Toytota Camry Altise, 2007

Joined
Aug 1, 2024
Messages
9
Hi all, my apologies if this is not where to post this.
I am needing some advice on my 2007 toyota camry.
Around a month ago my car was playing up and wouldn’t start, I had the battery tested and replaced as it was practically dead. Once I replaced the battery the car was running fine up until now, the last 2 mornings i’ve gone to start it it won’t start.
Yesterday it was making a slight clicking sound and this morning it has just cut out, won’t even click.
My first thought is my alternator as it’s usually the case, so here are my questions below
1. If it is the alternator, what pricing am I looking at to have this fixed or replaced?

2. If not the alternator, what else could it be?

3. Is there a way I can have the car looked over completely and be told exactly what needs work or what will need work in the future? As the car was passed down from my Late uncle who passed last year and he had the car for many years beforehand.

Thankyou in advance!!
 
A car with a charged battery can run without an alternator for a while until the battery dies again and if the battery is dead then it would do that. The clicking is likely the starter trying to engage the spline shaft into the fly wheel. The alternator just provides power for the car while running and charges the battery. If the battery was dead then the alternator may not be charging. Are you able to check the battery with a multi meter to see how many volts it has. If not do you at least have a 12 volt car battery charger. If the battery has at least 11v it should be able to spin the crank some.
 
A car with a charged battery can run without an alternator for a while until the battery dies again and if the battery is dead then it would do that. The clicking may be the starter trying as that's common. The alternator just provides power for the car while running and charges the battery. If the battery was dead then the alternator may not be charging. Are you able to check the battery with a multi meter to see how many volts it has. If not do you at least have a 12 volt car battery charger.
I had the battery replaced a little over a month ago as it was tested and the mechanic told me it needed replacing.
I don’t think I do have any sort of tools needed to test it at home.
 
I had the battery replaced a little over a month ago as it was tested and the mechanic told me it needed replacing.
I don’t think I do have any sort of tools needed to test it at home.
I wonder if the alternator was just struggling to keep it charged as a typical bad alternator would result in the car dying quickly like in 20 mins of driving, not a month. Well can you at least go in the car and turn the key to the on position without cranking so you can try to run a few electronics. A very low battery can't take a high load drain very well. Put the key in the on/forward/accessory position, multiple names same thing, and see if the lights inside look as bright as they normally do. Leave the door open to where the cabin light is on and turn the high beams on and watch the interior lights especially the cabin light. A very low battery would struggle with such an output at a low charge and cause the interior lights to dim a lot and same with the high beams they'd be bright at the beginning then quickly drop off in brightness. A charged battery could run the high beams and have the interior lights not dim or if so by a tiny amount without issue. And if the interior lights are already dim without running the high beams then that tells you the battery is very low. That's really the only way one could check voltage in a car without the built in volt meter as only large trucks like all 3 of mine have and without a multi meter or a 12v battery charger.

If not and it can run the lights at full brightness without struggling then it may be the starter solenoid not the whole starter itself or the alternator or battery. The battery going out may have just been a coincidence and a new battery has more output than an old one and a new battery puts more strain on an old worn out solenoid. I changed the solenoid in my old truck a couple years ago because the battery had a lot of power and I knew the alternator was good but it wouldn't engage the starter. The starter was fine so I still have the original on. I just took the starter off and replaced the solenoid alone and put it back on. But as I said the battery I had was perfectly good for me and I was able to easily check. I did replace that battery about 4 months before the starter solenoid went out.
 
I wonder if the alternator was just struggling to keep it charged as a typical bad alternator would result in the car dying quickly like in 20 mins of driving, not a month. Well can you at least go in the car and turn the key to the on position without cranking so you can try to run a few electronics. A very low battery can't take a high load drain very well. Put the key in the on/forward/accessory position, multiple names same thing, and see if the lights inside look as bright as they normally do. Leave the door open to where the cabin light is on and turn the high beams on and watch the interior lights especially the cabin light. A very low battery would struggle with such an output at a low charge and cause the interior lights to dim a lot and same with the high beams they'd be bright at the beginning then quickly drop off in brightness. A charged battery could run the high beams and have the interior lights not dim or if so by a tiny amount without issue. And if the interior lights are already dim without running the high beams then that tells you the battery is very low. That's really the only way one could check voltage in a car without the built in volt meter as only large trucks like all 3 of mine have and without a multi meter or a 12v battery charger.

If not and it can run the lights at full brightness without struggling then it may be the starter solenoid not the whole starter itself or the alternator or battery. The battery going out may have just been a coincidence and a new battery has more output than an old one and a new battery puts more strain on an old worn out solenoid. I changed the solenoid in my old truck a couple years ago because the battery had a lot of power and I knew the alternator was good but it wouldn't engage the starter. The starter was fine so I still have the original on. I just took the starter off and replaced the solenoid alone and put it back on. But as I said the battery I had was perfectly good for me and I was able to easily check. I did replace that battery about 4 months before the starter solenoid went out.
I just did what you said, the lights are very dull when the key is in the on position, as soon as my highbeams go on the interior lights dim immensely, they almost go an orange colour that’s how dark they get.
Is there a certain mechanic I need to see to have a look at the starter solenoid?
What price am I looking at for this as there is a lot of cosmetic work needed to be done on this car as well and I’m only a young girl who recently got her license so this is all very overwhelming.
While I do know cars to an extent, I have absolutely no clue what the hell is happening and don’t want to be ripped off or stuffed around when seeing a mechanic if that makes sense.
 
