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P0616 Starter relay circuit.


peter.ling24@gmail.com
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Hello everyone,

I'd like to please add to the recent "cold starting problems" with our cars.

4 times this morning it failed to start. It reluctantly started on the 5th attempt and initially lumpy running. I have cleaned and inspected the SCV as suggested in recent posts.

I decided to check if there were any error codes present? It said none. However I did find

P0616 in another column. This refers to the "starter relay circuit". 

Now I am NO auto electrician, but decided to look up on the web to see what the signs and symptoms could be. One symptom was difficulty starting or not starting.

On one particular site I found this:Screenshot_2019-11-16-12-49-51.thumb.png.637054aeb3d55c7b3ed1c7c06fda29ce.png 

I read this several times before checking the voltage to try and establish that my "starting issues" could be a poor starter or solenoid.

The Battery was reading 12.3 volts. With the meter still attached to the Battery and

With the ignition switch to start, but without starting the engine, the volt meter read 11.9 volts. 

Could this constitute a duff started solenoid or have I got this all wrong.

I do not have sufficient funds to get this checked out at my local Toyota dealership, otherwise it would be there like a shot.

So guys and gals, can you help with this so confusing "cold starting" issue.

Peter

 

 

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Initially lumpy running would suggest that either the starter motor, relay and solenoid are either fine, or you have an additional fault to address. Is the starter engaging quickly and does it seem to be turning the engine over at a decent rate?

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Hi Paul,

The starter on the Avensis when turning over is slower compare to our Aygo.

A couple of years ago I bought a new Bosch Battery and set of NGK Glow plugs when it first started to play up. The old Battery was defective. Things did improve but as I say, it's struggling to start now. It's a smashing car that I've had for years. 

Appreciate your interest in my problem.

Peter

 

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If the Battery is the correct one for your vehicle, then I would expect your 2 year old Bosch should still be good, always assuming it's getting a good charge from regular use.  The 12.3 volts you quote doesn't seem too bad - my car starts no problem with that sort of voltage.  The fact that it spins the engine over suggests it's not the problem, although if it's the original starter & high mileage, there could worn brushes by now, so it won't be performing as good as new.  However, it is spinning the engine, so I'd look elsewhere, not forgetting that the weather's now getting colder, which is more likely to show up any problems.

My first action would be to feel the Battery terminals immediately after start, easy enough to do - any warmth would suggest internal corrosion causing lose of power to starter. Then check the Battery earth connection(s) to the body are nice and clean/bright metal.

As Paul suggests, your problem probably lies elsewhere.

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Hi Martin.

Will do as use suggest. I'm going to video the car trying to start. It's funny, outside temperature here was 9°. I was attempting to video it trying to start this morning. My wife was going to turn the key to start it. I went through the sequence 4 times with her, so the glow plugs went through 4 heating cycles. 

This is what happened.

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I assume your wife's laughter was because with the threat of being videod, the engine decided to be good and start up!

In my ownership of 2 diesel engined cars in the past, I'd always first check the glowplugs whenever the engine became more difficult to start.  On 1 occasion as winter approached, a long grind on the starter would be followed by very lumpy running for a few seconds, with much smoke (unburnt fuel).  Turned out to be not just 1, but 2 failed glowplugs, which wasn't obvious until summer turned to winter and temperatures plummeted.  Diesels need air, fuel and heat to start.  If the glowplugs aren't doing their job, your giving the engine several spins before it starts will be helping warm up the compustion chambers during the compression strokes, which may be why it takes a while to start.

Other consideration would be the fuel and injection system, and of course, one assumes the compression is good.  I've no knowledge of your engine, so only able to make generalised comments.  Start with the easy/cheap checks first.

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Hi Martin,

Yes, my wife's induced laughter was because it started. It's a 2005 2.2 D4D with 79,000 on the clock. I've had it for over 12 years. Annual mileage 3,000. Regular Toyota dealership services. The next step, I'll check the glow plugs resistance and take it from there.

Thanks Martin.

Peter

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11 hours ago, peter.ling24@gmail.com said:

The next step, I'll check the glow plugs resistance

That's exactly what I would do.  It will identify any glowplug out of kilter with the rest.  If you're lucky and get infinite resistance (ie. a break in the heater coil), then you may have found the root cause of the problem.

My last diesel the one busbar feeding all 4 glowplugs, but I modified it so each glowplug had it's own cable from the relay, making it easier to test the resistance of each glowplug in-situ.  Not foolproof, but saved the hassle of removing the glowplugs, which can be fiddly, depending where they are on the engine, maybe buried under fuel pipes, wiring & ancillaries etc.

PS. Worthwhile looking at the busbar itself, if you have one.  Mine was a very heavy cable (supply was 80-90 amps peak), and I started to suspect the integrity of the lead off it to each glowplug, which was just crimped on to the busbar cable.

Happy hunting in the colder weather!

 

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The glowplugs look to be fairly easily accessible on the D4D engines, both for quick resistance checks and for replacement.

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Thanks guys,

As soon as I can, I will check the glow plugs.

Appreciate your helpful advice.

Peter

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