gas station and I had to put the car in neutral and push it away from the pumps so other people could get gas. Well strangely once I pushed it a little ways it started right up. Now I am finding that often if I put it in neutral and move it forward and back a couple feet it will start (not always, but often).

What could cause something like this? Ignition switch? Starter Solenoid?

[DAMON]

i had this exact problem a couple weeks ago, had the starter contacts replaced and now she cranks up every time. Id check those first

[Mike Gerber]

dysk8forlife is exactly right. You have bad starter contacts in the solenoid portion of the starter. You can varify this. Keep a small hammer (rubber mallet is preferred) in the car. Next time it won't start, get out and give the starter a few light taps with the mallet. Now it should start. This is a very common problem with Toyota (actually Denso) starters. Do a search on this forum for "starter contacts" and read up. You can remove the starter and replace just the contacts as dysk8forlife did, replace the whole starter with a rebuilt one or take your starter to an automotive electrical shop and have your OEM one rebuilt. I recently had this problem with my wife's 98 XLE and opted for the last alternative. As long as I went through the trouble of removing and reinstalling it, I wanted the entire thing rebuilt by a shop I trusted. YMMV.

Mike

[chesstompowell]

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t54827.html

[eyeball96]

The same thing happened to my 3.5 sedan a few yrs back, It was the starter contacts..Wife had the stealership fix it, wasn't that expensive as I recall!....Don't ya just love TN...members here are so helpful

[m4663]

When it happened to mine, I cleaned the positive and negative battery posts and connestors. I used a rag and contact cleaner, but alcohol will do.

Don't use sandpaper or steel brush. They will put small gouges on the posts. Those tiny gouges will trap air and condensation, and the corrosion will be back within a month or two.

Also disconnect the battery cable from the starter motor and clean the connectors. That could be the cause.

[hclee25]

Starter contacts 100%, easy fix DIY

[supercamry]

I had a similar problem with my 1991 camry le, the starter was on its way out. tapping it with a hammer did work for a long time, but eventually, i put a hole in the starter from tapping it so many times! i dont know where the starter placement is in the newer camry's, but i kept an extra in my car, for that quick replace it on the road event that was inevitable.