One day when you go out to start your Toyota Corolla you may hear nothing, at first, when you turn the key, then all of a sudden the starter will engage and start the engine. As days and engine starts go on you notice that it takes longer for the starter to do anything when you turn the key so you decide to replace the starter.
If you are having problems where your Toyota Corolla won't start, you may want to check one thing before you spend money on a new starter. If you have the time and can check out the starter you have before you need to buy a new one you may find that all you need to do is clean out the starter coil. If you need to remove and replace the starter quickly then consider keeping the old one as a spare and fore-go the core charge.
A year ago I had the same problem with my 1995 Corolla and being pressed for time I bought a new starter and just planned on doing an R and R job. After I was finished installing the new starter I decided to take a look at the old one. I removed the cover over the coil that engages the starter drive along with providing power to the starter itself as the gear moves forward to engage the flywheel a set of contacts moves forward as well and provides a path for the electricity from the battery to turn the engine over. The symptom you heard, or didn't hear, when you turned the key and nothing happened was the solenoid wasn't moving forward to engage the flywheel, so no power would go to the starter either.
After pulling the cover off of the coil I found a coating of rust or corrosion covering the metal piece (armature) that moves in and out as the key is turned. The corrosion prevented the armature from moving so after removing the rust with crocus cloth (a real fine type of sandpaper used on metallic surfaces) the armature moved in and out freely which essentially fixed the starter problem.
Since I had already installed the new starter I couldn't bring it back for a refund so now I have a spare, but if you are having the same symptoms with your starter you may want to try cleaning the armature first.
Removing the starter looks harder than it is. You need to remove it from the drivers side but first disconnect the battery and remove the air cleaner hose going to the air intake. If you have cruise control you may need to remove the cable for that if it goes over the starter because it will hang you up from removing the starter. It's not a five-minute job but you can get it done in 45 minutes.
