Please help Problem starting car (1992 Corolla)

[runzwithsizorz]

1992 Toyota Corolla 4 door standard clutch, no power windows, door
Battery 3 months old MAXX 35N (Virginia Wallmart)
Checked out ok: Terminals and battery posts; fusible links (all clean and tight)
Car stated fine for 3 months, then will not start. Headlights, radio et al are fine.

Upon start, I hear a loud click, but engine will not turn over. However, after a quick charge, the car starts. No problems for the rest of the day. (I usually drive less than 10 miles a day with several stops along the way.) This happens irregularly; sometimes the car starts, sometimes it won't.

Any ideas as to what the problem could be?

The Wife

 

[pauldun170]

Next time it doesn't start, take a rubber mallet to the starter. Whack it a couple of times and try to start the car again.

Locate the starter near the air cleaner assembly. It sits just below the assembly on top of the transmission bell housing on the driver's side. The starter is about the size of a 20-ounce bottle of soda, is silver and made of metal.

If the car starts after the whack, you can enjoy the feeling of hitting things with a mallet.
Next check. The connections to the starter. Clean, scrub reattach...bla blah.

With a test light, check for voltage on that small wire at the starter while helper holds key in start position.....if voltage IS present, that wire is not making a good connection OR the starter is defective,, new or not!! That's all it can be, one or the other!...If NO voltage at that wire,...then start checking other circuits....IF BATTERY IS FULLY CHARGED....CABLES GOOD!!! Let me know how it does.

Problem still occurs...start cursing at the starter for only lasting 23 years.
Then there are the other checks you can try...
starter near the air cleaner assembly. It sits just below the assembly on top of the transmission bell housing on the driver's side. The starter is about the size of a 20-ounce bottle of soda, is silver and made of metal.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_7206659_replace-starter-1992-toyota-corolla.html

Locate the starter near the air cleaner assembly. It sits just below the assembly on top of the transmission bell housing on the driver's side. The starter is about the size of a 20-ounce bottle of soda, is silver and made of metal.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_7206659_replace-starter-1992-toyota-corolla.html
starter near the air cleaner assembly. It sits just below the assembly on top of the transmission bell housing on the driver's side. The starter is about the size of a 20-ounce bottle of soda, is silver and made of metal.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_7206659_replace-starter-1992-toyota-corolla.html
Other checks

IGNITION SWITCH & CIRCUIT TEST Camry, Celica & Corolla 1. Remove driver's lower instrument panel cover. Remove upper and lower steering column covers if needed. Locate ignition switch wiring harness connector. (Camry and Celica have a 10-cavity connector; Corolla has 8-cavity connector). 2. Using test light, backprobe White wire terminal of ignition switch wiring harness connector. If test light glows, go to step 4). If test light does not glow, check for blown Black or White fusible link in wiring harness near battery or in fusible link box near battery. 3. Also check large amperage fuses (ALT and AM1) in engine compartment fuse/relay block. If fusible link and fuses are okay, check for open in White wire to ignition switch. Repair as required. 4. Using test light, backprobe Black/White wire terminal of ignition switch wiring harness connector. Turn ignition switch to START position. If test light does not glow, replace ignition switch. If test light glows, check Black/White wire circuit for open or short from ignition switch through neutral start switch or through clutch start switch on to starter relay. Repair wiring as required.

 

[pauldun170]

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml

 

[NutBucket]

And if you remove the starter to bench test it may "pass"...and then you'll be scratching your head when it doesn't work in the car. This happened to me before. New starter = problem solved.

 

[cabri]

Is there a full charge on the battery when you are hear the clicking?

The battery may be getting discharged by an electrical short

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Is there a full charge on the battery when you are hear the clicking?

The battery may be getting discharged by an electrical short

MR. RUNZ checking in here. No start at 12.19volts. Started at fully charged, *according to a top of the line charger*, 12.99volts. Hmm, seems a bit low to me? No load running voltage is 12.4, again too low, should be 13+. At home testing equipment indicates faulty alternator.Will confirm tomorrow with the the pro's.

 

[Zenmervolt]

MR. RUNZ checking in here. No start at 12.19volts. Started at fully charged, *according to a top of the line charger*, 12.99volts. Hmm, seems a bit low to me? No load running voltage is 12.4, again too low, should be 13+. At home testing equipment indicates faulty alternator.Will confirm tomorrow with the the pro's.

Just FYI, 12.19 volts open circuit is something like 55% charged (depending on ambient temperature). 100% charge is around 12.7 volts, but if you test it immediately after taking it off the charger you can see up to 13 volts because a battery will show artificially high voltage for a short period of time after coming off a charger.

