1994 Toyota camry wont start
Asked by newstart0429 Feb 24, 2016 at 10:30 PM about the 1994 Toyota Camry LE
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
my car will only start is to directly connect a wire from starter solenoid to
the positive part of the battery. I have replaced the starter a month ago, the
ignition switch is brand new, a brand new starter relay, brand new battery
cables and terminals and the battery is fully charged. there is current
running from the wire that connects from the solenoid to the relay i checked
both ends with a meter. why will it only turn over when one wire is directly
connected as said above and no other way. im beyond frustrated and cant
figure this out.
11 Answers
If you have access to a volt meter, test the hot side of your alternator while the car is running. If not putting out 13.5-14.2 volts, it may not be charging your battery to full capacity. I would also take the car for a spin and then put the volt meter on the battery terminals with the engine off and see what the battery reads for volts. If below 12, it's not charging properly. Just something to check. Post back with findings........
migration_Lastchance... answered 8 years ago
What COLOR is the wire at the starter motor where the jumper wire is attached? Look closely...it might have a colored strip included.
newstart0429 answered 8 years ago
the power wire for the starter is thick black and red. the solenoid wire to the relay box was thin black and red
migration_Lastchance... answered 8 years ago
Suggest you Google "1994 Camry Wiring Diagram"...and download the free PFD file. There you will find a wiring circuit for the start system. You will then have to remove the Start Relay and check voltages at the 4 connections while the relay is REMOVED and someone is in the vehicle to assist you. You should see 12v at terminals 3 and 1 when your assistant attempts to start the vehicle in park. Terminal 2 is connected to ground and you should see near zero volts. Terminal 5 goes to the starter motor and will only show a voltage when the relay is INSTALLED and activated. Hope this helps.
When you say it won't start, is it cranking the engine over or when you turn the key you get nothing at all?
migration_Lastchance... answered 8 years ago
"No Crank Dead Noise"....IMO...the relay in question is not being activated. You need to get to the relay connector and run voltage tests.
I had the same exact issue with two of my older Toyota's. My '89 4X4 and my '95 Camry. Would start fine one day, the next day nothing. No crank at all. Wait a few hours, and it would start. Since the vehicles were so old, I didn't want to spend a ton of money fixing the issue. I figured it was either the distributor, or the ignition module that was bad. So I took a test light and found my ignition wire. I then installed a push button over ride under the dash. I ran the ignition wire to the button and then a wire from the button to the battery. If I turned the key and the vehicle failed to start, I would then just push the button and bang, vehicle would start without fail. It may be something to consider if you don't want to spend any more money. Keep us posted on your progress. I never found out what my issue really was. This is a common issue with older Toyota's. Would be nice to know what the issue really is. My buddy claims that it's the coil in the bottom of the distributor that caused the issue in his truck. But I wasn't going to spend the money on another one to see if he was right. I just ran a jumper.