I just did what you said, the lights are very dull when the key is in the on position, as soon as my highbeams go on the interior lights dim immensely, they almost go an orange colour that’s how dark they get.
Is there a certain mechanic I need to see to have a look at the starter solenoid?
What price am I looking at for this as there is a lot of cosmetic work needed to be done on this car as well and I’m only a young girl who recently got her license so this is all very overwhelming.
While I do know cars to an extent, I have absolutely no clue what the hell is happening and don’t want to be ripped off or stuffed around when seeing a mechanic if that makes sense.
No I don't believe it's the starter solenoid. If the battery is strong and the lights are also strong like in my case then it has the power to turn the engine but isn't able to since the starter solenoid or the starter as a whole is bad but in my case was able to check my solenoid first and verify it was bad and not the starter. Perhaps it stopped charging allowing the battery to die then resumed charging momentarily for a month and then stopping charging and leaving you here with what seems to be a dead uncharged battery and nothing more. But if the battery is low like in your case from what you described then that means it can be recharged and it's possible to take it to a very nearby shop to have them look at the alternator as it seems it's not charging but only if they're nearby and you could fully charge the battery. Doing so with another car is going to take very long and would inconvenience the person. You could call and tell a local shop that it had a battery recently and it ran for a while and that now the new battery is already very low on power with dim lights and you hear a clicking sound when trying to start it and tell them the make and model and that you think it may be an alternator so they may be able to just send one of their guys with an alternator and give you a jump. Or you could just find a local mobile mechanic and explain to them the same thing. It's very likely the alternator is just dead given that the battery is very weak.
 
The light I mean is 2nd from the L at the bottom. It's a picture of a car battery.

Does it go out when the car is running? If it stays on, there's a problem with the charging system.
I honestly don’t know! I feel so stupid haha I haven’t really paid attention to it before, I know it comes on when I put the key in the ignition and I’m pretty sure it goes away shortly after starting the car but I haven’t paid attention to it the last few days so could definitely be the case!
The car won’t start whatsoever so can’t turn it on to tell you sorry.
 
I honestly don’t know! I feel so stupid haha I haven’t really paid attention to it before, I know it comes on when I put the key in the ignition and I’m pretty sure it goes away shortly after starting the car but I haven’t paid attention to it the last few days so could definitely be the case!
The car won’t start whatsoever so can’t turn it on to tell you sorry.
Yeah that light usually goes away once it starts along with the others so they don't mean anything if the car isn't running. Given that you have no 12v car battery charger your only option is to call up a local shop and explain to them that the new battery recently put in seems to be very low, the starter clicks, and trying to run the high beams makes everything get more dim and with that they could send one of their guys to you with the basic tools needed for an alternator change and jump cables or you can just call a mobile mechanic.
 
No I don't believe it's the starter solenoid. If the battery is strong and the lights are also strong like in my case then it has the power to turn the engine but isn't able to since the starter solenoid or the starter as a whole is bad but in my case was able to check my solenoid first and verify it was bad and not the starter. Perhaps it stopped charging allowing the battery to die then resumed charging momentarily for a month and then stopping charging and leaving you here with what seems to be a dead uncharged battery and nothing more. But if the battery is low like in your case from what you described then that means it can be recharged and it's possible to take it to a very nearby shop to have them look at the alternator as it seems it's not charging but only if they're nearby and you could fully charge the battery. Doing so with another car is going to take very long and would inconvenience the person. You could call and tell a local shop that it had a battery recently and it ran for a while and that now the new battery is already very low on power with dim lights and you hear a clicking sound when trying to start it and tell them the make and model and that you think it may be an alternator so they may be able to just send one of their guys with an alternator and give you a jump. Or you could just find a local mobile mechanic and explain to them the same thing. It's very likely the alternator is just dead given that the battery is very weak.
Thank you so much!!
I am going to attempt to charge it once I can get a jump start from my dad and that way I can take it back to the mechanic who put the new battery in and just have him check everything while Im there.

Otherwise is it an option to take the battery out and just take that down to the shop?

Worst case, I will do what you last said and give a mechanic a call and see what they can do for me.
I really appreciate your help today, thankyou!
 
Yeah that light usually goes away once it starts along with the others so they don't mean anything if the car isn't running. Given that you have no 12v car battery charger your only option is to call up a local shop and explain to them that the new battery recently put in seems to be very low, the starter clicks, and trying to run the high beams makes everything get more dim and with that they could send one of their guys to you with the basic tools needed for an alternator change and jump cables or you can just call a mobile mechanic.
Thanks heaps for your help!

