Car clicking - update.

I posted a few weeks ago about my car just giving a single click and not starting. I charged up the flat-ish battery and it worked intermittantly.

Well tonight, it wouldn't start, so I turned off the heater fan and it started. It did the same thing 5 minutes later when I drove to the shops. The day before it wouldn't start for my wife and she just pressed the button on the alarm remote, then it started.

Weird science?

Possible "starter contacts" worn. Search other threads. I'm going through this now as well. I think it's the weather.

Turning off your heater fan, satnav, gauges, Radio etc just means more juice from the battery is powering the ignition of engine, hence why it will sometime start. This has happened to mine before a few times. No longer does it since replacing the battery though.

I think it's time for a decent battery replacement mate if you haven't had a new one in the last 2 or so years.

http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?t=30238

Battery

Your

Replace

-Ian

Yep, sounds like a battery to me. My 10 month old Halfords Calcium one gave up the other day too which was a bit surprising, lucky it comes with a 4 year warranty..

Did you check your -ve earth connections to body, engine earth strap etc before you go shooting off for that battery? Thinking about it, if it didn't hold charge, then get a new battery.

I don't think it's the battery in my case. I turn the key and the starter trys with just a small "errr", then off and again and more "err", then again it starts right up like normal. I'm leaning towards something in the TRAC stepper motor or Throttle Position Sensor. That's where the click is coming from. Related thread: http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?t=92698

Can you try jump starting from the mains in your house? Just to eliminate the possibility that its the battery. My guess is battery still

Let me know if that works Rob. I've tried swapping in a brand new battery and jump starting from my Beemer. No luck either way, just the click. See if you can have someone try to start it while you listen under the bonnet. Is it coming from the area near the throttle body? Maybe TPS or TRAC stepper motor? I'll be watching this thread with interest as I'm in the same boat.

Can you try jump starting from the mains in your house? Just to eliminate the possibility that its the battery. My guess is battery still

you mean plugging the supra in to 240v ac? hehe

If its making a pretty audible 'click', and then nothing, id say it was your solenoid on the starter motor, it happened to mine, and got steadily worse till the bugger wouldnt start. The copper contacts in the solenoid eventually get knackered. You can get the bits to fix it from mr t for about £15 and it takes a few hours to do, the hard part is getting the bloody starter off

When my battery was going it was a continuous clicking, like 4 clicks a second, sometimes it would turn over once or twice slowly and then start clicking.

New battery and it was fine.

I'm going to pull the starter tomorrow and install the new solenoid contacts. Hope that works. Rob, where exactly is your click coming from?

mine does the clicking thing too still, new battery (as recommended on here) just been out in her clicking again pressed remote button few times and started get up road and immobiliser light flashing at me, stop turn off and she started again fine with no flashing light

I had the same prob, turn the key and click but nothing else and it was the starter, used the most helpfull guide on here on how to overhaul the starter motor, 2 hours later and £15 in parts from Mr T (thats Toyota and not BA Baracus) problem sorted, now starts first time every time.

Only just noticed this thread again.

I've been posting in the other one. It was the starter contacts.

Worth noting for all the difference between the "machine gun clicks" and the "big single click".

Mine was same Rob, took me almost three hours due to breakage. Car starts fine now though. Eventually got it done minus a screw and solenoid breather snorkle. I can't say enough how fragile these parts are. DO NOT over tighten the three tiny endcap screws or they will sheer off. Also, I broke off one of the breather snorkles. Anybody have PNs for both the breather snorkle and the solenoid endcap screws?

I kind of "felt the force" with those little screws. My days of shearing little bolts on mountain bikes served me well. They felt a little delicate, plus the cap is only there to resist the return spring, so it doesn't need massive torque.

I thought I took about 6 hours, but I started at 2:00pm and finished in the dark at 5:30.

This has also happend to me, I get the 'errr' noise when i try and start sometimes. It only happends when its Wet or very cold, But it hasnt happend for the last month. Weird.