starter going bad?

[jamesgf]

Hi all. Just a quick question. On my 95 V6 LE (119600 mi) when the car is cold (after sitting overnight or through the work day) it will take several turns of the key to get the starter to spin over. The battery is new, the terminals are new (had the same problem this fall when the temp dropped, but the terminal replacement fixed it for a while). I dont hear the selenoid clicking when this happens, so im guessing it is sticking when cold. It works fine once warmed up.

anyone have a similar problem?
Should i just replace the starter?

thanks for all th info on this forum, its been a great resource.

-j

[jamesgf]

bueller? bueller?


anyone think this could result from a bad battery ground wire?

-j

[Nick]

so it won't turn? and you have to turn the key a couple times before it'll engage?

try hitting the starter with a hammer handle before starting it, if it works, then yes your starter is sticking and should be replaced

[Daffunda]

IGNITION SWITCH. Toyotas in the mid 90s are common for this problem. The terminals wear out, and won't make proper contact sometimes, and turning the key several times just happens to make contact.

But hey, it could be the solenoid also.

[jamesgf]

thanks for the info!

the strange part is that it only does this when cold. Once the car is warmed up it works just fine (which makes it a pain to figure out what is wrong because once it turns over it wont do it again until sitting for a long time).

Im going to check the ground wires tonight, but i think it may be the solenoid sticking.

how hard is it to replace the starter or the ignition switch?


-j

[cheeba]

hmm. i think this is happening to one of my cars too. my car starts when i smack the starter with a wrench. is that hard to replace?

[profuse007]

i would check for the starter relay, the arm's pivotal might sticky.
my 94 is like this, i have to pop on the relay sometime when it doesnt come on at all. its worth a try.

if your starter solenoid is just clicking, i bet its gettin bad.

[biggriggs]

if you are going to replace the starter don't waste the money just replace the contacts inside, its like $12 for the brushes. as long as you can get to your starter, that proved to be quite a problem on my old 94 corolla. but it was clicking when I turned the key and usually started up after a while.

[jamesgf]

I looked into it last night and found nothing wrong with the wires or connections. This morning i tried to get it running and i could hear the solenoid pop but the starter wouldnt turn. After many tries it would turn part way, then it would work. Seems to get worse every day. Time for a new starter, or new brushes.

Any tricky bolts when pulling one out of a V6?

-j

[fe519]

sounds like a starter but you have to keep in mind that it takes a lot of juice from the battery to start in cold weather... but you said your battery way new...

[Nick]

is the motor that sticks, some of the sections fuse together, and gets stuck right in between the magnet poles

thats why hitting it with a hammer helps, cuz it jars it a bit

[biggriggs]

this is the most common problem with toyotas I think, at least from what I have heard. Hell the cashier at the toyota dealership knew the problem right away. It's the ONLY problem I ever had with the corolla.

[swegyptian]

i got around with my almost dead starter for about a month using the "hit it with something" method. it works like a champ. oldman is right, its a good way to trouble shoot it.

[jamesgf]

just an update.....

I checked over all of the connections (ground, etc) and everything looked fine, no corrosion or loose connections. I think it may be the ignition switch at this point. Ive found that if i put the key in and push forward and lift up it will start with no problems.

I think i will start by looking at replacing the ignition switch, followed by the starter if that doesnt do the trick.

Does a chiltons manual explain how to change the ignition switch?

i found this site :http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/mainte...nition_switch/

it looks pretty easy if this is similar....


thanks for all of the help!!

-j

[Tercel GTS]

You might look up my 'repair your own starter' thread or Paul's, he has better pics than mine does.