Starter Problem

[clauser]

My '99 4 cyl Camry has a strange problem with the starter and I'm wondering if anyone out there has run into this. The original starter died last summer (classis dead spot problem, no response to turning the key) and was replaced with an after market variety purchased from a national auto parts chain. Everything worked fine until winter came. When it is cold (like under 30) and the car has been setting for a few hours, when I try to start the car I hear the starter motor spin but it does not engage in the flywheel. A second attempt usually works (i.e. the starter motor engages correctly and the car starts). I naturally assumed the starter was bad so I got a replacement (under warranty) and installed it. The first cold day produced the same results! I'm beginning to regret that I didn't replace the starter with a Toyota original even though the after market starter was less than half the cost of the Toyota part.

Has anyone heard of this type of problem ? Did I make a mistake by using an after market starter? Oh, I should add that my battery was replaced about 6 months ago and tested as 'good' just a few days ago.

Thanks for any thoughts!

[Tercel GTS]

There was a problem with the early camry starters in that the gears(drive, flywheel) had too large of flat spots therefore creating a problem. If the gears don't mesh when you first hit the key they can spin against each other. Toyota corrected the problem in later years by angling the drive of the starter. Most likely the factory that builds them for the national chain only has the earlier gear. If you have to remove it again get me a picture of the gear and p2p me with it. It'd have been better to use a local rebuilder in most cases.
As for the cold, the solenoid works better once warmed, while cold it may not pull hard enough to mesh the gears.

[clauser]

Thanks! I'll do that. I don't recall if the gear teeth were angled or not.