weirdest starting problem on '99 corolla

[zeppman]

Hey everyone,

I ran a quick search and couldn't find a thread relating to this issue. My friend has a '99 corolla with about 188k miles on it. Last week, it just stopped starting. The key would turn but nothing would happen, no clicking either. I don't know what made my friend think of this (I was not there at the time) but she found that when she rocked the car back and forth, almost violently, while still in Park, the car would start up, and stay running. She took it to an Advance Auto and they did a battery check and alternator check, and found nothing wrong. When one of the store employees was checking the transmission shifter, they pushed in the broken cup holder (next to the stick) and found that would cause the car to start up every time, without rocking it.

Unfortunately, this all happened about 50 miles from where we live, and I will not see the car until tonight (first time she has been confident in driving it all the way back home since the issue started), so I haven't been able to see what the cup holder is doing to help start it.

Summary: '99 corolla didn't start, key turned but nothing happened. Rocking the car while turning the key started the car. Then we found pushing the cup holder in caused the car to start every time, without rocking. Advance Auto found no issues with battery or alternator.

Thanks for your help.

[CraigW]

Try moving the shift lever while attempting start, try it in neutral to see if it will start.

[zeppman]

CraigW:

She could not get the car to shift into any other position.

[fishexpo101]

Could be a compound problem here. The rocking and pushing in of the cupholders resulting in starting - sounds to me like an intermittent electrical issue.

Could be in the ignition switch (bad switch, given the age of the car, possible the switch is just worn - more so if she tends to hang a lot of stuff off the key ring).

Could also be a wire that is shorted to ground behind that dash. That would explain why rocking the car (wire bundle moves around) and pushing in the cup holder (bumps something behind there) results in starting. That would be a tough diagnosis, might get lucky and a visual inspection will turn up a shorted/burnt wire. Can also try and see if you see sparks from under the dash when the car is started, rocking it while the key is turned to start should arc something under the dash - if there is a short.

For it to not shift in other positions is odd. Should be able to put the foot on the brake, press in the shift button, and shift it to any position on the selector. Car should only startup in park and neutral - for safety reasons. If she was not able to shift to any position - that points to an electrical issue to the shift lock unit on the side. That also points to an intermittent short in either the wiring bundle behind the dash and the ignition switch (no power to the shift lock box).

[zeppman]

Ouch, sounds like I'm going to have my hands full this weekend. Again, I can't confirm the "car won't shift" until I see it with my own eyes... she isn't the "handiest" person when it comes to cars. I'll take your suggestions and start my inspection this evening after work. I'll report back with what I find. Thanks for your help.

[CraigW]

Originally Posted by zeppman

CraigW:

She could not get the car to shift into any other position.

"Should be able to put the foot on the brake, press in the shift button, and shift it to any position on the selector. Car should only startup in park and neutral - for safety reasons."

Try pushing the brake pedal then push the button in and move the shift lever slightly while still in "P"...if nothing then try "N"

[blb]

Don't guess and throw parts at it.

Check for 12V at the big lug on the starter all the time. Then check for positive voltage at the small wire to the starter when the key is in the start position. If this checks out ok, replace the contacts in the starter.

If a wire was shorted to ground under the dash as described in the reply above, there would either be a blown fuse, melted wire, or you'd have a dash fire.

A bad neutral safety switch is almost unheard of with these cars.

The cupholder thing is a coincidence.