1997 Toyota Avalon XLS
245,000 miles
I've got a 97 Avalon that has just developed a strange problem. The ignition key turns but doesn't start the starter motor. Battery voltage is good, but a strange thing that tells me it's something other than the starter is that the lights on the dashboard are barely lit. I keep turning it again and again and got to the point where the dash lights are now lit fully, and when I turn it now I can barely hear the starter motor try to start to turn, but it doesn't turn. The light on the door (when I open the door) fully lights up (so I know voltage is getting to some parts of the car). But this is where it gets really weird: when I turn the key in the door lock to lock and unlock the door (power locks) this is not working properly either! (it is audibly activating but the locks are not moving well, like barely any power is getting to them). What could cause both the ignition and the door lock power to no longer function properly?
the lights on the dashboard are barely lit. I keep turning it again and again and got to the point where the dash lights are now lit fully,
well that sounds like a bad ignition switch
Battery voltage is good, but a strange thing that tells me it's something other than the starter is that the lights on the dashboard are barely lit.
It might be good, just sitting there. It actually counts when there is a load applied to it. 12.7 volts static can go down to 10 volts when there's a load being applied. Lights are among the most minor loads in the car. The starter is by far the most energy intensive object in your car. Have you ever started the car with a door open? All of the voltage goes straight to the starter when it's starting the car, the dome lights go out while starting it, and once it's running, it goes back the way it was.
You need two people, one to start the car, the other reads a multimeter set to voltage. Have one person attempt to start the car, the multimeter will show the real voltage when it's under a load.
How old is your battery?
So now I am wondering, is it just the starter? Because yesterday it wouldn't start with 12.7, but worked fine with 14.
Replace the battery. You were monitoring the other car's battery, which works properly (independent systems become one system when you're using jumper cables).
still wonder about the dash light dimming though, which happened at 12.7 volts. By the way, this dimming wasn't like a minor flicker, it was noticably dimming.
Odds are, the battery is the cause. If you drive short distances on a regular basis, the battery doesn't have time to fully recharge. That's around the time they start to go bad. If you tried to start the car and it didn't work (you said the voltage drops significantly, it's not supposed to do that.) A starter wouldn't start at all if it were at 14 volts and unable to start. The starter would be to blame for that.
A starter wouldn't start at all if it were at 14 volts and unable to start. The starter would be to blame for that.
I tried a new battery. I think the old battery was partly to blame. All the cabin electrical issues went away (door locks operate properly now, windows roll up and down, dash lights are fully lit now - which were all non-functional/slow/dim with the old battery, even at 12.7 volts)
However, I think there is an issue with the starter. When I tried to start it, it "clicked" three times before it finally started at all and it started with the new battery.
In my experience, if the voltage is low, the starter will try to turn the engine, the engine just won't start.
What is clicking? Is it mechanically starting to "stick"? Or is the solenoid not moving? I'll test it.
I've never had a bad starter, but this is 26 years old now.
well that sounds like a bad ignition switch
That is what I initially thought, but with the new battery fixing all the cabin problems, and the problem with the "clicking" starter still remains, I'm zeroing in on the starter.
I was able to get it started yesterday, when I used jumper cables with another car. I checked the voltage before I was able to start it ~14 volts (the other car was running) and it started right up.
When I was having trouble with this yesterday, the battery had 12.77 volts (when it wouldn't start at first). But as I kept trying it, the voltage was going down (that is the actual cause of the door lock thing I believe). I still wonder about the dash light dimming though, which happened at 12.7 volts. By the way, this dimming wasn't like a minor flicker, it was noticably dimming. The Battery is 4 years old.
So now I am wondering, is it just the starter? Because yesterday it wouldn't start with 12.7, but worked fine with 14. Maybe it is just going bad and starting to require more power (hence the dimming), but it still works if it gets 14 volts. I'm going to pull it out and bench test it.
If you tried to start the car and it didn't work (you said the voltage drops significantly, it's not supposed to do that.)
I didn't mean the voltage drop when turning the key at the moment of attempting to start the car, I meant the battery was drained after trying it 20 or so times.
That's what I thought you meant. It seems like you've pretty much nailed it down to the starter. Is the starter the original one?
The starter says "Denso, Remanufactured in the U.S.A". I am the second or third owner of the car.
Before I get into the starter though, I'm going to charge and test the old battery in my other car (which uses the same battery) just to confirm that it is not just the battery.
I appreciate all your responses.