richardg2 Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 I have a 98 Avalon with 73000 miles. Recently I have trouble with the starter. When I turn the key to start I just get a clicking noise. Sonds line a bad soleniod. Has anyone had similar experiences.? Has anyone ever changed the starter on a 3.0 v6? Is it hard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 I have a 98 Avalon with 73000 miles.Recently I have trouble with the starter. When I turn the key to start I just get a clicking noise. Sonds line a bad soleniod. Has anyone had similar experiences.? Has anyone ever changed the starter on a 3.0 v6? Is it hard? ← Do you have a factory alarm system? Sometimes it can cause the same symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelaw Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 It's not that difficult to do, if it turns out that the starter is bad. I hope you have metric sockets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fidgits Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 Hi and welcome... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexus Posted January 31, 2006 Share Posted January 31, 2006 you should take it to a pro if you are not familliar on how to do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner41 Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 I don't log in frequently so this is probably too old for richardg2 benefit. I too have a '98 Avalon and thought it was a starter solenoid problem since my wife said the same "clicking" noise was occurring when starting vehicle. Solenoid removal is a cake walk, no trouble at all to remove. Once removed I took it to my local AutoZone store (love the ZONE). They tested it and it checked good. However, counter person recommened that I go ahead and get a new one as sometimes it has just a bad spot and will not start then. However, for $ 145 I wasn't willing to guess on that so took starter back home and re-installed. The key here was doing a good cleanup on the post terminal and cable leads during hook up. Put a little electrical grease on terminal after hookup and have had NO problems since. "Even a blind pig finds an acorn now and then" My suggestion to any future readers on this one---check and clean cable connection on starter without removing entire unit. Mine didn't appear to be that bad but logic tells me differently now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighcm Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 I don't log in frequently so this is probably too old for richardg2 benefit. I too have a '98 Avalon and thought it was a starter solenoid problem since my wife said the same "clicking" noise was occurring when starting vehicle. Solenoid removal is a cake walk, no trouble at all to remove. Once removed I took it to my local AutoZone store (love the ZONE). They tested it and it checked good. However, counter person recommened that I go ahead and get a new one as sometimes it has just a bad spot and will not start then. However, for $ 145 I wasn't willing to guess on that so took starter back home and re-installed. The key here was doing a good cleanup on the post terminal and cable leads during hook up. Put a little electrical grease on terminal after hookup and have had NO problems since. "Even a blind pig finds an acorn now and then" My suggestion to any future readers on this one---check and clean cable connection on starter without removing entire unit. Mine didn't appear to be that bad but logic tells me differently now. Good to know...thanks for the tip! You've probably saved several of us a few bucks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangen Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 We also are having trouble with our 98 avalon's starter. About 4 months ago it wasn't always starting. It would just click when you turned the ignition maybe 1/2 the time you went to start it but when it did start the starter sounded fine and fired it right up (no struggling noises). My husband also talked about changing the solenoids but decided to take the starter out to take a look at it and ended up cleaning it and putting it back in just to try it out of curiosity. It started right up and hasn't had any problems for months but yesterday it started again. Unless anyone has other ideas I think his plan is to just buy a new starter. What about the post about the factory alarm having something to do with it? How and what should my husband try to see if the alarm is doing something to it? Thanks we appreciate any ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelaw Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 GREAT statement. Greasy terminals can really hamper electrical troubleshooting with a starter. You may have saved a few members a lot of wasted labor. Thanks for posting this. AutoZone is a fantastic place to shop (I just did front brake pads the other day). Any greasy electrical work should be accompanied by a can of carb cleaner and a pack of red rags. Learning road in short cut road not exist. There are no short cuts in the learning process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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