Starter Motor Not Engaging

[Terry]

Hey guys, sorry if this is a silly question, I've searched and didn't really find a straight answer.

anyway, tonight when I went to start my car, turning the key the engine didn't start. I could hear the starter motor whirring away but wasn't starting the engine, on the third try it finally worked. It seems to me that the starter motor is just spinning on its own, but not engaging the engine at all. The sound was definitely not like starting with flat battery or starting with the engine already on.

oh btw, the car is a 2004 Camry V6 (auto with the 1MZFE).

This has happened every now and again for me (like once every month or two, for the last 2-3 years), I've just sort of ignored it until now, since it normally starts perfectly.

It is starting to be a little bit more frequent now. I do alot of stop start driving, so the starter motor is always being used repeatedly.

Anyone have any idea what is the issue? time for a new starter motor or could it potentially be a bigger issue?

[Whip Cracker]

If you DO do a lot of stop/starting stuff, then you'll come across this problem. I wouldn't have thought you would wear it out considering the age of the car though. Couriers have this problem a lot... always starting and stopping.

I'd just reseat the cables to the starter motor and see if you get any joy from that?

[Terry]

cool, I'll give that a go :)

yeah I definitely do alot of stopping and starting, since I do home deliveries for a chinese restaurant as a part-time job, so I may stop and start the car up to like 20-30 times a night.