help! my car won't start

[offroadinfrontier]

2001 Solara SLE V6, never had a single problem with this car... drove it yesterday, it's been starting just fine save one incident a while ago (it cranked and sounded like it died, so i went to start it again but the engine fired back up and the starter made a grinding sound). It's ran fine and started with no problem since, until this morning. We've had a lot of rain lately, so I've been driving my other car. Went to start it, and nothing......

1. The battery isn't dead, radio works, but I still tried to jump it with no luck (I have a Yellow Top that's only a few months old).
2. No cranking! no clicks, no anything. With key at ACC, everything is fine, no weird lights, everything works, including aftermarket radio and subwoofer.
3. No codes.. I have a ScanGaugeII with no reports. The only thing it shows is my Voltage at 11.9-12.1, lower than avg, but i wouldn't know what it is usually at when the engine isn't on, I don't sit in it with the engine off.
4. No mess under the hood. I've kept the engine bay clean, i can't see anything disconnected, frayed, or worn....
5. No blown fuses! I checked every fuse under the hood and below the steering wheel....
6. The only thing wrong with the car is the squeaky accesory belts/timing belt, but the squeak was barely noticeable with the hood down.

I'm at a loss! I've used the battery to jump a few other cars a few weeks ago (long story), but it's been a while since then, besides, the Yellow Top I got is warrantied even if it completely drains multiple times... I thought it might be the security system, so I tried my other key. it doesn't have a chip, but from past experience, it will still crank the engine, but the fuel won't pump.

Any help would be appreciated!! I just got a new job and College is about to start soon, I really need my car

[MCOjerry]

Bad starter? Just grasping at straws here...

[NRDriver]

bad starter most likey ^^^^^

[offroadinfrontier]

thats what i figured, but wouldnt i get some sort of heads-up? or at least a bit of sound from it trying?

[Akfahad]

^^depends on how bad it's crapped itself. If it's completely $hit the bed there won't be any noise.

[offroadinfrontier]

>_< bah... how hard is a starter to install on our Solaras?

[aleki2424]

most likely a jammed starter, and yes , you will need another one.
as an experiment , try hitting the starter with something hard, like a mallet or something. just two or three stiff knocks should do it, then try starting it. that should at least get it to ...., and save you $$$$ on towing. , at least till it gets to the mech.
good luck

[offroadinfrontier]

no luck with that... how do i determine if its the starter, solenoid, or both?

[Sebas007]

I had a similar problem with my '93 Camry.

The only difference is that I was hearing a "click" sound coming from somewhere under the hoodwhen I was turning the key. The problem was the contact of the wire that brings the power from the battery to the starter. The contact wasn't clean...so sometimes it started sometimes not. Try to find a wire going to your starter coming from the battery. Check if the contact is good. Take of the plug and check the inner brackets if they are making contact properly.

[onefiend]

no luck with that... how do i determine if its the starter, solenoid, or both?

Go to Autozone, they do free check ups of your starter, battery, and alternator.

[Chinky420]

sounds like a starter issue

most of the people who've responded are right on as far as figuring out and fixing the problem

tap it w/ a mallet, sometimes the crank (or w/e the moving part is) gets stuck, and needs to be jarred a bit to loosen up

doesn't sound like a battery issue at all

the removal/install of the starter shouldn't be too hard (though i'm not totally positive, i've changed a starter on a 96 bmz z3, and an 83 280zx, both of which involved removing a couple wires, and unscrewing a couple screws). if the car doesn't start for you, then remove the starter and take it to autozone for testing.

after re-reading that you tried the tapping, then you're probably going to have to replace the starter.

good luck
~kwan

[Cdn_Solara]

But in my opinion it might be the battery too...my car had the same problem...sound system an lights and all were workin juss fine except for the car startin....got it boosted an saw some acid smokin off the battery...so went to the dealer an got a new batter...thank god the car starts fine now....check yur battery...an finally switch the starter

[tito53]

put it in neutral, push the car about 3-5 feet, then put it back on park and try to start it again. if it starts that way then its not the battery...

[offroadinfrontier]

i have an automatic.. but ive got the pocket money to replace the starter now (yay), so now i get to find out how to remove it

[offroadinfrontier]

it wasn't the starter!! took the starter to autozone, it tested great. i was happy and mad at the same time... just out of curiosity, i started messing around where the ignition key cylinder is, and what pops up? a cheap-o aftermarket alarm that's been sitting in there for god-knows how long.

no namebrand, model number, buil-in motion sensors, remote start, anything! just a starter kill, and some weird plug-in module for hooking up to the windows and door locks that wasn't hooked to anything, even though our cars have basic alarms with remote keyless and starter kill... but whatever.

unhooked it, and it started up like nothing was wrong. !! bah. well, at least i cleaned off all my connections and straightened out my +12 wiring a bit.

thanks for all the advice! i guess next time i buy a used car, my first step will be to look for this kinda stuff. im afraid of what other cheap-o, partially installed (or partially uninstalled) equipment i might find lying around.... o_O