Hello fellow toyos,
1998 Camry XLE 6cyl. 98,500 MILES. Timing belt was back @ 89K. I had AAA replace my battery last week, because I was having starting issues. I asked to check both the Starter and Alternator, and the driver told me both were very good. Now, this "SNAPPING sound, sounds like a PING, or when I was a kid, I used to take a hammer to a roll or a few CAPS to make that sound. This is the only way to convey to you what I am hearing,when I try to tun over the engine. This is not the clicking sound when you have a dead battery or a starter issue, but the sound is a PING with every ckick of the key.
this is intermittent, sometimes, the car starts up right away, other times, I hear that PING sound, then the engine it may turn over the engine. I called my mechanic, the engine started up, and drove to hime, he put a engine test dongle up and told me everything was fine.
BUT, apparently not, not when each time I go to start my car, then this PING sound, may happen, or not.
WHAT OTHER ISSUE COULD THIS BE, KNOWING THAT I HAVE A NEW BATTERY, AN ALTERNATOR TEST WAS GOOD?
....... AND AS FAR AS THE STARTER, WHEN IT GOES OUT, IT GOES OUT, NO WAY TO TEST THE STARTER, he said.

 

The starter is drawing a LOT of current from the battery when engaged. Could this noise be from electricity arcing due to a bad connection or bad cable? If its arcing should be able to see the arc in a dark garage or at night.

 

Hello and Thank You, Toyo,
The car is at the mechanics. I dropped the car off yesterday AM, he called to tell me that each of the five times he started the engine, throughout the day, he never heard the "SNAP" sound, it started right up each time, and OF COURSE this happens only to ME, on Friday the 13th!
I told him to keep it over the weekend then tinker with it on Monday, and try starting it while the engine is cold, but to me, it seems that whenever I turn the key first thing, in the morning, I hear that Snap sound. If I turn the key several times like 7 or 8, then the engine finally turns over, more than not.
I also thought about my spark plugs, but I just had them installed at 66,683 miles. (2/2013) 32,817 miles ago, and TOY recommends changing plugs every, 60,000 miles. (I currently have 99,500 miles).

Thank You for your reply!

I will check back and post to tell you what caused this, SNAP sound, every turn of the ignition switch.
Another person told me this could be my starter solenoid, or ignition switch, somewhere in the starting circuit.
I replaced my timing belt at 89K, but what other crucial maintenance should I perform at the 100,000 mile mark?
I noticed my DOG BONE,(Torque Strut mount?) was cracked, and my mechanic told me to buy OEM, but most auto supply shops, Auto zone, Napa, O'Reilly, etc., do not carry this crucial, OEM dog bone, They only carry oem-spec after market, like Premiere, Duralast, or DEA, etc.
For those of you who had to replace their DOG BONE, with an after-market part, did you experience any issues, or buying an after-market dog bone, was good enough, without buying this $104.00 Toyota Part from dealer.?

 

If the engine turns over when the snapping stops check the starter solenoid and the large electrical cable going to it.

Determine if this is mechanical noise as in something hitting metal or like the sound of a whip cracking.

See other post for the dog bone.