Clicking When Trying To Start?!

[99svtvenom]

Well I have a couple of problems to address but I will save the next one for another topic. Sometimes our 98 ls400 will just click when you go to start it. It has a new battery and the battery has plenty of power. when you turn the key you will here a click. I stuck my head under the hood and listended and you could here 3 things clicking 1. the starter 2. the fuse box (a relay maybe) and 3. something else possibly by the starter. Is there any common problems with these cars clicking when starting or anything you guys might know of!!??? Sometimes it starts right up and sometimes it will just click it is an inconsistent problem. we have had the car for 2 weeks and we are already fixing fixing fixing with only 70,000 miles! If the starter was bad would it sometimes start and sometimes not? I hav read about this dreaded click but this our problem will click a few times then start!!

[RFeldes]

I see you have a new battery...The posts and terminals have to be clean as a whistle and on tite....on the ls's. I would doubt it's the starter at 70k on a 430 at least I hope not.

[Nickhere]

Well I have a couple of problems to address but I will save the next one for another topic. Sometimes our 98 ls400 will just click when you go to start it. It has a new battery and the battery has plenty of power. when you turn the key you will here a click. I stuck my head under the hood and listended and you could here 3 things clicking 1. the starter 2. the fuse box (a relay maybe) and 3. something else possibly by the starter. Is there any common problems with these cars clicking when starting or anything you guys might know of!!??? Sometimes it starts right up and sometimes it will just click it is an inconsistent problem. we have had the car for 2 weeks and we are already fixing fixing fixing with only 70,000 miles! If the starter was bad would it sometimes start and sometimes not? I hav read about this dreaded click but this our problem will click a few times then start!!

Odd, sounds like a loose or corroded ground wire, the one that comes off the negative post of the battery. Where it connects to the block.

[ghenley]

I have a 98 LS and have the same or a similar problem. I've taken it to 2 independents and the dealer, but the problem never happens when the car is there. I even had to have it towed to the dealer who had it for a week and it started every time for the dealer. I'm don't know what else to do. The battery is new and the terminals are clean. I'll check the ground wire next.

Greg

[99svtvenom]

yeah i cant see it being the starter even though anything is possible, i would be really P'd Off if it was as we bought one with low miles to try and avoid problems. I will trace all these ground wires and clean them off. I will try and post pics up like i did with my brake noise post. Also if this helps it only does it once in awhile and seems to do it more so after it has been sitting for awhile.

[99svtvenom]

I have a 98 LS and have the same or a similar problem. I've taken it to 2 independents and the dealer, but the problem never happens when the car is there. I even had to have it towed to the dealer who had it for a week and it started every time for the dealer. I'm don't know what else to do. The battery is new and the terminals are clean. I'll check the ground wire next.

Greg

I will try and keep your username in mind as if I clean all these grounds off and it works i will let you know. as if you find out the problem try and let me know too! :)

Anyone else out there have this problem and get it fixed!?

[99svtvenom]

well i have an update on the situation. the problem has gotten worse over the last half day. it was just doing this once every other day or so and now its doing it almost two or three times a day. i pulled the battery terminals off and cleaned them and no difference. i unbolted the fuse panel under the hood and moved it around and it started but it may have just been a coincedence. when the starters on these cars go bad to they just flat out go bad and not work anymore or can they give this issue of clicking and then starting? also we parked the car in the driveway and turned it off then on about 15 times without the incidence occuring then when she went out in the morning it did it again. PLEASE HELP WE JUST GOT THE CAR AND WE ARE ABOUT TO SAY HELL WITH IT!!!

[RFeldes]

99.. I only posted because I had the same problem with my 90 LS , new battery clean posts etc...turned out my negative was not tite on the negative post. Turn the connector at the post on the battery. If it moves you got it. A lot of juice to start these cars. Good Luck.

[McSwine]

The clicking noise is what my car did before the starter crapped out.

[lenore]

The clicking may very well be a bad starter solenoid contacts:

see this site for explanation:

http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/instructions.html

Unfortunately to get to the starter is a real challenge on the LS....and all other V-8 powered Toyota products. Not for the faint of heart, but requires a lot of time and removeal of the intake manifold. good luck

[99svtvenom]

The clicking may very well be a bad starter solenoid contacts:

see this site for explanation:

http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/instructions.html

Unfortunately to get to the starter is a real challenge on the LS....and all other V-8 powered Toyota products. Not for the faint of heart, but requires a lot of time and removeal of the intake manifold. good luck

well i will be getting lucky on this one. the friend i bought it from said he would take the car back and get the clicking fixed the brakes fixed and anything else i could think of that needed fixed!!!! i will post updates when i get the car back of what was wrong.

