1988 Toyota Cambry occasional starting problem--when it won't start all I get is a single click when turning the ignition. Sometimes after persistent attempts it will start, always with plenty of power. It will always start with a jump. My battery is new, my starter is new. I was suspecting the solonoid but the auto parts store said it will not act like that, they refused to exchange my starter. What baffles me is the starting when I get a jump. Logic tells me it must be the battery but I've had it checked by the seller(Walmart) and they say it's good. Regardless of what might be wrong with it other than the battery, it doesn't make sense to me that I can jump start it. Wouldn't any starting problem still exist during the jumping process. Help.

Mickey

Hi, Mickey,
Have you considered taking it to a reputable mechanic? NOT a dealer; they charge an "arm and a leg", like $60 an hour for just labor, in some areas.
Persons working at auto parts stores are not mechanics; if they were, that's what they would be doing, making much more money.
Ask around about a good mechanic, and he/she can probably find the problem in 10 mintues; saving you a lot of time trying to keep looking. I have no idea what the problem is, and a computer hooked up to it can find it in no time.
I do wish you the best, and good luck.

I just had a similar problem with my daughter's car. The car would only click, but it would take a boost. We bought it into our shop and they diagnosed a problem with the belts not being properly tensioned. That could be the problem in your case.

They replaced a belt and the battery for a cost of under $400.

Just a point on the labor costs mentioned. There is actually a book on that. Most jobs on a car are listed in the book with the standard time element. For example: changing a fan belt might be listed as one hour. Most shops (including dealers) use this book to set pricing. Whether the job takes a half hour or 2 hours, they will charge labor on the basis of the book. So the difference becomes the hourly labor charge, which varies regionally. What generally causes dealers to charge higher than independent shops is that dealers will use genuine manufacturer parts. Such parts are usually a higher cost.

HI,
Just a point about the previous answer.
Dealers' Service do charge "by the book". My giving some estimated hourly labor costs was merely to show that Dealers' Service is much more expensive than most good independent mechanics, with their own garage or shop.
Here in our local area, the best, and most reputable mechanics, will do the job for about 1/2 the cost of a Dealers' Shop!
The only time most of us take any vechicle to a Dealers' Shop is when the manufacturer will NOT release maintenance or "fix" information to independent mechanics... that means one has to go to a dealer.
Manufacturers' Name Parts are generally twice the cost of other replacement parts; with the other replacement parts working just as well.

Its not just Dealer's Service that charge by the book. Almost all mechanics do, whether a dealer shop, a national chain or a local independent. The difference, as I mentioned, is generally regional. In my area, there is not a big difference between the hourly charges at a dealer, a national chain or local shop. Usually less than $10 an hour.

There is, sometimes, an advantage in going to the dealer since, their mechanics are often specifically trained on their vehicles. While other mechanics are trained more generically. I'm not advocating going to a dealer, just the opposite. I'm just trying to explain the facts.

I just had this exact problem with my '88 Toyota 4X4 P/U.

Another problem was that when the starter did engage (after many clicks) the engine was flooded because the injectors give a shot of fuel every time the starter relay is energized.

I checked my battery it is OK. The mechanic said a new starter- but when the starter did engage, it seemed OK.

After cleaning all the battery and starter connections, I disconnected the control wire to the starter. Again, I tried to start with the control wire disconnecte and the starter just clicked as before- but now I knew the clicking was not from the solenoid! I cleaned the control wire to the starter and presto, problem fixed!

bhayne,
I'm going to check that out; sounds like it has possibilities. I have experienced the flooding. Let you know how it turned out.

Mickey