2007 Yaris won't start - battery, starter, ignition switch okay

[quistis]

My 2007 Yaris that I bought in 2015 is/was still going. However, on Friday, my car named Red decided not to start after already driving him about roughly an hour before that.

My fiance is knowledgeable on the mechanic end, and he has been trying to figure out what is wrong with Red.

Upon trying to start the car, there is silence - no cranking, - just some dash lights turn on on the dash.

We first hoped it was something simple like the battery, as we did recently have some battery issues with corrosion, but he took it up and Auto Zone said it was fine.

Then he tried/tested the starter, and that turned out to be okay. We are getting power from the battery to the starter.

He tried a new ignition switch, and that isn't it. He has also tested most wires.

The next idea he is trying is an ignition relay, but if that does not work... he is not too sure what to try next.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thank you!

[sh0rtlife]

that sounds like an imobilizer issue, being an 07 check the right side kick panel for a alarm unit(factory one)..if it doesnt have that one see if someone installed an aftermarket unit

on a side note i dont think the 07s had it but i qonder about a chiped key and the reciever above the ignition..alot of 2000+ cars had this setup including toyotas ..but ive not seen one on a yaris but it may have also been part of a factory alarm which ive yet to see either

the only other things i can think of...if a yaris even has them is the fuel/oil pressure no crank if psi below x....again i dont think the yaris had that either but....

[quistis]

Thank you for the suggestions. The ignition relay didn't work. We were hoping it would because they were testing at very different readings the new one vs. the old one.

I will pass that along. One thing to note - I think my car is the base model - so no power windows, nothing fancy.

And another, the compressor likely died some months ago. We have been driving with no A/C so far this summer. It is unlikely that it would hurt anything, but.... I wanted throw it out there anyway.

Again, I will pass these on to him. We will see what happens next! Thanks again.

[quistis]

There is no immobilizer on the car from what we can tell. We are trying to find a good fuse diagram with detailed information. We have the fuse case in here right now. He is going to try something else that was noticed on a video on the Yaris ignition system.

[WeeYari]

Could be a faulty ground. We've had other similar sounding threads where a grounding point was the culprit.

[quistis]

Thank you. I will pass that along. I think I just tracked down what we were looking for on the fuse panel. He's back out at the car now.

Edit: He checked the grounding point and cleaned the contacts yesterday. He took it all the way out. Although, now it sounds like he might check if there might be two on some off chance.

[WeeYari]

There are multiple I believe. I just don't recall where they are.

[sh0rtlife]

so long as you have any good single ground from the body to the battery and the engine to the battery or chassis your good..multiple grounds "helps" but is more of a redundant and quick fix from the manufacturer as its easier to ground the engine on one side the trans on another just cause well its possible....

however with that said..ive seen good clean grounds with bad internal leads MANY MANY times on my old trucks..a nice clean ground wire and the rig being stubborn..clean everything with nominal improvement..only to find a failed cable internaly

with that said..use a set of jumper cables connect one to a engine bolt preferably a trans to engine bolt, the other to the negitive side of the battery, take your other jumper lead and connect it to to the battery and the other end to a chassis ground point..this is the only sure fire "ground fault" test that i know of

since your guy has pulled the started and tested it.....id recomend trying a remote start where you run a hot wire down to the starter coliniod and see if it cranks and starts..just to rule some things out..like a bad starter lead....if it starts and runs then youve verifyed a few things...at that point you can pull that same soliniod wire and hook it to a light bulb and a ground..if it doesnt light up when you hit the key you know your not sending power to the starter...this may help diagnosis

as for the AC its not part of the issue..simple fix but not part of the issue in any way shape or form

FWIW just cause a car is a base model does NOT confirm that it doesnt have the power package wiring in it...so a dealer could "add" stuff to it...from what ive seen out here atleast with the 07s specificly is that alot of 07s have the power package wiring even on a base model with no options...the fact you have AC tells me that the odds of this car NOT having the power package wiring would be kinda rare

if you havnt id still check the passenger kick panel for the dealer alarm..as it WOULD cause this

[quistis]

As I was about to reply, he hopefully figured out what was wrong and it was kinda unbelievable how he got it to start. After having some weird readings between the test light and maybe the voltage tester on the starter again, he did something you are not supposed to do... he tapped the starter silinoid with a hammer. That started the car... so he believes the starter is going bad.

He said that it was almost like a mechanic meme. To me, it is the equivalent of the old smacking the TV to make the reception better.

We drove the car up to get a new starter, and the guy at the parts store said that the tester at the parts store on Friday may have been a bit more powerful than the battery in the Yaris which could have made it test good.....? Anyway, he is installing the starter now.

On a side note, before this, I took a picture of the passenger side panel in the Yaris. He didn't think there was something in there that looked like a dealer alarm, but maybe...? I will still include it just in case.

Thank you for all of the ideas!

[sh0rtlife]

sounds like you have a combination of a semi bad starter AND a weak battery.....both can test good on the bench and be bad in the real world under real engine loads..

the bench test on a starter just checks "function" at maximum voltage WITHOUT it needing to pull a load (ie it free spins not actualy turns anything)

your typical parts story battery test is to toss it on the charger and tell the customer its at X..when in reality you need to put it on a LOAD test BEFORE charging it to see what its doing in the real world...testing it after a charge is like refilling a glass of water to verify its full and then claiming yes it was good all along

actually smacking the solenoid with a hammer was a typical fix for alot of starters pre 1980 as the solenoids would just "stick" but have nothing physically wrong with them..some would even stick on making a huge racket...its not something id have thought to do on a "new" car tho lol

[WeeYari]

I absolutely have to bring this back to life.

The hail Mary with a hammer actually works!