[eatingupblacktop]

well i will be getting lucky on this one. the friend i bought it from said he would take the car back and get the clicking fixed the brakes fixed and anything else i could think of that needed fixed!!!! i will post updates when i get the car back of what was wrong.

Your friend must have been reading this forum or else he's the kind of friend we all would like to have. My guess like Lenore's is the solenoid contacts are worn. As has been mentioned, a lot of labor involved....so lucky is right.

Some tips you'll find in other threads: Be carefull removing all hoses and electrical connectors. Apply some grease to the starter gears. Make sure not to overtorque the manifold bolts. Use new gaskets and clean all gasket surfaces. Oh, and keep a set of lucky horseshoes in the trunk. ;)

[99svtvenom]

Your friend must have been reading this forum or else he's the kind of friend we all would like to have. My guess like Lenore's is the solenoid contacts are worn. As has been mentioned, a lot of labor involved....so lucky is right.

Some tips you'll find in other threads: Be carefull removing all hoses and electrical connectors. Apply some grease to the starter gears. Make sure not to overtorque the manifold bolts. Use new gaskets and clean all gasket surfaces. Oh, and keep a set of lucky horseshoes in the trunk. ;)

yeah he is a good friend I called him up and told him what it was doing and he said bring it on back and I will take care of it. Lately the car has been starting everytime with no problems. If the starter is bad would it click alot and then work again then clcik then work again back and forth? i thought when starters crapped out it was kind of an all or nothing kinda thing.

[wwest]

Your friend must have been reading this forum or else he's the kind of friend we all would like to have. My guess like Lenore's is the solenoid contacts are worn. As has been mentioned, a lot of labor involved....so lucky is right.

Some tips you'll find in other threads: Be carefull removing all hoses and electrical connectors. Apply some grease to the starter gears. Make sure not to overtorque the manifold bolts. Use new gaskets and clean all gasket surfaces. Oh, and keep a set of lucky horseshoes in the trunk. ;)

yeah he is a good friend I called him up and told him what it was doing and he said bring it on back and I will take care of it. Lately the car has been starting everytime with no problems. If the starter is bad would it click alot and then work again then clcik then work again back and forth? i thought when starters crapped out it was kind of an all or nothing kinda thing.

The clicking noise is generally the result of the starter solenoid having enough battery voltage "INITIALLY" available to pickup, engage, and then the additional HEAVY load, the starter motor, resulting from the contact clossure causes the battery CIRCUIT voltage to drop below the point wherein the solenoid will remain engaged, picked up. Repeat as necessary, click, click, click, click..........

Other than a LOW battery charge the battery circuit voltage most often drops because of an unusual level of circuit resistance...

Such as corroded battery post connections, loose connections, poor/failed/failing battery cell(s), etc.

On more rare occassions the starter has a shorted winding and is simply TOO great a load for the battery to "carry".

Sometimes, in this latter case the starter will finally turn over after a few tries.

And now the starter works again until by pure happenstance it comes to a stop on the shorted segment.

[RCRFAN3]

I replaced my starter @80,000 miles $755.00 at the dealer.

[dscabicky]

I had the same problem with my '90LS. The battery they sold me at Pep Boys had smaller-diameter posts than the old one and even with the terminals tightened all the way they were loose. Rather than buy another battery I replaced the terminals, which fixed the problem. Next time I'll take it to the dealer....I'd rather pay $25 more and get the right battery.

[SW03ES]

Its the starter...100%. Very common issue with the LS. I know a guy with a 98 that has like 240k on it and his does that maybe 2 out of 10 starts and he just sits there and plays with it until it finally starts. The cheapest estimate he got to replace the starter was $2200 which sounds wild n'crazy to me.

RCR, your dealer did it for less than $800? Really?!?

[landar]

venom, If its a single click, then its a corroded/worn starter solenoid contact (which is on the starter itself). If it

is a whole series of clicks, machine-gun style, when you turn the key, then it is a bad connection as wwest mentioned.

If it does turn out to be the starter, then you have to remove a considerable amount of 'stuff' to get at it. And this is where the labor

starts to add up. So, not to add to your dilemma, mind you, but you might ( I sezs 'might') give some thought to a timing belt/water pump

replacement while things are apart. At 10 years old and 70k miles, its time to start thinking about such dreaded issues. Carpe Diem!