Starting problems

[jwk316]

Hello. My fiance is having trouble with her 97 Toyota Corolla. First off we have replaced the starter a month back and a few weeks after that the car did the same thing. What the problem is, is the car will not turn over or nothing every once in a while. We could start it at 8am and drive it to class and back fine. If we go to work and back and than go to start it, it sometimes will act up. It almost seems as if when the car gets warm and has been driving a while it will act up. You turn the key and you get nothing, but all the electronics still work and such. If she turns the key though I listen carefully and I can hear something running when she turns it. You can also here the tick tick tick when you turn the key. It is a really weird situation and my assumption is either a bad ground wire or possibly the starter switch... Someone also told me that the battery could be weak once it gets warm and acts up. I do not know. Any ideas fokes? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[72chevelleOhio]

If you hear something running when the key is turned to "start" then its possible the starter solenoid is bad. That sometimes will fail and let the starter turn over but not engage the flywheel to crank the engine...

The starter could have went bad for a number of reasons.....did you get the cheapest junk the auto parts store sells?

or for some odd reason you put a header on it and the starter is getting heat soaked...

Was it having the same problem before you replaced the starter?

[jwk316]

Yes it was doing the same thing before replacing the starter. Me and my father diagnosed the problem a little further and replaced the starter relay. We will wait and see if it acts up again, but I do not know. We brought the car back to where the starter was put in and the car didnt act up for them. Really weird situation but I think it is something electrical, not the starter itself or switch or ground. It acted up for me and my father after pulling out relays. That is why we went with the starter relay. Anything else if this does not fix the problem?

[J-Ri]

All you can do is test it the next time it acts up, if it's working, there's nothing you can do. Just start checking for power at the starter, and work your way to the ignition switch.