Hello everyone, I hope someone can help! I have a 2004 Toyota corolla, automatic with 185.000 miles. So at the moment, the vehicle is acting as if it had a dead battery. so, I proceed to jumpstart with the portable ones. It sometimes starts and others it doesn't do anything but make the dash lights (the symbols and the like) and clock turn on when I turn key to the on position(the one before the crank position). When it starts the car turns off in like a few seconds. I've check the battery current with a multimeter. It reads at 12.6 without the jumpstarter , and around 15 with the jumpstarter on the battery. To clarify, when I turn the key to on without the jumpstarter, the dashlights and all other electronics act as if the battery was dead, then I put the jumpstarter and things act normal, and act kind of random when I try to crank the car, it may start, make a clicking noise or do nothing. So what I've noticed is that after a few minutes of not trying to turn the key into on, and I then try to start. the car will start, but then dies. Then I try again and it wont. After letting it rest then try again with the jumpstarter it will start and then die again. Last thing I noticed was when I was packing up. I took off the jumpstarter and had the key in on the on position, as I mentioned the dash lights will not be on and the the beeping of having the key in with the door open would not work. However, after the jumpstarter was off, the ligths went off but a few seconds later the lights turned on and so did the beeping. So I tried to start it and it did a clicking noise. I'm not very familiar with the electrical circuits of this car, the labels on the fuses boxes dont seem to have a ignition relay or a fuse or something like that. I cant find the diagrams online. I have a feeling its the ignition switch, but not sure, could be alternator. I'm hoping someone here can give me an idea or a hand. Thank you for reading and your time.
Check the battery terminals for corrosion and loose terminals. But since you said those are good. I would go with starter and alternator. Make sure the terminals for those are not corroded and make sure the electricity is passing smoothly. Also make sure those terminals are tightly connected. Battery tester that tests cold cranking amps read more accurate readings than a volt meter. I've learned this from my experience. Test with a tester that reads battery, alternator and starter. I have the Topdon artibattery 101 and it checks out everything. Scotty Kilmer actually reviewed it in his YouTube channel few years ago and that's how I knew about it. Check for relays , fuses , things like that. There are fuses in the engine bay and inside the steering wheel. And the fuses in the engine bay they have fuses behind the fuse box as well. So make sure you check all the fuses. You can test fuses with a fuse tester. Or maybe if you disconnect the battery the computer needs to relearn that could also be the problem. You can reset the computer and relearn by driving couple of miles or there are videos on YouTube on how to do it. Good luck and keep us updated.
@shone200 please copy + paste your response in the correct spot, thanks.
This is the 3rd time for @shone200
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/i-got-scammed-by-new-fuel-pump/
Check the terminals on the battery and make sure they are clean and the battery cables are tight. I would hope that is the issue, but you got a lot of odd things going on.
Test the battery voltage after 10 minutes or so of doing anything to it, sometimes they will show more voltage just after getting a surge from a jump starter, but will drop quickly. Not sure if you had tested the battery right after jump starting it or not.
Make sure the connector to the alternator is plugged in good, I had a friend with a corolla that it had slipped out a bit and at first I thought she had a dead alternator. With the power going off and then back on, I would lean toward a loose power cable more than an alternator issue.
The clicking noise could indicate a dying starter, but with the odd power issues, I would think it is pointing to it not getting enough power to turn over.
As for the power being off and then randomly deciding to work, hopefully some pros will chime in.
I know my car has gone wild. Thanks! I think I checked the connectors and they seemed to be sit in properly. Ill double check. Unfortunately the terminals are good and clean. So time to dive in and become a professional car electrician to fix this.
Assuming all the electrical connections from battery to starter is good, you need to have a good, charged battery first. At least charge it up, regardless. Then check batt voltage. Should be over 12V. Turn on headlights and measure batt. Voltage should not fall too much (it depends), say no more than 10-11v. Try cranking the engine. Battery should maintain above around 9.5V. If you battery can't hold the voltage I mentioned above, It's likely that your battery is bad.
If your battery is holding good voltage while trying to crank the engine, then measure the voltage at the starter while trying to crank. Try not to complicate thing by using a jump starter during this test.
You may have some other things going on, but start there first.
