'99 Corolla Starter/Ignition Switch Issues - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

dimwittedmoose51 · 01-06-2011, 10:08 PM

'99 Corolla VE 160k Original starter, 3 week old battery.

Been having on and off again issues with the starter either not kicking in(single click noise) or kicking in and staying engaged when the key is turned to the start position and then released after the engine is running. Other times it works normally. This is over the last month or so.

Tonight we went out to start the car and we engaged the starter and the engine tried to start but the starter kept on running even after the key was removed. We didn't have any tools handy to disconect the battery and I didn't remember if there was a major fuse to pull to kill power to the system. The engine makes a very funny rattling sound when that occurs It didn't take but maybe a few minutes of the starter running on its own to totally drain the battery; .34 volts according to the VOM(since now that tools have arrived). This has happened once before when the battery was fresh and the starter remained engaged after the key was returned to the normal on position, but quit when the key was removed. . By jump starting the car with another the starter still kicks in once the final jumper cable lead is connnected. Maybe tonight's failure is its final failure.

My questions are as follows:

1. It certainly sounds like the ignition switch is acting up here, but could there be anything else causing these symptoms? Don't want to replace a good starter or ignition switch assembly and not have it solve the problem and then have to spend more money.

2. Could there be a relay acting up or a fuseable link failing that's causing the battery drain, or do you think everything here is tied to the ignition switch? It's possible we replaced a perfectly good battery 3 weeks ago despite it being a 6 year old Wal Mart special.

3. Is there something in the ignition switch that would keep the starter engaged despite the key not being out thereby draining the battery while the car is totally turned off and parked? This is the part of this dignosis that's baffling me right now.

4. How much,if any, damage is being done to the flex plate ring gear or starter teeth when the starter is forcably engaged while the engine is running? Any way to inspect for damage without pulling the tranny or engine?

5. The other current forum post on battery drain is similar to my situation, but not exactly the same. If there's a short causing excessive current drain other than the ignition switch itself, where would I start looking for it? BTW, when I get the new battery recharged, I'll try the ammeter test described in the other post.

I'm at a friend's house right now so no one is getting frozen outside or anything, but I don't have my Hayne's Manual in front of me to do further checking.

TIA

DMFS

glow-plug · 01-07-2011, 06:56 PM

97 corollas had a starter relay (behind left kick panel top left).

It almost sounds like the stater is hanging up.
Could be the solenoid contacts are burnt and it's holding the starter in the engaged position.

Should be able to by pass the starting position of the key using a switch between the battery and the small signal wire from the starter.

I can believe the battery being run down from the starter as can draw lots of current.

The starter would take the brunt of the wear as the starter pinion should turn "freely" once engine starts.

Is the car an auto or std trans?

dimwittedmoose51 · 01-07-2011, 08:16 PM

Some updated information; The car is an automatic and we gambled and put a $30 starter relay in there and that didn't solve the problem. Hooking up the freshly charged battery still met with the same results as before. Betting it's the ignition switch now. In 10 degree F and 25mph winds tonight I was out under that rascal trying to undo the electrical connectors to the starter with no jack and eventually got them disconnected and the big red wire hooked up again so now we have dash lights and the ignition on. My plan was to run a jumper wire from the solenoid terminal on the starter to the disconnected wire long enough to start the car and get it home. Just too cold out there tonight to do much of anything. At least now I can have the negative and positive terminal of the battery hooked up

A plan B might be to rig up a remote starter switch(I have an Actron) but I'm not sure how I could get the alligator clips on anything that was carrying electricity. Those ends on the solenoid wire are funky!!

Will take the floor jack out there tomorrow and get the thing in the air a bit and make life a little easier. Warmer air temps tomorrow will be better also. If I can get it to my unheated garage, we'll figure a way to heat it temporarily and get that ignition column apart and test the switch.

Thanks

DM&FS

glow-plug · 01-08-2011, 04:14 PM

Does the ignition switch feel sloppy when turning the key (put trans in drive, key the key (should not start))?

Should be able to bypass the ignition switch by pulling the starter relay and feed (+) to the starter with a push button switch via the starter relay connector.
Does the relay have a schematic or pin out listed?

dimwittedmoose51 · 01-08-2011, 05:11 PM

Yeah, you're reading my mind!!!! I thought the easy way was to disconnect the leads at the starter and do that but that was a beeeetch. Regrouped this afternoon and pulled the starter relay. Pins 1 and 2(the parallel spade terminals) get jumped as they are hot all the time and terminals 3 and 5 activate the starter.

I was able to get it to start using some shade tree wire jumping and drive it home and get it in the garage so I can get the steering column apart and replace the ignition switch....or at least test it out. $90 is a chunk of change for such a seemingly simple part.

Prolly oughta test the neutral safety switch while I'm at it.

Is the fuse-able link a possibility here and if so, where is that sucker??

Thanks

DM&FS

modestobulldog · 02-13-2011, 07:26 PM

I think it is your starter, reference my previous thread:

Weird Starter Problem

dimwittedmoose51 · 02-14-2011, 08:35 AM

Thanks for the link to the starter thread. I may need that in the future, but oddly enough, a blown 5 amp starter fuse in the interior fuse panel seems to have solved this problem, It doesn't make any sense, but that's pretty much all I changed. I've removed the temporary starter button and plugged the factory starter relay back in and everything is back to normal.

Maybe the starter problems have gone dormant for now, but I bookmarked the link to modesto's post so I won't have to bug you folks when the starter does act up again.

Thanks for all the help

DM&FS