No Power... Sometimes - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

05_GTO · 01-26-2009, 08:12 PM

89 Corolla... the carbed motor.

I've never had an issue like this befor. I let my girl take the Corolla to work so I could work on her car. Well she calls me when she is leaving work saying it will not start (new battery, car has always ran great). She also said it has no power when she turns on the key, no radio or anyrthing. So I leave to go get her to jump it, even though I just got a new battery for it. She calls me when I'm almost on the freeway saying it started, ok good news?

I told her to come where I was working on her car.I ask her for the keys to the Corolla and I get it and it starts right up. I then pop the hood, check things real quick befor it's too dark outside and I try to start it... nothing, no power at all. The battery is new, I don't see the problem being that. Is there any relays that could cause this? I don't really know where to start looking for the problem.

***SCT*** · 01-26-2009, 08:29 PM

You have to be a bit more specific. If there's power when the key is turned to ACC or ON and everything is on, there's power. When you go to turn the key to START and everything goes off and the engine doesn't crank over as it should, the starter might have died though not completely YET. The starter consumes all battery power when you start the car which would explain power going out when you turn the key all the way to start.

Now, if there's COMPLETELY no power, it may be the ignition module itself or a main fuse which should be in a small fuse box right on the positive terminal. But I doubt it'll be a fuse or relay issue.

***REN69*** · 01-26-2009, 08:40 PM

The battery terminals are probably not seated or tightened properly or just dirty, take the battery terminals off, grab some sand paper or a sanding sponge and clean the inside of the terminals where they contact the battery posts until they're nice and shiny again.

I did that the other day, I serviced my own battery and cleaned up the terminals from whatever crap they had, tried to start the car and nothing... not enough power to start the car and the radio kept going off and on, I thought maybe the battery needed to recharge since I had put new water in it so I jumped the car with my battery pack warmed it up and drove around the block for a few minutes, turned it off and no power again. So I took the terminals out and sanded them off to shine again, tightened it properly and I haven't had any problems since and the battery feels like new.

macst19 · 01-26-2009, 08:44 PM

Deleted. I read Ren's post but not closely enough. He had already suggested what I wrote.

freakinbox · 01-26-2009, 08:49 PM

I agree with ren. My car does it from time to time. The positive terminal will slide up over time from all the vibration of reving the shit out of it lol. Turn the key and everything will die. Pop the hood and press down on the terminal and everything will come back.

05_GTO · 01-26-2009, 09:03 PM

Sorry, no power at all when the key turned to acc or start.

The battery terminals are tight on there, the neg terminal was crusted so I cleaned it off and still nothing. I do have a new terminals in the glove box that I will put on tomorrow, since it was too dark to do tonight. Hopefully that fixes it. If not I just wanted to start getting some ideas on what it could be, since it's my only running car... meh.

***REN69*** · 01-26-2009, 09:17 PM

trust me... do the sanding before you do any terminal changing.

05_GTO · 01-26-2009, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by REN69

trust me... do the sanding before you do any terminal changing.

Alrighty, will do.

If it's not that I hope it's nothing expensive, since I'm broke as can be

eage8 · 01-26-2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 05_GTO

Alrighty, will do.

If it's not that I hope it's nothing expensive, since I'm broke as can be

it could be the battery cables themselves that are bad. sometimes the insides can corrode. A while ago on a different car the same thing would happen, and I would have to get out and wiggle the power cable and would hear the car get power again and it would be fine.

90 GP · 01-27-2009, 04:03 AM

In addition to cleaning the battery terminals might want to remove and sand the ground wire connection that goes from battery terminal to the block. I have had the no start condition too and it has always been fixed by cleaning sanding both the battery terminals and cable connectors.

05_GTO · 01-27-2009, 06:59 PM

Ok I find this odd, the car has been fine since I have owned it besides when the battery died. Then yesterday my girl takes it to work and after work she goes to start it and has no power at all. Then I start to go pick her up and 10 mins later it starts right up. She drives it to my parents house, parks it on the street and turns it off. 15 mins later I get in it and it starts right up so I pull it in the drive to look it over. I take a few mins to look it over and then go to start it with no luck?

So today for giggles I try to jump start it and it starts to crank but not start. So I then get a battery which I know is good from my GTO and put it in there, it starts right up. I shut if off and take the battery out and then take the one that was in the Corolla to have it checked... it's fine, however it will not start the car? So later on today or tomorrow I will take whatever battery will start the car and take it to checker and have them test the alternator.

I sanded down all the terminals today, then if they still looked bad cleaned them with water and baking soda. From what I can tell, the ground and power wire seems to be just fine. So, my guess is to start on the alternator and add a new power wire going from the alternator going to the battery, just cuz.

***REN69*** · 01-28-2009, 10:53 AM

The alternator wouldn't cause the intermittent on/off starting though... if the alternator was the cause you would just have a dead battery period, this sounds more like a wiring problem somewhere.

eage8 · 01-28-2009, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by REN69

The alternator wouldn't cause the intermittent on/off starting though... if the alternator was the cause you would just have a dead battery period, this sounds more like a wiring problem somewhere.

a dead alternator could cause electrical noise and make it not start...

***REN69*** · 01-28-2009, 11:42 AM

I still don't think its the alternator... I'm still aiming for a wire problem somewhere, maybe something is lose.

freakinbox · 01-29-2009, 07:01 AM

my car started fine with a dead alternator. It died on the way back to my ex's house one time. Somehow managed to finish the trip and get to her house to be able to get another alternator the next day.

The first thing you check when the car won't start is the battery terminals and starter connection. Take the battery and alternator in to get them tested, most parts stores around her can test both for you. From there go to the battery cables if there is still an issue.

But the test would most definetely tell you if either part is the issue, could be the battery as well even though it's new if the alternator is screwed.