I have a 1996 Toyota Camry LE, 4 cylinder with 111,000 miles that has never had a problem. Today, the weather turned very cold and the car will not start. I’d like to try and get an idea of what to prepare for, repair wise ($).
Note: A new battery was put in this past summer.
When I turn the key, lights come on and the car - at least the first few times - made a groaning noise, but did not turn over. Quite frankly, it literally sounded frozen. After a few times, the groaning stopped and only the dashboard lights were coming on. I have noticed over the past year that it seems to be a little coughy when starting up on a cool or cold morning. Nothing more than that though - just a second of clearing it’s throat so-to-speak before starting and running fine.
What might be the likely cause? I’m in a big city, the car gets parked on the street, and I have to make a decision soon or it will be towed away.
When I call the garage, they won’t talk to me (probably because I’m female). I feel frustrated - I need to have an idea of what type of things could be wrong, so I can figure out when and how it will be moved and fixed. For example, if the weather warms up and the car starts fine, what might have been the problem? Or, if the weather warms up and it still doesn’t start, does that mean probably the starter?
sorry but the guys from the garage need to have your car there so they will be able to troubleshoot the problem. This will take some time, since some problems are easy to pick but as you move from the “basic” common problems to computer (which requires more expertise - meaning costs more ). The basics are battery, cables, connectors, grounds, relay then starter and ignition parts. Also it is a Toyota, you should expect high price on parts in this case.
It sounds simply like a weak or dead battery. It also could be poor connection at your battery or ground strap(connects battery to engine block). This is not an expensive thing to get checked out. This type of repair or simply jump start is not expensive or difficult in the realm of auto repair.
Your car however should not be “coughy” whatsoever. There is a running issue. But the only way to diagnose that seperate issue is leave your car somewhere overnight and get a diagnosis.
First you call AAA to either get the car started or towed. In cold weather they get a bunch of calls so you may have a wait. Second, your battery maybe relatively new but if you drive your “city” car infrequently and for short trips the battery might not be getting a full charge. In cold weather all batteries have much less power, so a less than full charge on a cold day yields the results you are getting.
When was your oil last changed, and do you know what weight of oil was used? In winter you need a lighter weight of oil to make the motor easier for the starter to get it spinning. 10W-30 might be too thick when it is really cold. Have the oil changed and make sure they fill it with 5W-30, or 0W-30 in the winter.
Since the car is older there could be corrosion on the battery terminals and other connections to the motor and starting motor than need to be cleaned. Sometimes the electrical cables themselves just get old and need to be replaced.
You might need a new starting motor, but most of the things above will be cheaper and should fix you up and are more likely than a bad starter. The coughy motor on start up sounds like you might need new spark plugs and perhaps more to address. Making sure the motor is running correctly makes it easier to start in the cold winter mornings.
If you bought the cheapest battery you could get and your car is older and you live in the rust belt where you get frame corrosion you may simply not have a strong enough battery for cold weather. That happened to me, I had an old k-car for work and bought a Sears 60 month battery. When it got down to 18 degrees or below the car would not crank fast enough to start. Twice I took the battery back to Sears to be charged and tested and both times it tested ok. I finally persuaded them to prorate it against a new Diehard- problem solved.
Good questions here!
First, I’m in New York City and I don’t ‘drive’ the car but a few times a year. I do, however, move it twice a week for street cleaning: I usually drive it a few miles and sit by the park while the street is cleaned and then drive it back and park it.
Last oil change was 10/22/2009. The receipt doesn’t state the oil, but I usually ask for Toyota specific 10w30 oil. I recall that this garage on this date did not have that, and I had to choose Castrol, I think. I forget the weight, assume 10w30.
I’m really glad you asked these questions, because as I go through my file, I realize that the starter (part 281007414084) was already replaced! August, 2004.
I’ll be darned if I can’t find the receipt for the battery, but it was this year and I harped on them about putting a good one in. If that helps.