No load running voltage at 12.4 is definitely an alternator issue. Either the voltage regulator has failed or you've lost a diode in the rectifier or something's gone off with the windings, but you shouldn't see less than about 13.4 volts from most vehicles when they're running.

ZV

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Alternator confirmed faulty. Was replaced in 1997 with a lifetime warranty from Kragen auto parts. Replaced again under warranty in 2003. Again, Kragen west coast. Kragen was purchased by O'Reilly auto parts. A phone call to my local O'Reilly's says they will honor the warranty. If so, wow
Will post back later, ----------

 

[Kushina]

Alternator confirmed faulty. Was replaced in 1997 with a lifetime warranty from Kragen auto parts. Replaced again under warranty in 2003. Again, Kragen west coast. Kragen was purchased by O'Reilly auto parts. A phone call to my local O'Reilly's says they will honor the warranty. If so, wow
Will post back later, ----------

It shouldn't be going out this often, but congrats

 

[runzwithsizorz]

It shouldn't be going out this often, but congrats

actually, 2 in 23 years, 1 being free ain't so bad IMO. A tip of the hat to O'Reilly's auto parts, and Kip,(USAF,ret.), at the counter that arranged the free replacement. He was a little surprised that I had the warranty, and receipt from '03. And even more so when I showed him the receipt from '97.
New alternator tests good, and no load voltage at 14.50

 

[nerp]

In another thread I said I must be an oddball for saving every scrap of paper related to my car's service history. This is the perfect example why. Good job with the part. Glad you're keeping that old car on the road. How many miles on it?

 

[runzwithsizorz]

In another thread I said I must be an oddball for saving every scrap of paper related to my car's service history. This is the perfect example why. Good job with the part. Glad you're keeping that old car on the road. How many miles on it?

Odometer reads 148712, But I think it's really 248712. Keeping this car on the road has been relatively easy, I maintain it, and it has always been kept in a garage. Paint, and upholstery still look good. Gas mileage is great, and we *used* to use it for long distance vacation trips. Now days the Mrz. prefers the high back, lumbar support, heated, reclining, leather seats of my Sequoia.
This state charges property tax on vehicles, down to $1000 of assessed value, so the wife's yearly tax on this car is; ZERO! :biggrin:

 

[nerp]

Nice. My plan is to do the same with my car and keep it going for a couple decades.

 

[Harrod]

Glad you go it fixed, my twin brother has a beater corolla with 280k on the original clutch. That car is unstoppable, its hit 2 deer and 1 turkey.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Glad you go it fixed, my twin brother has a beater corolla with 280k on the original clutch. That car is unstoppable, its hit 2 deer and 1 turkey.

Where we live, is a mix of both urban, and suburban, both have an abundance of deer. The Mrz. subs for the school district, and often leaves before dawn. As low as her car is, my biggest fear is if she were to hit a deer, it would go into/through the windshield.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Actually the new alternator did NOT really fix the on again, off again starting problem. My battery checker says there's a problem with the new battery, and yes this can happen. The auto parts store checked my battery with better equipment, and they say it is OK. Anyway, on something unrelated, the wife mentioned this at our local AAA auto shop 2 days ago. They tested it?? and told her it was bad, and said they could replace it right then. She calls me to tell me this, and I say, fine but we could save some money if I buy, and install it, (I have done it before). She says but I'm here now, let's just get this done. Needless to say, she did not get much of an argument from me. Crawling under a car never goes well for me, and really depletes my liquor cabinet.
$285 for labor wow, whats a starter, like 3 bolts, and a couple of wires?
I'm in the wrong line of work :'( Gosh, I hope this finally stops the problem!!!!

 

[pauldun170]

Actually the new alternator did NOT really fix the on again, off again starting problem. My battery checker says there's a problem with the new battery, and yes this can happen. The auto parts store checked my battery with better equipment, and they say it is OK. Anyway, on something unrelated, the wife mentioned this at our local AAA auto shop 2 days ago. They tested it?? and told her it was bad, and said they could replace it right then. She calls me to tell me this, and I say, fine but we could save some money if I buy, and install it, (I have done it before). She says but I'm here now, let's just get this done. Needless to say, she did not get much of an argument from me. Crawling under a car never goes well for me, and really depletes my liquor cabinet.
$285 for labor wow, whats a starter, like 3 bolts, and a couple of wires?
I'm in the wrong line of work :'( Gosh, I hope this finally stops the problem!!!!

I'm a little confused by that last part.
Did it turn out to be the starter?

 

[bruceb]

On a car of that age, if the alternator is putting out the correct +14V when the car is running, then I would look at replacing the Battery Cables ... they do go bad and your car is very old. Also check the ground connection of the cable at the chassis or engine block for corrosion or being loose.

