Hello All,

I've got a 1999 Camry V6 LE that has been a very dependable car. The other day it would not start. I initially suspected that it was my battery as I have replaced the battery twice before. I was a little skeptical though since the electrical system still seemed to work fine when I turned the key. I hooked up some jumper cables and was able to start it.

After this, I went and had my battery checked and it tested OK.

When I turn the ignition key, I hear a very low volume whine which I assume is my starter. I don't hear any clicking, not that I ever heard clicking before when it started properly. I'm assuming that if my starter was bad, I would not have been able to start the car when it was being jumped.

I presume this leaves the alternator? Can somebody please give me some pointers on how to troubleshoot further? I'm pretty low on funds right now, so I'd like to do whatever I can myself before taking it into a shop if at all. I'd also like to avoid purchasing the wrong part. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Thanks in advance!

Most people ignore the obvious and basics, not having a decent grounding on how electrical systems work. I'll bet that 20% of all batteries out there have been unnecesarily replaced over the past 100 years.

Yes, the battery has to be good. You verify that by charging it and load testing it. A lot of places will do it for you free.

You then remove the battery from the car and clean it with either soap or water from a garden hose, being careful not to get any of it in the battery filler holes. The battery is now squeaky clean. In a charged state, the liquid level is now at the split ring level (under the filler caps), right?

Battery holding plates offen become an ugly mess. Any corrosion has to be cleaned up and treated. Some people apply grease or oil afterwards.

Next you clean the terminals with either a wire brush or special tool so they are in factory new condition. You do the same thing with the battery terminals. On Toyotas, if cable ends are bad, you replace them with new TOYOTA ones because imitations are CRAPPY IMITATIONS.
(Of course you did use a battery terminal remover and didn't pound on the terminals with a hammer, right)! (Terminal removers are not always needed on Japanese cars because they usually come off easily with a 10 mm wrench.)

Battery terminals are cleaned similarly, badly corroded or damaged cables are replaced, preferably with factory originals. The point is they must be in good condition, and MUST make good electrical contact at critical points: grounds, starter connections, etc; they must be CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN and sufficiently tight. It is permissable to coat terminals with dieelectric compound (for better electrical conduction) or perhaps grease (to impede corrosion on cable surfaces)

Remember you are trying to get perhaps as much as 175 amps out of that car battery for up to 5 seconds. That current will not pass through high resistance.

This is the car's condition when it is new. This is the condition which makes cars reliable. Sadly it is hard to find servicing facilities that are are thorough as what I have just described.

Only after this is done do you start looking at starters. Most modern starters are highly reliable. Good quality ones are rarely replaced more than once in a 15 year cycle.

Quick check on alternators. The garage equipment is preferable because it measures voltage and actual current output, but frankly you can put a cheap $5.00 multimeter on a 20 volt DC scale and if it measures 13.5 - 14.8 volts running with a tight belt, you can be 98% sure the alternator is fine.

I know what I am talking about even though I am not a Toyota Mechanic.

Wow! Thank you for these very detailed instructions on how to properly clean up a battery. If I had known this, I probably could have recovered my past two batteries! When I took in my battery to Sears this most recent time, they detected a crack in the top and ended giving me a brand new battery because it was still under warantee. It didn't seem to make any difference - I still was not able to start the car.

I ended up buying a starter repair kit off of Ebay. I pulled out my starter and took it apart. The solenoid looks fine. The copper ring and plunger look sort of worn. I've yet to replace these with the repair kit components which have not arrived yet.

I'll let you know if the repair kit does the trick.

Thanks very much for your help.