1989 Camry.... Starter problems?

[JOET/CAMRY]

Hello,

I own a 1989 Camry 4 cylinder with 238,000 miles on it. Three days ago when the weather was very very cold I went to start it up and heard dead silence when I turned the key. No click or anything. The altenator is putting out 14.2 volts and the battery is less than a year old. It's actually a very powerful for the car. It has like 900 CCA and 1000 CA.

I opened the hood and tapped on the starter a few times and had my girlfriend turn the key and that did the trick. It started right up after that.

I know that worn starter contacts can cause a starter not to engage but I'm not sure that the contacts are to blame.
It was the first time the starter (original from 1989) ever gave me problems. I never even heard a click from it before this non start problem.

I was wondering if It's possible or a good/bad idea to spray wd-40 inside the starter to to help clean it and to remove any moisture from inside it if any. I was thinking maybe some condensation got in there and froze and prevented the starter solenoid from engaging the starter. any advise is appreciated.

Regards,
JOET/CAMRY

[discnik]

If this is the origonal starter I would definetly replace it and let it go to the big starter hunting grounds with grace and dignity.

[Brian R.]

Replace the contacts in the starter if you want to take a low-buck approach. They are very likely to be the problem. Replacing the starter is a crapshoot unless you buy a really high quality rebuilt or new unit. There are no guarantees that the rebuilder replaced the solenoid contacts and you may shortly or immediately be where you are now.

Don't spray anything inside the starter. The mechanism that is possibly sticking is inside the solenoid.

[Mail Clerk]

Joet,

My 89' Camry starter is the origional too and recently I had the battery replaced and shortly after that my car wouldn't start unless I gave it a battery boost. I now wonder if my starter is going south too. I may just have the delaership replace mine just in case. Thanks for sharing your info.

Mail Clerk

[RIP]

Forget the spray. Change the contacts. It's probably easier to change the starter but, 90% of what you're throwing away is still good. 99% of the time the only thing that goes bad in these starters is the solenoid contacts.

I changed the original contacts on my daughter's 94 about a year ago. At least half of the contact area was worn away. When that happens, the plunger has to travel beyond what it was designed to creating intermittent no starts. I bought a kit for $25 with shipping off the net. It included contacts, a plunger and spring. I'll try to find it again. Removing the starter, changing the parts and reinstalling took about two hours. No special tools needed beyond metric sockets.

Found it: http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/densoparts.html

Bet it's cold in Mass. Carry a hammer with you and wait till spring.

[JOET/CAMRY]

Originally Posted by RIP

Forget the spray. Change the contacts. It's probably easier to change the starter but, 90% of what you're throwing away is still good. 99% of the time the only thing that goes bad in these starters is the solenoid contacts.

I changed the original contacts on my daughter's 94 about a year ago. At least half of the contact area was worn away. When that happens, the plunger has to travel beyond what it was designed to creating intermittent no starts. I bought a kit for $25 with shipping off the net. It included contacts, a plunger and spring. I'll try to find it again. Removing the starter, changing the parts and reinstalling took about two hours. No special tools needed beyond metric sockets.

Found it: http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/densoparts.html

Bet it's cold in Mass. Carry a hammer with you and wait till spring.

Thanks for the info RIP and Brian R. I looks like i'll be replacing the starter contacts. Thanks for the link for the starter contact kit. It looks like they recomend replacing the plunger and spring along with the starter contacts. they must wear out too.

Yea, it's pretty cold this time of year in MA. Not much fun to be working on cars unless you have a heated garage. I think I'll just get it over and done with. Don't really want to be opening the hood and banging on the starter everytime I want the car to start.

So, hows the weather there in CA. Like 90 fahrenheit.

Regards,
JOET/CAMRY

[RIP]

Originally Posted by JOET/CAMRY

Thanks for the info RIP and Brian R. I looks like i'll be replacing the starter contacts. Thanks for the link for the starter contact kit. It looks like they recomend replacing the plunger and spring along with the starter contacts. they must wear out too.

Yea, it's pretty cold this time of year in MA. Not much fun to be working on cars unless you have a heated garage. I think I'll just get it over and done with. Don't really want to be opening the hood and banging on the starter everytime I want the car to start.

So, hows the weather there in CA. Like 90 fahrenheit.

Regards,
JOET/CAMRY

Been in the fridged 60s and 70s the last few weeks. I mowed the lawn last weekend. Couple of beads of sweat broke out on my forehead. Life is hell at times.

[Brian R.]

Man, I feel for you. It has to get better....