Someone recommended this place as a fountain of knowledge, and I do hope that you guys can help. Hi btw
I've got a 2000 1.6 VVT-i Corolla which has been happily doing whatever I asked for the past seven years until two days ago. We took it for a checkup a few weeks ago and we were told the starter was in trouble and that it would be expensive to repair. When the key was turned there would be a loud tick then nothing, all the dignostic dash lights would light up as well. But it always started up on the second try. I didn't use it for about five days and upon trying to start it there would be no ignition whatsoever, no matter how many times I tried turning the key, just a single loud tick would be heard.
This morning I went out with my trusty fix-all-problems hammer to tap the starter as I had been recommended but first tried starting the engine with both the accelerator AND the clutch pressed (had only previously tried the accel, no luck) and success, it worked. Now it's back to the state of a few days ago, starts up on first if not second try, but I'm driving to Scotland in a few days and I'd like to get it sorted.
As you might tell, i'm not averse to getting my hands dirty but I don't really know my way around the inside of an engine, so if you could just know that I'm not that savvy it'd be great
I don't know if it might be connected, but in Jan we drove to France on no oil (oil warning didn't come on, we had checked before we left but it all disappeared pretty quickly and we only found out in Geneva after lots and lots of knocking). I was very sad indeed but we filled it up and since then there has been some slight knocking during acceleration but generally it's been fine. Could they be connected?
Many thanks guys, I look forward to reading the AE86 threads
Your oil starvation issue and starter issue are unrelated, as is stepping on the accelerator when you turn the key; neither have any effect on the starter motor. What happened inside the motor is wearing of the electrical contact plates that provide juice to the motor. There's a tiny little clearance that has developed between the two, and when the starter is sitting just right, you turn the key and all you hear is the starter relay closing, but none of the electricity makes it to the actual motor. When you give the thing a knock with a hammer, it jostles everything around and lines the contact up again.
Techs really aren't inclined to replace just the contact plates anymore (at least on this side of the pond), rather replace the whole motor, which is why the quote you got was probably sky high. Call the dealer, see if you can get the contacts separately, then find a tech to replace them. Should run you less than a 3rd of the quote you got for assembly replacement.
Many thanks for the reply, it was very helpful.
So the fact that I'm stepping on the accelerator makes no difference but the clutch does? I eventually didn't hit it with the hammer, just got in the car, prayed and stepped on both pedals. Same happened later on as well.
So I should contact a dealer and see if I can get my hands on starter motor contact plates, that's what they are called? And my mechanic should be able to install them, is it a tough job?
Thanks again!
incidentally, quick question, because of the oil issue and running the engine at high speeds on little oil, would any of the problems caused be serious knowing that it's been going great for the past 8 months? And are they ongoing, or has the damage been done? I know it's a very general question, I'm just looking for any info.
Many thanks for the reply, it was very helpful.
So the fact that I'm stepping on the accelerator makes no difference but the clutch does? I eventually didn't hit it with the hammer, just got in the car, prayed and stepped on both pedals. Same happened later on as well.
So I should contact a dealer and see if I can get my hands on starter motor contact plates, that's what they are called? And my mechanic should be able to install them, is it a tough job?
Thanks again!
incidentally, quick question, because of the oil issue and running the engine at high speeds on little oil, would any of the problems caused be serious knowing that it's been going great for the past 8 months? And are they ongoing, or has the damage been done? I know it's a very general question, I'm just looking for any info.
The clutch pedal has a switch under it requiring you to step on it in order to start the car. The accelerator pedal does absolutely nothing when the engine isn't running.
Replacing the contacts in the starter is an autoshop 101-type repair. Not complicated at all, especially for someone who fixes cars to feed their kids.
As far as your oil issue, who knows. If you ran it low on oil to the point you heard knocking, then damage has already been done. Oil exists to provide a microscopic boundary between moving metal parts, and when that layer goes away you get metal to metal contact which wears away at the affected part. The result is more space between parts then there should be, and, when they operate, they "knock" into each other. It'll only get worse with time, so avoid running it hard and at high engine speed. I don't know what kind of engines you have over there, but the smaller Toyota engines on this side of the pond are notorious for going absurd distances while making all kinds of scary noises (read: extremely tough). The eventual repair will be expensive, either engine rebuild or replacement.
pressing the accelerator won't do anything to start the car.. it will however flood your motor and make it even harder to start (you'll smell gas) whoever told you to do this, please go up to them and give them a big slap for me.
No, oil and starter are not related issues. Check your oil more often and have the motor checked for oil leaks, most likely around the oil pan.
Right, one of you says I can replace the contact plates and the other says I should replace the motor entirely. They regard the same thing, but which would be best? Obviously contact plates would be cheaper but why do you, REN969, think that it's better just to bin the whole motor and get a new one?
And I suppose its not a job someone with no experience could do, right? Where can one learn about all this?
THanks!
I don't know if I understood right.. but you're going to replace the whole motor because the starter is gone???
Either get a rebuilt starter or a new one, or get the one you have rebuilt, either way you still have to get it fixed. A rebuild would involve replacing the contacts and a re-wound either way.
Why would you replace the whole starter motor when you could just pull the front cover off and change the worn contact plates? I've found that to be the problem about 90% of the time.
When I start the car up, how does pushing the clutch down help if I never used to do it? Regarding replacing the starter or just the plates, where is the thing located? It's a 1.6 vvt-i and the construction is totally different from the 2.0l we also have, where can I find out for sure which engine model I have so I can get started looking for diagrams.
The only thing that makes me think it might not be the plates is because it hardly ever starts up the first time unless it's just been switched off, does this still mean it's the plates?
Thanks!
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Corolla 2000 (Eur) starter problem
-- Get him, boy....
Check your oil more often and have the motor checked for oil leaks, most likely around the oil pan.
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