delayed start up

[zfjohnson07]

I have a 2007 toyota corolla Ce manual with 65,000 miles on it. I just bought it used and it seems like everytime i get in and try to start, it will not start. I always put my foot on the clutch and the other on the brake, and i turn the key and nothing. So i double check and again nothing. I don't know if theres a problem or if im just thinking their is. There is no check engine light or anything, just worries me, maybe thats why the dealership sold it so cheap?

[fishexpo101]

Could be a number of things - depends on the frequency of these no start conditions. If anything makes them more or less likely to happen. Is the car making any noises when it tries and starts (ie, clicks, ticking noise, buzzing, etc. - but not cranking) Or is the car making no noise at all.

One common culprit, especially if the car is making some noise during starting is a weak battery. You might have enough to kick on the lights and have all the gauges report - but as soon as you turn the key, you get no crank - just buzzing, clicking, or ticking noises.

Also a mis-adjusted or faulty clutch switch. Easiest way is to look at the micro-switch and see if it is being engaged as you step on the clutch pedal. If the bracket is bent or otherwise distorted, it could prevent the switch from triggering - leading to a no-start condition.

Another possibility is the battery inside the key (assuming you might have the immobilizer feature, ie. "chipped" key). If the battery is too weak - it will not be able to transmit data to its ignition counterpart = a no-start condition.

Some of the later 9th gen Corollas were also part of an ECM recall campaign. Faulty solder traces / breaks in the circuit boards caused no-start conditions, sometimes quite suddenly and without any sort of pattern. To check, you can verify if your VIN was part of the campaign through the dealership.