Jim Grant's Tech Tips
'94 Toyota Corolla,
Starting Problem
Q: I
have a 94 Toyota Corolla DX. During the last few days Ive
experienced a start-up problem. I have to turn the key 7-8 times then
the starter works. I demonstrated this to a mechanic and he told me that
this is a starter problem and needs to be replaced but suddenly everything
is fine. My car has been starting for the 1st try. I cannot come to a
conclusion-what should I do? ...Dipak
A:
I tend to agree with your mechanic. But before you replace the starter,
you may want to check the connections on the starter for looseness or
corrosion. Your Toyota, like most vehicles today, has 2 wires to
the starter. One is a large cable that comes from the battery. This cable
has to be large to carry all the electricity needed by the starter to
crank the engine. The other is a smaller wire that is the signal or command
wire. This wire carries the signal from the ignition switch which tells
the starter to crank the engine. It is not uncommon for the signal wire,
which has a plug type connection, to loosen up or be affected by corrosion.
The simple act of wiggling the wiring to the starter may be enough to
makes things work (no starter problems) for a while if there is a connection
issue. If the connection issues have been addressed and your starter still
goes into untimely fits then have the starter replaced. After all, it
has been working nearly 10 years, it may be time to retire the starter
for a fresh rebuilt.
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