The reader will learn how to properly care for the starter on a Corolla to extend its service life. Learn about malfunctions and solutions to problems with them. A couple of tips will also be given on choosing an original device for starting the engine.
A starter on a car is needed to start the engine. This electromechanical device for Toyota Corolla is a reliable device. The manufacturer has made its service life long. But it will work for a long time only if it is properly looked after.
Where to find this unit
Many new car owners wonder where to find a device that starts the engine. The starter is located in the engine compartment. If you stand directly in front of the car and lift the hood, you can see it between the battery on the right and the generator on the left.
It is an elongated cylinder with wires connected to it. The starter spins the Toyota Corolla engine. The unit consists of:
- motor;
- gearbox;
- devices for coupling and disengaging with the shaft of the main engine of the vehicle;
- starting device. Since gasoline and diesel starters will not start without an additional switching device. Starting is done by the car owner using the key in the ignition switch.
At the first sign of a breakdown, you must contact the service center if the car owner cannot decide to find and fix the fault on his own.
How to choose
It is worth noting that it will be much cheaper to repair an old one than to replace it with a new one. Since this mechanism consists of several parts, it is quite possible to repair the starter. You can easily purchase a solenoid relay, bendix, brushes, wires, etc. for the starter. But repairs are worth making if the breakdown occurred recently and has not yet had time to affect the remaining parts of the starter. If you don’t want to deal with repairs, you can simply purchase a new one, the prices of which vary greatly.
The original one will cost about 20,000 rubles, while the cost of analogues is 8–9 thousand. It is recommended to buy the original one because its reliability is 120 percent higher. The most reliable starters are produced by Bosh and Valeo. These companies supply starters for most cars from the factory.
If you still want to save money, but at the same time get good quality, then Lauber or Denso will do.
Signs of breakdown and their solutions
Signs of a breakdown can be different: the engine does not work at all, or the engine starts but the starter stops. And also a number of others:
- does not turn the crankshaft;
- torque is not transmitted from it;
- the driver hears grinding sounds;
- slow revolutions.
All these symptoms indicate that the starter will soon fail. But to make sure that the triggering device is at fault, you need to check the functionality of others.
For example, the battery may not be sufficiently charged. This will result in the engine not starting or the starter turning slowly.
If the Toyota Corolla turns the starter for a long time before the engine starts, then the problem is a lack of fuel pressure. Pressure may not build up. You will need to check the spark plugs and filter device.
A weak positive terminal will cause the starter to not work. It is necessary to check the contacts of both terminals. It is checked as follows:
- Remove both terminals from the battery.
- Using copper wire, connect the starter and battery of the Toyota Corolla vehicle.
- If the starter starts the engine, the wires going to the battery will need to be replaced.
The engine will not start if the bendix teeth are worn out. The Bendix is a gear that moves forward and serves as a clutch between the engine and the starter.
Another problem could be a breakdown of the solenoid relay. To solve this you need to check the voltage at the input and output contacts. If it corresponds to 5 or 4 V, then you need to change the relay. Ideally the voltage is 6 V.
Attention! This problem can be temporarily resolved by knocking on the starter. Since the malfunction occurs due to burnt contacts.
Another breakdown will be wear of the brushes. In addition, the springs that hold the brushes may fail. Then it sticks and no contact occurs. In this case, you need to change the brushes. Even if only the general brushes are worn out, everything must be replaced.
The starter may fail due to a blown fuse. You only need to replace it with the original one. Since cheap Chinese fakes will not solve the problem and will burn out more often than the one created by the manufacturer.
If, however, the starting device itself fails, then only installing a new one will solve the problem. But to do this you need to remove the old one.
Features of Toyota Corolla starter malfunctions
- there is not enough battery charge (which is unlikely);
- the mass on the engine does not work or is completely missing;
- the retractor relay does not work completely, the brushes are worn out, the bendix needs to be replaced, interturn short circuit, bushings are worn out.
The Toyota Corolla needs to be driven to the nearest inspection hole or lift and disconnect the terminals from the battery. Next, remove the two bolts from the mount and completely remove the current supply wire. Carefully remove the trigger and inspect it carefully.
After a thorough inspection and detailed check of the disconnected starter without additional loads, connecting it to the battery, we identify the main causes of malfunctions. Let's say in this situation we have a bendix failure.
To identify this malfunction, remove the gearbox. We disassemble everything carefully, in no case confuse the parts and arrange everything in the correct order. Otherwise, everything can be completely confused or, even worse, lost. We remove the two mounting bolts, disassemble the housing and take out the overrunning clutch.
Moving a little away from the topic, for inexperienced owners of Toyota Corolla cars in an unfurnished home environment, repairs may seem like a very difficult task. But in reality it's not like that.
Before removing the overrunning clutch from the Toyota Corolla, be sure not to lose the support ball, as it will be very difficult to find later. Carefully check the operation of all mechanisms, in particular the bendix. We hold the bendix in one hand, and with the other we need to turn the gear clockwise. It should rotate in any order.
If it turns in the other direction, the gear should stay in place. If your Toyota has even a slight movement, then the diagnosis is as follows: the roller seats on the Bendix itself are badly worn or the springs are out of order.