Another guy said something similar below, i’ll try get some charge into it by jump starting it and possibly get it down to the mechanic otherwise I’ll just give someone a call.

Again thank you for your help, greatly appreciated!
 
Thank you so much!!
I am going to attempt to charge it once I can get a jump start from my dad and that way I can take it back to the mechanic who put the new battery in and just have him check everything while Im there.

Otherwise is it an option to take the battery out and just take that down to the shop?

Worst case, I will do what you last said and give a mechanic a call and see what they can do for me.
I really appreciate your help today, thankyou!
It's going to take a long time to charge the battery. it's one thing to jump it but it's another to charge one off a running car. with a working alternator the car should continue to run after being jumped. if you jump a dead car with a bad alternator it'll only run maybe half a minute of even then die again. that's one way to check to see if the alternator is bad. if the alternator is somehow erratic or partially failing it might charge it might not if you jump the car and you notice that all of the lights are on very strong or at the very least start off dim and get brighter and brighter that tells you the alternator is charging and if the alternator is completely bad once the engine jumps it'll quickly dies.

Changing an alternator on an older car like your older Camry isn't difficult. Ask your dad if he could look up the tools required to change it. the only real substantial thing he needs is a long ratchet or drive bar to put put a nut on the bolt of the tensioner and take pressure off the tensioner to take the belt off. the other tools are rather simple and there's YouTube videos about it I'm very sure. if your dad is somewhat inclined and has some tools I'm 90% sure he should be able to change it himself in an hour at most. I can change mine in 15-20 minutes i've done it a few times.
 
It's going to take a long time to charge the battery. it's one thing to jump it but it's another to charge one off a running car. with a working alternator the car should continue to run after being jumped. if you jump a dead car with a bad alternator it'll only run maybe half a minute of even then die again. that's one way to check to see if the alternator is bad. if the alternator is somehow erratic or partially failing it might charge it might not if you jump the car and you notice that all of the lights are on very strong or at the very least start off dim and get brighter and brighter that tells you the alternator is charging and if the alternator is completely bad once the engine jumps it'll quickly dies.
Oh sweet!
I’ll give it a go shortly, when you said if it’s a bad alternator it will just die, you mean the car will just turn off?
Because if that’s the case I won’t risk it lol
 
Oh sweet!
I’ll give it a go shortly, when you said if it’s a bad alternator it will just die, you mean the car will just turn off?
Because if that’s the case I won’t risk it lol
Yeah. The alternator provides power to run the car first before then providing power to charge the battery second. If the alternator is mostly bad to where it can provide just enough or maybe almost enough power to run the car but not charge the battery it may stay on for a short while but the lights will dim slowly until it dies. if the alternator is completely bad it won't even output a minuscule amount of power and it'll quickly drain the battery down to nothing which it's already close to and die very quickly. And if the alternator is somewhat failing and erratically decides it wants to start working it may actually charging the battery on top of providing power and in this instance the lights and everything especially the high beams would immediately be very bright and the car would run for a long time without dying. If the last scenario happens it could still be a failing alternator some alternators completely die some slowly die some work or don't work erratically. but I'm 99% sure it's the alternator that has a problem and should be changed. doesn't seem like the battery or starter is the issue. You will want to leave the jumper cables on for a few minutes at minimum to let it charge up a little bit before then trying to crank and right before you try to crank tell your dad to give the car supplying power about 1500 rpms.
 
Load test (not voltage) the battery, if the battery is good then you can eliminate battery.
Then, try to tap the starter and see if you can start with good load tested battery.
If it starts, you have bad starter.

Then, if the starter is good, then you can load test the alternator by turning on all the electrical components (AC, Radio, lights, etc.).
Then hook up the load tester into the battery and see the level of charge.
 
Don't forget to take the jumper cables off after it starts. Can't determine if the alt works or not. For good measure set a stopwatch after taking the cables off.
 
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Yeah. The alternator provides power to run the car first before then providing power to charge the battery second. If the alternator is mostly bad to where it can provide just enough or maybe almost enough power to run the car but not charge the battery it may stay on for a short while but the lights will dim slowly until it dies. if the alternator is completely bad it won't even output a minuscule amount of power and it'll quickly drain the battery down to nothing which it's already close to and die very quickly. And if the alternator is somewhat failing and erratically decides it wants to start working it may actually charging the battery on top of providing power and in this instance the lights and everything especially the high beams would immediately be very bright and the car would run for a long time without dying. If the last scenario happens it could still be a failing alternator some alternators completely die some slowly die some work or don't work erratically. but I'm 99% sure it's the alternator that has a problem and should be changed. doesn't seem like the battery or starter is the issue. You will want to leave the jumper cables on for a few minutes at minimum to let it charge up a little bit before then trying to crank and right before you try to crank tell your dad to give the car supplying power about 1500 rpms.
Alright too easy! your an absolute legend thank you so much for your help.
I’ll get back on here soon and let you know how I go, I really appreciate your help.
 
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