[07LE]

Hello members.

Yesterday, I tried to take the car out but it wouldn't start. Silence. Dash warning lights came on. It only started after four or five turns of the ignition. Once started I was able to go and do a few errands with no problem.

This afternoon, I tried starting the car and the same thing happened. It didn't start until four-six attempts. I was able to go to the local store and back home with no issues.

I checked the battery connections but they look good. I did get a battery replacement from Toyota two years ago. Maybe three.

Anyone else experience anything similar? I plan on taking it to the dealership in the morning.

Thanks.

George

 

[Kingdom934]

Could be a few things.

Does the car 'crank'/'turn' and doesn't start or is it where you turn the ignition key to 'start' but nothing happens (silence)?

If it's the second one, it could be your starter or something to that line. If it's the first thing where it cranks and cranks, it could be something to the lines of fuel pressure etc.

 

[07LE]

Complete silence. Dash indicators comes on but no sound at all. I'm hoping its the battery, but doubt it. Car only has 46K on it.

 

[mcgowaw]

pull the starter, get a 10 dollar copper contact and plunger denso rebuild key offn ebay and put about 30 mins work into replacing said components and you got a new, at least working, starter.
tony

 

[Kingdom934]

Sounds like the starter.If you hear a 'clunk' when you turn the key, could be contacts. If it's just silence, could be a bad solenoid in the starter

 

[Sandbag1300]

Glad you are going to the dealership.

Let us know the solution. May be as simple as a corroded negative battery cable $17.

 

[Donald E George]

Also check starter relay and battery connections. They can look clean but corrosion can occur between post and cable connections. I use an ohm meter to check continuity.

 

[07LE]

Just wanted to followup. Earliest appointment was for 2pm today. Do to the nature of the problem, dealership said they couldn't guarantee I would get the car back today. Chances are they would have to hold the car thru Monday to fully diagnose the situation. I rescheduled for next Saturday for 7am. Hopefully a full day would be enough time to determine what specifically is wrong or give me an educated guess.

I did drive the car around today with no issues. Hopefully I'll make it thru the week without incident.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

 

[Greasymechtech]

While you're waiting for your next Saturday appointment, get the battery tested at a couple autopart or chain stores. If it fails, replace it using a quality battery... Diehard Gold or Interstate Megatron or Walmart Maxx ...

If automatic, and it doesn't start in Park, try moving the shifter to Neutral and try starting again.

If push button start, make sure brake pedal is depressed and that someone can see the brake lights working prior to attempting a start.

Low mileage means little. My low mileage city/traffic driver is started/stopped so many times a day that its 40k condition is worse than my 150k highway driver.

 

[Sandbag1300]

Just wanted to followup. Earliest appointment was for 2pm today. Do to the nature of the problem, dealership said they couldn't guarantee I would get the car back today. Chances are they would have to hold the car thru Monday to fully diagnose the situation. I rescheduled for next Saturday for 7am. Hopefully a full day would be enough time to determine what specifically is wrong or give me an educated guess.

I did drive the car around today with no issues. Hopefully I'll make it thru the week without incident.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

Clearly it is intermittent. I would not spend any money before the Dealer looks at it. May be something really simple and inexpensive - neutral safety switch, ignition switch, relay, etc.

 

[Donald E George]

Is the starter relay closing? If it is, starter solenoid might not be energized. If the solenoid is pulling in but the engine doesn't turn over, the solenoid contacts are not making up because of pitting/corrosion which is a normal occurrence over time. Starter motors pull very high current when engaged and that current moves across the solenoid contacts.

 

[tbdude]

Hope the dealer can trace it down for you and it won't be a big deal.

But, if it drags on....here's my story. We had a '77 Corolla way back when, that we really liked. Put over 100k miles on it. Then about 1987 it started having intermittent "no start" problems. We replaced the battery, the starter, the key lock switch, several other parts...still had intermittent starting problems. It was very discouraging.

Took it to several independent mechanics for diagnosis. The dealer didn't want to touch it...back then a used Toyota with 100k miles and 10 years old was not worth fixing (in their mind)...they just wanted us to buy a new one.

Heard from one mechanic that particular generation of Corolla had a habit of developing weird electrical problems that were hard to diagnose. In frustration, we traded the car off for something much less reliable.

BIG MISTAKE!

If I had it to do all over again, I would have taken it to an "automotive electrical specialist". I've learned that those places...when they are good...will dig in and figure it out. The specialist shops will trace it down, splice a broken hot lead, fix a bad ground, whatever it takes.

 

[Sandbag1300]

I did drive the car around today with no issues. Hopefully I'll make it thru the week without incident.

Keep in mind, an intermittent electrical problem is easier to track down when it is happening. The diagnostician needs to replicate the symptom before she can identify the problem. It is almost best to wait until the issue occurs with more frequency before having it diagnosed.