I’m tempted to go back out into that wind-chill and look for the battery receipt.
You may be right: the cold weather combined with my only moving the car 2x week could be putting a dent in the charge. Although it seems I would have had this problem in previous winters. I know my contacts are good. But there is always the chance a rat chewed on or thru a wire.
Looks like I’ll have to take my parking ticket for today and call road service on Monday for a jump w/tow option.
Only one other thought came to mind: The last time I went to move the car, there was a movie being filmed an unbeknownst to me my car got towed to a new parking spot about a mile away. Maybe something happened then? All I know is how did they manage to change the radio station without a key?
If you bought the cheapest battery you could get and your car is older and you live in the rust belt where you get frame corrosion you may simply not have a strong enough battery for cold weather.
If the battery was sized for this car then it should start it. And NYC is NOT the rust belt. The rust belt is pretty limited to the Great Lakes region where they get LOTS of snow.
I think UncleTurbo hit the nail on the head. It’s a low battery. Just needs to get jumped. The way you’re driving the car the battery is NOT getting fully changed. You need to get it jumped then take it for a long drive (at least 1/2 hour) to fully charge the battery. I suggest in this cold weather you drive it for 1/2 hour at least once a week to keep the battery charged.
That happened to me, I had an old k-car for work and bought a Sears 60 month battery. When it got down to 18 degrees or below the car would not crank fast enough to start. Twice I took the battery back to Sears to be charged and tested and both times it tested ok. I finally persuaded them to prorate it against a new Diehard- problem solved.
I’m pretty sure that had NOTHING to do with it being a cheap battery. It was either the wrong size for this vehicle or a bad battery from the start. I’ve bought cheap WallMart batteries and never had a problem starting when it was -20.
You might rather have it towed but you could go to an auto parts store, buy a little $5 battery terminal cleaner and with a couple of small wrenches (probably 8 or 10mm) pull the terminals, clean them, reinstall and make sure they’re tight. Then give it a whirl to see what happens.
If the sound of any of that makes you uncomfortable, call AAA
I found the battery receipt: Interstate-I35 for $90, bought May, 2009
As others have suggested it may simply be a low battery, because you are not driving the car enough to keep the battery charged.
I would get a friend with a little know how remove the battery, and take it to a chain auto parts store such as Advanced Auto, Auto Zone, etc. These stores will test the battery condition, and put it on a fast charger to fully charge the battery at no charge. This will take between 30 to 60 min but will be worth it because the battery will be fully charged. From there re install the battery, and start the car. Then have the charging system checked by a competent shop.
Thanks americar, but if I had a friend who could help, I would have asked them! Unfortunately, I’m alone in this, which is why I came to you folks, and by the way, I am SUPER grateful for the input. I feel like I have choices now, and I feel like I have a little control back in my life. A little less stress is a big deal. Plus, if it’s the battery, that’s a much smaller expense 
I’ll call emergency road service early Monday and if they can get it started, I’ll drive it to the place that put the battery in. That’ll give the car some time on the road and everything can be checked. It’s a big place with a good reputation, so if there is anything wrong, they’ll find it. (Unlike a previous mechanic who told me there was nothing wrong with my old battery even though it could no longer hold a charge!)
If you can walk to an autoparts store or Walmart type store you could buy a battery jump start pak. Bring it home and charge it up and if you can see the + and - markings on the cars battery you can jump start it yourself. There will be directions paoked with the battery jumper pak. These things are handy and with your driving patterns you may just need to do this again sometime.
This way you can avoid the ticket which may be more than the cost of the battery jumper unit. You are looking for more control and this is another option for you to consider.
On a side note, they do make solar powered battery tenders. This solar powered battery charger plug into the cigarette lighter, and a small solar panel is placed on the dashboard. This device is said to keep a battery charged on cars not driven frequently. Maybe someone can vouch if this device works. It maybe something worth looking into.