1995 Lexus ES300 Intermittent Starting Issue

rmullen89
Sun, 13 Apr 2014 23:13:59 +0000
Maintenance/Repairs

Hi All,
I’m a long time forum reader but never a contributor. I have a 1995 Lexus ES300 with 130,000 miles. This car is basically a rebadged Camry of the same vintage.
Occasionally, when the car sits for extended periods (overnight or while I’m at work) and I try to start it, I get nothing. Not a click–nothing. This will never happen if I pop into a grocery store or other errands that are an hour or less.
I’ve tried jiggling the floor shifter to see if it was the neutral safety switch and no luck. I’ve also tried putting the car in neutral with no results. I can also move the steering wheel rapidly left-right and push hard down onto the brake pedal with no obvious results. Eventually after 10 tries or so the starter motor will engage and it just starts.
Any thoughts? Could it be the ignition (where I put the key in)?
Thanks

8 posts - 5 participants