I Need Serious (old Celica) Help! Options

[Coomer]

I'm getting so sick of my '88 Celica GT-S. I've asked on 4GCelica.net and ToyMods, and I've searched four hours on those sites, Celica.net, Toyspeed, and Google, but I can't find anything useful.

My car had what I thought was the typical "GT-S starter issue." Basically, what happens is that most of the time the car starts. When it starts, it cranks to life quickly. The other few times, the car won't start. It won't even try to crank; You can just hear stuff click.

According to nearly all GT-S owners, this is caused by resistance that builds up in the switched +12volt starter wire over the years. So the solution is to cut this wire as close to the starter as possible, hook the starter side up to terminal 87 of a SPDT relay and 30 to a fuse and then to the battery(both large gauge wires...most people use 12-14...I used 10.) Then the ignition side of that wire goes to terminal 85, and terminal 86 goes to ground. Though most GT-S owners don't understand the concept of a SPDT relay, it works for them.

So I pulled out the cruise control, battery, and intake only to do this, only to find that this had already been done at some point before I bought the car. It was an ugly job where crimp on connectors and 14 gauge wire was used, so I replaced the wires with larger gauge wires. I put the car back together, and everything started fine for a while.

A couple days later, the car wouldn't start, after about 20 minutes of trying. I had to call my parents who were 30 minutes away to have my dad help me push start the car. Did more research, and someone thought it could be the clutch switch, so I bypassed that with a piece of wire and the car started to life.

A week passed with flawless starts and it was the morning of my final review for Calculus. Turned the key, and nothing. Tried again several times; Nothing. Jump started the car(knowing it probably wouldn't work) and nothing. With no-one at the house to help me push-start the car(like I'd done many times with people in the past when it wouldn't start after 10 minutes of trying), I went inside and missed my final calculus review.

Did more research, and found that Toyota starter contacts often go bad. So I went and got the starter rebuilt, including having new contacts installed. They showed me my old ones, and they were hardly worn away, unlike most people with my problem. The guy at the store commented that in lots of Toyotas, the constant power wire to the starter goes bad after a while. So I went to the stereo shop, got some four gauge wire, and got home and replaced the existing(8 gauge I think...possibly 10) constant +12volt starter wire.

I put everything back in, knowing that for sure this had to fix my problem. It can't be fuel/spark because the car push-starts every single time flawlessly. The SPDT relay that I installed always clicks over, so I know it's not the ignition switch or ECU or anything like that. This had to be it.

So I test started the car, and it cranked right to life. Worked perfectly every time again. I drove the car all over, over 1,000 miles, and was finally glad the car was working right.

Until last night. I was at work, and again, the car wouldn't start. Exact same problem as before. After trying and trying, I had to get people from work to help me push start the car.

I went over all the reasons for why a fourth gen. Celica doesn't start in the Toyota BGB with a fellow member of 4GCelica.net, and I can ensure that every single thing Toyota lists as a possibility for having the car not start works.

So I don't know what to do at this point. Everyone I've talked to has no idea. I contemplated taking it to Toyota, but can't afford it and they'd probably do what I've done, only to have the problem resurface in a week or something. No-one I've found has ever had this much trouble with the starter on their fourth gen., and everyone is confused. I'm angry because the car ruins my plans and constantly has problem after problem.

Anyone have any ideas?

[brianforster]

what about using a different start , i mean, your so l33t, couldnt you fabricate another type of starter or something an eliminate the problem all together?

[Coomer]

what about using a different start , i mean, your so l33t, couldnt you fabricate another type of starter or something an eliminate the problem all together?
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No, I wouldn't be able to do that. Using the S-53 mated to the 3S-FE with the different starter on the intake side of the engine would work, but that tranny has different gearing and a different speedometer cable setup and stuff I believe.

My only possible idea is that maybe they messed up when rebuilding my starter. So maybe I need another one.