jcdesign

Replaced alternator in my 2006 GS300 and about 2-3 weeks later I started getting a scraping noise on cold starts that would last a half second right as the engine would turn over but the car ran as normal. No check engine light.

It kept doing it off and on for a little over a week until I drove up to my girlfriend’s house one day 45min away. The next morning it wouldn’t start at all and Battery was fine. Left it for a couple days and it still wouldn’t start. Had it towed back home where it sat for 2 weeks (still waiting for my mechanic to become available).

Then I randomly decided to see if it would start and it did, though it was rough and took about 4 seconds. Let it run for a bit and drove for 15 minutes and back since it had been sitting. Left it sitting for another 2 weeks before starting it again and this time it started right up with no noise. Drove it to a bday party this past Saturday 4min down the road and parked it for 3 hours. When I left it started up with no noise. Parked it back at home and later that night I started it up again and went to the store, no startup noise until I left the store but only a very tiny bit of noise.

Then this past Sunday night my keyfob battery died so I drove down the road to replace the battery, no noise on start when I left the driveway but a little tiny bit when I left the store. From the store, I drove to my girlfriends house 45min away. Car was parked for a day and a half, went to leave this morning and of course again the car won’t start at all and battery is fine. Won’t jumpstart either.

What could be the issue? Would temperature have anything to do with it? I’m in Massachusetts and we’ve had a stretch of really warm weather in 70’s when it was starting up fine and without the noise. Then late last night and into this morning it dropped to 30’s and went into low 50’s for the day. Car is in fully shaded driveway at my girlfriends but in the sun when at my house.

I don’t get it, there’s no turn over at all.