Car randomly wont start. going beyond the basic checks

#1
2006 Corolla, 120k

Car randomly when you go to start it sounds like the battery is low makes that clicking noise like it doesn't have enough juice.

I replaced the battery(stupidly without checking the actual voltage)

Car worked right when I changed the battery so I thought things were good.
Next morning it does it again. I clutch kicked it to start it, drove it to Toyota and told them what its doing and they looked it over through out the day. They claimed they did all the basic checks, starter, battery, grounds etc etc and said nothing was wrong that they could find. it started up every time they tried.

I pick it up from Toyota and it worked. Through out the next 5 days it did it to me almost once a day where it wouldn't start. I took it back to Toyota and told them to replace the starter. it sounded weak and my mechanic buddy agreed that he's seen this happen before and it was the starter starting to go out.

So after Toyota bent me over for that replacement(yes I could have done it myself in an hour, but my current schedule wouldn't allow that to happen) the car starter fantastic. good strong start sounded healthy.

now going on 5 days since that replacement the car decided to do the exact same thing again...Im at a total loss as to what's the issue.

1. A couple other things the car is doing that is linked to this I believe. Some of these times it wont start but after I clutch kick to get it started ill be driving down the road and go to use the cruise control and it doesn't work. it just does a really slow blink....
2. This has only happened once and it was the very first time it had died, the dash would restart itself multiple times as I'm driving. or if I turned the brights on the dash would just go dark. turn the brights off the dash would come back. there were random power surges or hiccups at low speed, almost like the car loses all power then split second gains it again. But as I mentioned this has only happened the very first time the car wouldn't start.

My thoughts are maybe the ECU is faulty? Maybe a dash relay of some kind for some other issues? Car is completely unmodified with the exception to an aftermarket radio.

Any ideas?
 
#5
Did you figure it out. My car is doing sometbing similar.
Toyota replaced my starter, it kept doing it and I kept taking it back to Toyota and they couldn’t find the issue. FINALLY on the 4th trip back to Toyota the car finally wouldn’t start with them diagnosing it. The starter they installed the previous week was a faulty one and installed a new one.

Good luck, it was a very frustrating experience.

Mike
 
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