Hi, I first had an issue with the starter that came with my car, it just gave a whirrling sound and wouldn't start until i tapped it so I ended up buying a used one from someone and I'm still having problems with the starter. At first it worked for a day or two and then it started to have a hard time starting but eventually started after a couple tries.

Last night, I went to get an oil change at those 10 min changes and after they changed the oil, they asked me to start the car for a few seconds and that time it started right up with no problems..then after I go to pay and having to unlock my car with a wire because they left my keys inside and closed the door, I attempt to start the car again with no luck. I tried everything from tapping it with a hammer to loosening the starter to reposition it since the PO only had 1 starter bolt attached to it. So I ended up getting it started by using the screwdriver jump technique and it started right up. I went to start my car this morning and it started right up with no hesitation, not sure if i'll have that luck next time I try.

I just want to know if anyone has any ideas how to fix this problem. Could I have gotten another bad starter? Also, does anyone know if the second starter bolt is the same size as the top starter bolt? I want to replace it just in case the starter is misaligned which is causing all this.

 

A starter rebuild kit from a Toyota dealer might help. Yes, I said Toyota.

I used to have issues with my starter and this fixed it right up. Had over 200K miles on my original starter when I installed the parts, and have put another 100K on it since then. About to hit 300K miles still on the original Denso starter.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...5#post16728185 (scroll to the top of that page to see my original question in 2005)

 

If it starts with with a bypass jump, [the screwdriver jump technique] then it is not a starter problem, either ign. switch, CIS, [AGPS if an automatic] starter relay or wiring between the above. 94

 

Thanks, I'm going to try and narrow it down, probably going to start with the clutch switch and see if it maybe needs an adjustment or something.

 

Confirm it is not the starter or solenoid by doing a bypass jump each time it will not start with the key, the last bypass may just have been one of the times the starter worked. 94

 

Yeah I'm going to try that tonight because this morning I tried to start the car with no luck and didn't have time to mess with it since I had to go to work. At one point it was giving 3 clicks and then it would click rapidly and then later no more clicks, just back to hearing the whining/spinning noise from the starter. I really need to find out the problem..but I dont want to waste money on buying parts I don't need. I'm going to adjust my clutch pedal to see if it helps, then see if the starter is good or not, then i'll buy an ignition switch to see if that works. Any other ideas?

 

It can't be the ignition or clutch switch. If it were those, the starter wouldn't do anything at all. Likewise with my situation, the starter didn't make any noise at all when I had a problem, which the starter rebuild kit fixed.

I remember my old Camry had a common problem of teeth breaking off the flywheel in certain places. If the engine happened to stop with that bad area of the flywheel right at the starter, the starter would just spin and spin until the flywheel turned just enough for the starter to catch it and start the engine. That's something else to consider.

 

I just took out the starter, went to autozone to have it tested and it passed. I went to install it back, and noticed a ground wire that was a little loose so i tightened it up so there was no more play. I also checked out the flywheel from the hole where the starter would be and didn't notice any broken tooth. So after installing the starter back I turned on the car and it started with no issues..i moved up the block to another parking spot and turned off the car..then turned on/off a few more times and it started right up everytime. I'll see tomorrow morning if it's going to start up like it did now..crossing my fingers..haha.

 

Update:

This morning the car started, just a little slow but it could have been caused by all the on/off that might have drained the battery a bit since I didn't drive it around.

So I think the problem could have been the loose ground wire, I also used the little OEM nut that screws the ground from the battery to starter instead of the one that came with the new starter, or it could have been a misaligned starter because of only having one starter bolt..which I will be getting in the mail soon.

 

just get a new starter.. had this problem a while back. car would only start whenever it wanted to.. try the jump start.
it helped.thnks to fcm in 09

 

I think for me it was a bad ground or something because it's been turning on without a problem so far(Knock on wood*). It was either the loose ground wire or the little nut that goes onto the battery-starter cable.