Without warning, my '99 Camry died today. I turned it on, heard a loud sort of screeching, and turned it off. When I tried to turn it on again, it wouldn’t start. The tow truck man found that there was a bolt from my starter that came loose. He towed it. The mechanic called to tell me that it would cost $475 to fix the starter so it wouldn’t be loose, and that if he could not fix it, I would need a new transmission! This sounds rather suspect to me. Why can’t I just have a new starter installed? Why would inability to bolt a starter mean I need a new transmission?
Any helpful comments would be greatly appreciated.
I would guess it bolts onto the transmission and the part it bolts onto is broken.
Without actually seeing it I believe it would be difficult to say if that is it and what possible fixes there may be. Someone who knows that car far better than I do, may be able to help. BTW is it auto or manual?
Thanks for the reply. It is an automatic transmission.
Why can’t I just have a new starter installed? Why would inability to bolt a starter mean I need a new transmission?
Why not call the mechanic and ask him? He should be able to explain it to your satisfaction. His advantage is he has seen it with his own eyes while we on this forum can only speculate what it might be.
Well, I guess what I should ask is: Can a loose starter can hurt the transmission? My understanding is that a loose starter can damage the flywheel, which in turn can hurt the transmission. But I am unclear as to WHY the loose starter can damage the flywheel. Can a damaged flywheel mean that I need a totally new transmission?