Camry Will Not Start

40

Asked by garrettllpaw Apr 21, 2016 at 01:09 PM about the 2011 Toyota Camry LE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I own a 2011 Toyota Camry bought used in 2013 with a little over 35000 miles on it. I have had the vehicle not start once, which was August 2015 when the stock battery died and needed replacing. I have had no other issues with the vehicle.

I drove the vehicle on Sunday night without any issues or warnings. The next morning, my Camry would not start. The lights, display and radio all work perfectly but the engine will not turn over. It does not crank, and only gives a single click.

I attempted to jump start the car later in the day, but that failed with no change in the single click response. The battery might have been exceptionally low that a jump start would not work, so I placed the battery on a charger for a couple hours and attempted reinstalled it again the next day. There was still no change in response.

At this point I checked all the wires and connections. They were dirty so I cleaned them off, confirmed no disconnections and still had no change in response. The battery and connections all seem fine, so my thought was that the starter itself might be faulty.

I removed the stater and brought it to two different O'Rielly Autopart stores and have them test it. Mixed results while one claimed the starter was fine, and the other claimed it is faulty. I purchased a new starter, installed it and still no change in response.

I adjusted the gears to see if the safety switch on the Park/Neutral setting might have become no longer synchronized. No change in response.


My vehicle specifications are:
2011 Toyota Camry LE
4-Cylinder
61000 Miles
Battery is one year new. Starter is brand new. All other parts are stock and in excellent condition.

I have spent three days on this car and still cannot diagnose the problem. Any advice or assistance in this matter would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

6 Answers

41,725

1.Perform a voltage drop test on the starting system. Postive .05 drop. Negative side .02 drop This should be the first test before touching a starter! garrettllpaw Thanks, so much for the concise description of symptoms along with pertinent vehicle checks performed, an example of outstanding question presentation. I will do all I can to assist you diagnosing your 2011 Camry. Regards

3 people found this helpful.
40

Additional tests have been performed tonight. I used a battery from a 2015 Camry SE and had the same result. I did not perform a voltage drop test but with using a battery that is just as new as mine, and works perfectly fine in the SE, it does not seem to be any battery related issues. I tested the starter directly using two methods. First is connecting it directly to my battery using my jumper cables. This resulted in the starter pinion spinning, but it would not push out as it should to engage the fly wheel. The second test was to connect it all back into my car but keep the starter out to see what the pinion would do. This time it pushed out but did not spin. That click sound is the pinion pushing out against the fly wheel it would seem. My brother believes that the pinion is spinning the wrong direction as well. I do not know which way it is supposed to spin. Stores are now closed so further test with a new starter will be performed tomorrow.

1 people found this helpful.
40

Battery has been tested for weak/dying battery. Volts are steady and do not drop. The starter relay has been replaced, and still no change. Tested the wires and connections, the full 12.0+ volts reach the starter. Tested the starter, and gone through four starters, and still no change in the response. I have never come across an issue like this that all the possible culprits test 100% positive. I give. I am having the car towed to a shop soon. Of all the vehicles I have owned, I never had an issue that I could not diagnose.

2 people found this helpful.
41,725

garrettllpaw You did check the start RELAY and fuse? I suggest once again Perform a voltage drop test on the starting system. Postive .05 drop. Negative side .02 drop this DOES NOT just check static voltage! if the start circuit is not functional it will indicate so. 1. The car 2011 Camry 4 cyl MUST be CRANKING! it will apply power directly to the starter without energizing the ignition, have an assistant help or use a remote handheld contact switch connected to S terminal of starter. Connect your multi meter RED lead to battery + next connect Black- lead to starter POSITIVE B terminal at starter. You can test the POS side of circuit for current flow .05 or less OK. Next, NEG side of circuit remove RED lead + and connect to battery NEG side then remove the Black lead from B terminal to starter housing.. when cranking it will give a Negative number still the amount of voltage drop -0.2 OK, IF cranking and these numbers are OK...START RELAY or FUSE. Regards....

3 people found this helpful.
Best Answer Mark helpful
40

Auto_Centric, Your intuition was correct. I did test the battery for the voltage drop, but did not test the wires for the drop. It was confirmed to have been a wire that even though had been cleaned, had corrosion get beneath the plastic and eat at the copper wires. I am very far from being a mechanic or electrician so I had to research a lot, and I still don't understand a lot but the issue has been resolved.

1 people found this helpful.

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