0 volts when starting sometimes! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

pixelpadre · 09-09-2006, 08:48 AM

OK...89 Celica refuses to start sometimes (won't even crank), mostly when hot.

New:

starter
alternator
battery
starter multipurpose relay under glove box
ignition switch

When it does start...the dash voltmeter dips only 2 volts.

When it doesn't start...the dash voltmeter goes to zero while igntion switch is on.

Symptons did not change after replacing all of the above named parts.

Battery terminals and wires all cleaned.

I am truly puzzled.

How about bearings? Could this be a non electrical problem?

***toyomoho*** · 09-09-2006, 09:35 PM

Does this car have a starter safety interlock switch? This prevents the engine from cranking if the clutch is not pressed or the automatic trans is not in Park. Might be defective. You might also try to jump the starter motor solenoid by connecting it directly to the battery. If the starter turns, the problem is in the wiring or the interlock switch.

pixelpadre · 09-10-2006, 09:43 AM

its not the clutch switch because the pulley turns about 1/2 rotation before locking. If i try to start the engine without the clutch in there is no cranking at all. I did try going right to the starter with cable and still had the same behavior. One thing i noticed, I disconnected the wires on the alt that go to the a/c and it doesnt seem to do it as much anymore. The zero volts thing is what is perplexing me more than anything else. I even disconnected the alt and started with the battery alone and still had the same behavior. I suppose the new ignition switch could be bad from the store.......what a bummer that would be.

***toyomoho*** · 09-10-2006, 11:34 PM

You can check voltage at the starter, both starter solinod and motor to see if either/or drops to zero when you crank. If you bypass the ignition and clutch lockout switch (jump the solenoid) and it still does this. Check the large wire from the starter motor to the battery. This behavior is typical of a bad battery to starter wire.

You might try temporarily using a jumper cable between the battery and motor. Or, remove both starter and solenoid wires and jump them. If the starter still has a problem, then it would seem to be a bad starter, starter is binding on something. Also, is the engine still free to turn when hot? There is nothing internal causing this problem.

pixelpadre · 09-11-2006, 08:21 AM

I did run jumper cables directly to post on starter and had the same problem so its not the battery wire. I can live with the problem for now. It appears that if it doesnt turn over the first turn of the key it will on the second. PS. I put a new ignition switch in because someone told me that a hot KEY is a sign of a bad ignition switch. well...the new ignition switch was never attached to the steering column yet and the key still gets hot from the sun and ambient temps inside the car. I have to put the key in the cylinder in order to unlock the steering wheel.

***toyomoho*** · 09-11-2006, 08:18 PM

If you jumped both the power cable directly to the battery, and the power used to energize the solenoid directly to the battery, this leave nothing else. You have isolated the starter from the rest of the ignition system. This leaves the starter, engine or battery. Did check the battery ground wire?

pixelpadre · 09-12-2006, 09:15 AM

well I did clean the ground at the battery but did not inspect the other end where it attaches to the body.. I'll do that soon.

***toyomoho*** · 09-12-2006, 06:46 PM

Sometimes the cables can get a bad connection between the cable and end fitting. The end of the cable can look OK, but were the cable actually connects to the end fitting has a problem.

Noobified · 09-16-2006, 03:48 AM

Yup... my friends 86 gt has a similar problem. We heard its a common problem, nothing serious, but annoying. Its because toyota put the starter literally right on the motor, with nothing to pull the heat off. We were told adding a shield/heat sink type of metal to the starter (copper would be best) to help cool and pull the heat off will help with the heat dissipation.

Cant hurt right? Sounds like the solution.

pixelpadre · 09-16-2006, 01:00 PM

I thought it might be heat related too because everytime i drove long distance the sucker wouldnt start.

water level was a bit low. I filled up the rad and its working normal now.

i vote the heat was the problem.

Stainless · 09-16-2006, 09:01 PM

Are you not getting voltage on the start wire or the batt. cable. If no on the batt. cable then check out the condition of the batt. and batt. cable. If it is on the start wire then there is a break in the start system. check the condition of the start wire around the anything that gets hot. Are you getting no voltage or just a little and is your engine grounded properly. If you are getting a little then you could instal a constant duty silinoid and that would fix that. You could also check the grounding by taking a heavy guage wire like jumper cables and grounding it directly to the batt. Heat causes resistance so because your car is running cooler doesnt mean you found the problem. Your starter could be heating up to mutch do to the engine running hotter. Now that you have put more water in it is running better because it is not getting as hot. Ontop of this your alt. could be running out of phase so your not charging at hiway speads if it is long trips that you notice this most. I have bean drinking so I misspell everything I know. My bet is grounding Issues though. Check It out. A little corosion on the outside of a cable could be a lot on the inside of it.