Repairing the clutch must be done very carefully; first, we disassemble it from the side where the gear that engages the flywheel is located. Next, carefully move the washer down, which closes the locking ring, and remove it. Where the overrunning clutch shaft is located, use a puller to remove the bearing.
Next, we take out the bendix itself. Be sure to remember its position so as not to confuse anything later. We remind you that repairing a starter is not an easy task and it is very easy to ruin everything.
We carefully examine all the contents of the starter and draw the correct conclusion about what can still be repaired and what needs to be replaced. As a rule, in such a situation, springs most often fail. We buy new springs and reassemble the overrunning clutch; we don’t have to install the bearing itself for now.
The next step is to do the same thing as described above. One hand turns the gear clockwise - the gear rotates, then we turn it counterclockwise - everything stays in place. From this it follows that the repair of the starter on the Toyota Corolla was carried out correctly, then we assemble the remaining structure.
If the gear rotates counterclockwise, then, most likely, the slots for the rollers have failed. To make repairs, in this situation you need to select a drill whose size will be slightly larger than the diameter of the roller itself. Next, we cut the amount we need and place it in the mounting slots instead of the damaged rollers.
And finally, we check the gear spring of the Toyota Corolla; if it is very weakened, then it must be replaced. Now we complete the repair of the unit and completely assemble it. After you have assembled the starter and placed it where it should be, we connect all the necessary wires, the main thing is not to confuse anything. Let's start the Toyota Corolla and enjoy the wonderful moment that you can do at least something yourself.
So, in conclusion, you have just seen from your own example that replacing the starter is not an impossible task; everything can be done perfectly well yourself in the garage. Just use your wits more often and never be afraid of your car. If you have the opportunity to make repairs yourself, then take full advantage of this. Well, if you are not confident in your abilities, or after your repair it has become even worse, then you have a direct route to a car service center.
Read more:
- Features of the Toyota Corolla front suspension
How to remove the starter on a Toyota Corolla
You can change the unit with your own hands. Procedure steps:
- Remove the terminals from the battery.
- Drain antifreeze from the cooling system. About 6 liters will spill out.
- Loosen the fastenings of the wires running above the device.
- Remove the wire blocks and rubber tubes that prevent you from removing the device.
- Label each tube to avoid confusion during installation.
- Remove the pipe with the temperature sensor by unscrewing the bracket screw.
- Unscrew the power cable.
- Unscrew the starter bolts and remove the traction relay.
- Take a new one and install all components in reverse order.
You can try to fix the old device yourself if the problem is a broken Bendix. For this procedure you need to disassemble the unit.
- Unscrew the screws holding the housing together. There are two of them.
- Remove the three screws that hold the retractor in place.
- Clean all parts from dust and dirt.
- Remove the retaining ring. It can be found under the tapered bushing.
- Remove the bushing and bend kits.
- Get a new one and lubricate it with heat-resistant grease.
- When the bendix is replaced, you will need to check the brushes of the electric motor and, if necessary, replace them.
- Then reassemble the unit in reverse order.
Now a novice car owner knows where the starter is located on a Toyota Corolla vehicle and how to replace it. But before you get behind the wheel, you need to understand how to operate it correctly so that the device rarely fails.
Types of faults
Poor contact of the positive battery cable
One of the most common problems. In order to find this malfunction, you need to remove the two terminals of this wire and instead make contact between the starter and the battery with ordinary copper wire. If the starter starts working through the wire, then the entire wire needs to be replaced.
bendix gear
The starter Bendix is a moving part of the mechanism. When power is applied to it, the bendix moves forward, engaging the motor with an asterisk. This is exactly what you should pay attention to. If its teeth are worn out or some are missing, then the essence of the problem is clear.
Solenoid relay
You can diagnose a defect in this element by comparing the voltage at the input and output terminals. If the voltage difference is more than 6 V, then the retractor winding will not be able to influence the core and drive the starter. This problem occurs due to burnt contacts on the relay. To quickly solve the problem for a short period of time, you should knock on the starter a little.
Safety system
To do this, you need to remove the fuse responsible for the starting device and replace it with a new one.
Important! The new fuse must be exactly the same rating as the old one. If the rating is less, the fuse link will immediately burn out, and if it is more, then in the event of a short circuit the fuse will not provide protection.
It is worth checking the voltage on all accessible sections of the electrical circuit between the battery and the starting device.
You should also measure the voltage at all incoming and outgoing terminals of the relay relative to its ground.
Brush holders sticking or worn out
The brushes come into contact with the moving part of the mechanism, so they can wear out. It may be that 2 brushes are worn out and the rest are fine, but it is still recommended to replace all four.
In order for the brushes to make good contact with the moving part, they are spring-loaded. It often happens that the springs fail, after which the brush sticks in the brush holder and does not make contact. Lightly tapping the back of the housing will release the spring and allow the brushes to return to their working position.
Rules for using the unit
To avoid overheating, you need to keep it running for about 10 seconds. If the engine does not start, lower the ignition key and wait 60 seconds for the unit to cool down.
Do not use the starter to start the vehicle moving. It is not designed for such loads. And in winter, the car must be parked indoors at night, where the temperature does not drop below minus five. Fill with the fuel specified in the vehicle's operating manual.
By following these rules, the driver will not have problems starting the Toyota Corolla vehicle.
