help on 97 corolla

[truekoa]

I think the starter is going out.

This morning the car did not want to crank. I turned the key but got no crank only a slight, very weak cranking noise.

I took the key out, waited couple mins, tried it again and it turns on fine.

I know no crank is a bad starter, so is my starter fixing to go out?

its a 97 corolla, 184,XXX miles, nothing has been mechanically replaced on the vehicle, except regular tune up items, and a ebay cold air kit.

no SES lights, car has nothing mechanically wrong with it

thanks

[kristen]

Re: help on 97 corolla

put it in the on pos. and listen for a hummmm from the fuel pump...make sure thats working.


you could have a short in a wire if she's picking and choosing when she's turning

[Opontee]

Re: help on 97 corolla

I didn't know Toyota made a v6 Firebird/Camaro.

[devilsalmostfree]

Re: help on 97 corolla

yeah man, try to make sure the fuel pump humm is going on, but it does sound like ur starter is going out. thats how my fiance's starter done just a few days ago, took it off & let autozone check it for me, it passed. took it the the rebuild shop, had them test it, they said it was bad. sometimes the shaft thats does the turning (im not sure of the name of it), when the starter is going out, sometimes depends on that shaft's location, reason y it passed at autozon, & not at the rebuild shop. hope that helped u a bit!

[StrtRacer98]

Re: help on 97 corolla

put it in the on pos. and listen for a hummmm from the fuel pump...make sure thats working.

A fuel pump will not cause the car to not turn over.



Check the battery and make sure it's fully charged, It could be a weak battery, with a bad cell that cant put the power out to crank the motor.

More than likely it is your starter though, You can pull the starter off, run it to your local auto parts store and they will test it for you free of charge.

[cam98aro]

Re: help on 97 corolla

i think the battery connection is bad

[truekoa]

Re: help on 97 corolla

I will try the fuel pump hum tomorrow morning for a cold start; but I really think its the starter.

As for the battery, there is some corrosion on the terminals I will clean it out this weekend to see if that could be the problem?

thanks 4 the help

[Rob Bell]

Re: help on 97 corolla

At 184K I can see how the starter may be getting tired. But get all that corrosion cleaned off first. I learned that the hard way. Also like others said, make sure the battery is good.

[cam98aro]

Re: help on 97 corolla

I will try the fuel pump hum tomorrow morning for a cold start; but I really think its the starter.

As for the battery, there is some corrosion on the terminals I will clean it out this weekend to see if that could be the problem?

thanks 4 the help

yes, that could be the problem

the fuel pump has nothing to do with it, i think she got confused and thought the engine was just cranking

sometimes starters can get bad spots in them from dirt getting lodged in there, but i would look at all of the connections first before replacing the starter

[truekoa]

Re: help on 97 corolla

update-

well since that day i havent have any starting issues with the car. i have cleaned the corrosion off the battery and grounds on the car, I couldnt tell if that helped the issue but it sure didnt hurt it lol.

Its not much of an issue anymore since its going away but Im pretty sure the starter is just on its way out.

Is there anything I should check or be aware of before getting ready for a new starter for the car?

thanks all

[T-Mill]

Re: help on 97 corolla

Run it to autozone or advance and just tell them you've had some starting issues and ask if they'll test your battery... the machine that they use (at least here) will test the battery, alternator, and to some extent, the starter for free... OR... at Sears, I believe it's now $12.95... they will run a Diehard electrical diagnostic... but they pretty much use the same machine to run their test, so I'd go with a parts store test since its free...


btw... My Camaro did this before I switched from side-terminal to top mount battery... it didn't have a great connection so sometimes the initial jolt of the engine turning would cause it to lose connection, but if I would stop and turn the key again, sometimes it would start right up, and other times I'd have to pop the hood and wiggle or tighten the neg. terminal on the battery...

If it ever happens again, but won't turn over even after several turns of the key... have someone turn the key while you tap not hard, but firmly on the starter with a hammer... if the starter suddenly kicks in and starts the car, then it's definitely the starter, the solenoid that pushes the starter gear into the flywheel is sticking... if not it could still be the starter, but I'd check elsewhere first...

[T-Mill]

Re: help on 97 corolla

A fuel pump will not cause the car to not turn over.

I think Kristen was referring to a short somewhere in the ignition, not a problem with the fuel pump itself... she was saying that if the ign is on, and everything's in order, the fuel pump should kick on... if the ign is on and there's a short, then the fuel pump may not kick on due to that short... not saying that the fuel pump is the problem, but the wiring that leads to the fuel pump