# Car won't start (sometimes)

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-sometimes/20312>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [October 4, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-sometimes/20312 "2008-10-04T01:03:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jtmcphee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9f8e36/32.png) [@jtmcphee](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtmcphee)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-sometimes/20312/1 "2008-10-04T01:03:46Z")

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Sometimes in the morning I go out to start my car, the radio and all the sounds come on, the lights come on, I turn the car over and I hear one click, but the car won’t start. However, after a few times, the car starts and is fine for the rest of the day, if not the week or longer. I took it for diagnostic testing and all the amperage checks out for the starter and the battery. However, they think it is the starter motor on its way out. Any thoughts?

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**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-sometimes/20312/2 "2008-10-04T01:18:50Z")

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Please introduce your car, JT

Make  
Model  
year  
mileage  
engine (if known)  
manual or automatic

Did anyone clean battery terminals or wire connections or anything, besides testing?

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**Author:** ![admitted\_amateur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@admitted\_amateur](https://community.cartalk.com/u/admitted_amateur)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-sometimes/20312/3 "2008-10-04T01:47:07Z")

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That is consistent with a starter on its way out, but as c s a said, did anyone simply clean the terminals and such? Make sure of that before you do anything else.

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**Author:** ![jtmcphee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9f8e36/32.png) [@jtmcphee](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtmcphee)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2008, 1:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wont-start-sometimes/20312/4 "2008-10-04T01:49:22Z")

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Good point, I thought I did that. It’s a 1995 Toyota 4runner 3.0 L V6. It has 97,000 miles and is an automatic. The battery is probably 2 years old (or less). They did say that the positive terminal cable is corroded and I thought that could be part of it. The strange thing is that if it was a contact problem I would expect it more, but I may be wrong. One thought was to replace that and see if it goes away, vs replacing the starter.