is the starter gone?

[Clip]

so i went down to start the supra tonight, only to find it refused to turn over.

i turned the key and all i got was a rapid clicking sound. a few more tries and occassionally the headlights would pop up and then disappear again.

the thing is, i added a little oil last night and let it run for a few minutes. would this have had anything to do with it, or did my starter just give out?

after a few searches, i went and checked all connections, tapped on the starter with a hammer and rolled it back and forth some. couldn't seem to find the ground, though, to check that.

1. is it common for the starter to just give out immediately?
2. where is the ground for the starter located?
3. can anyone point me where to look for a write-up on how to replace the starter, if i need to?

 

[SupraDerk]

Check your battery. Did you leave your dome lights on or car on "Accessory" or anything that could run the battery down? I did both the things llisted a couple times and after either jumping it or letting it sit for a day it started up.

 

[Clip]

battery is ok, everything electronic runs fine, and my volt meter is reading a full 12 volts.

 

[Yellow 13]

You might have tripped the security.

Theres a way you reset it by locking/unlocking the door in a certain order but I forgot it.

Also check to make sure that the little clip didnt fall off of the starter.

The ground for the starter is on the bottom of starter opposite side of the transmission. You can follow it to the starter from the battery if you have to.


Replacing the starter isnt all that hard. I disconnect the battery, take off the starter clip and ground, undo the bolt I can from the top, then jack the car up and get the other bolt from the bottom. Installings the exact same thing just backwards.

You should be able to figure it out pretty easy.

 

[SupraDerk]

The alarm wouldn't even allow the started to engage (click) though IIRC

 

[Clip]

yeah, with security the car won't even turn over. it freaked me the hell out a few days after i got the car before i realized what happened.

what's the little clip that might have fallen off the starter?

 

[Yellow 13]

Correct, I was thinking of the three clicks from the ECU side for some reason.

Check the clips and if its not starting you can take the starter to autozone/pepboys/kragen... and they can test it for you.

IIRC one click was bad starter solenoid.

 

[Clip]

hm
well this is a helluva lot of clicks. and what's the clip? where's it go and what's it do

 

[turbo4toy]

I have a starter i will sell you cheap from a 91 5spd if you want it.

 

[Yellow 13]

what's the little clip that might have fallen off the starter?

Theres a brown single wire clip that goes down to the starter and clips in right next to the starter ground. I think its probally connected if your getting a response from the starter

 

[Clip]

that's the thing. i think its the solenoid thats doing the clicking, not the starter. but im not sure...

 

[Yellow 13]

Oh yeah, check your battery terminals, they can get some nasty oxidation on the nodes you might not see. It sometimes just forms overnight on my moms car and we get the normal volt reading but the car wont start.

 

[Clip]

will it still have enough juice to click the 'noid?

 

[Yellow 13]

With my moms car yes. Simply take off the terminals and check for some white crusty powder stuff. Its easy to remove, you can scrape it off with a fingernail if you want.

 

[SupraDerk]

It could have an effect. If that shite builds up then the resistance at the terminal builds up and lowers the amount of current that flows past there. If there's too much resistance there and not enough cranking amps, then no start for you!

 

[cjsupra90]

check and clean all the battery connections.

Dont worry about the little brown clip. if that was not connected, you wouldn't get the rapid clicking.

If all connections are tight and clean, then its either the started itself or the battery. Also the battery can have 12v in it and still not have the amperage to start the car. You should have the battery load tested.

 

[Clip]

yeah just rememberd the batt connections. my ac mechanic had them off when he was putting hte new compressor in and didn't tighten them. i cleaned em off real well and packed it full of dielectric grease, started right up.

wned:

thanks for everyone's time, sorry about wasting it. but when the starter DOES go out, ill know what to do.

 

[SupraDerk]

refer to post #2 :bigthumb:

 

[Clip]

like i said: wned:

my checking the battery usually consists of "yep, its there, and its got a few wires around it."

i gotta start looking for the easy way around things, but with this car, its usually never that easy.

 

[emperorjoker]

I'm not sure if the will work with the supra or not, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't, with every other car I have owned if it ever started making the clicking noise you describe taping the solenoid a few times with something solid like a wrench (just don't tap it hard) will usually cause it to start working again, if this works then you know that's what the problem is, the way you can know if its the starter is usually it will take longer to start your car, but as it gets slower over time you'll never notice this until you put in the new starter and you just practically look at the ignition and it starts. I wish that I could help you as far as where to look for the solenoid but I don't have a clue on a supra, a few of the ones that I have seen are mounted to the starter, but on some of the cars I have owned they were mounted on the inside of the engine compartment near the battery.

If this does work, don't delay in getting a new solenoid because its on its last legs.

Hope this helps