 

[tortillasoup]

Actually the new alternator did NOT really fix the on again, off again starting problem. My battery checker says there's a problem with the new battery, and yes this can happen. The auto parts store checked my battery with better equipment, and they say it is OK. Anyway, on something unrelated, the wife mentioned this at our local AAA auto shop 2 days ago. They tested it?? and told her it was bad, and said they could replace it right then. She calls me to tell me this, and I say, fine but we could save some money if I buy, and install it, (I have done it before). She says but I'm here now, let's just get this done. Needless to say, she did not get much of an argument from me. Crawling under a car never goes well for me, and really depletes my liquor cabinet.
$285 for labor wow, whats a starter, like 3 bolts, and a couple of wires?
I'm in the wrong line of work :'( Gosh, I hope this finally stops the problem!!!!

Your grounds are fucked, go clean them! STARTER + BATTERY + ALTERNATOR "issues" frequently happening on a 20+ year old vehicle = dirty/corroded grounds. Clean all the grounds, eyelits, washers, bolts, nuts etc. until they're shiny. Do NOT scrape any paint! Locate all the electrical grounds and clean every one of them. Do this every 10 years.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

UPDATE; new battery, new alternator, new starter, cables, and contacts have been checked by me, and the pros,---- YET, STILL I HAVE TO JUMP START HER CAR ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK!
AAA automotive checked her car AGAIN 2 days ago, their professional answer was They checked the car cold at 7:01 AM; measured 617cca,(IMO, more than enough), voltage at 12.34, the car started. I tested voltage with a no start at 12.19. Something else I found odd, after driving an hour and a half to her sisters house, and parking in the driveway my wife could not start the car 2 hours later, and had to be jumped to be pulled into the garage for storage because they were going to use another car for a 10 day vacation. When they got back her car started right up.

 

[tortillasoup]

UPDATE; new battery, new alternator, new starter, cables, and contacts have been checked by me, and the pros,---- YET, STILL I HAVE TO JUMP START HER CAR ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK!
AAA automotive checked her car AGAIN 2 days ago, their professional answer was They checked the car cold at 7:01 AM; measured 617cca,(IMO, more than enough), voltage at 12.34, the car started. I tested voltage with a no start at 12.19. Something else I found odd, after driving an hour and a half to her sisters house, and parking in the driveway my wife could not start the car 2 hours later, and had to be jumped to be pulled into the garage for storage because they were going to use another car for a 10 day vacation. When they got back her car started right up.

Pull out all the "unnecessary fuses" to see if there is still a parasitic draw. Technically what you're suppose to be able to do is with a multimeter and the car NOT RUNNING, you put it in "amps" mode and have the current run through the meter to the battery from one of the cables. The load with car off, key out of the ignition should be extremely low, far less than an amp. Try to record that reading and report back. The amp draw with all the fuses installed should be higher than with them removed. Play the isolation game if need be.

 

[JulesMaximus]

It shouldn't be going out this often, but congrats

There's a reason why they offer a lifetime warranty. Cars are sold/change hands frequently so they are taking the risk that they'll never have to honor the warranty as the car will have traded hands before the part fails.

They don't offer lifetime warranties because their parts are so good that they never fail.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Pull out all the "unnecessary fuses" to see if there is still a parasitic draw. Technically what you're suppose to be able to do is with a multimeter and the car NOT RUNNING, you put it in "amps" mode and have the current run through the meter to the battery from one of the cables. The load with car off, key out of the ignition should be extremely low, far less than an amp. Try to record that reading and report back. The amp draw with all the fuses installed should be higher than with them removed. Play the isolation game if need be.

IF there was a parasitic/short, draw, even if sporadic, wouldn't the battery be drained far lower over a 12 hour period than just 0.25volts?
Think I will try to swap my trucks battery with the wife's for a couple of days, and see what happens.

 

[tortillasoup]

IF there was a parasitic/short, draw, even if sporadic, wouldn't the battery be drained far lower over a 12 hour period than just 0.25volts?
Think I will try to swap my trucks battery with the wife's for a couple of days, and see what happens.

On a new battery, a load of .25v would be quite large. Turning on the highbeams/headlights on my car drops the battery voltage by that amount so long as the load is present. The reason why I mentioned those parameters is because when you open the car door, the electronics in the car turn on, putting a load on the battery along with other stuff.

You can play the isolation game by removing the fuses for the alarm, accessory 12v outlet, radio, etc. and see if the car loses charge after 12 hours.

 

[LTC8K6]

Ummm...disconnect the battery whenever you leave the car sit overnight.

See if that solves the starting problem. Make sure it is fully charged before doing the disconnect test.

If it starts when you reconnect the battery in the morning, then you have a large parasitic draw.