Question 2005 Camry Starting Issues

[Westlake15]

Starter relay is clicking but no voltage at solenoid post. Removed relay and checked with meter, only shows around 8 volts getting to the relay but 0 volts getting to the starter. The main power lug on the solenoid has 12.8 volts. Is there something between the relay and the starter that I'm missing? Also, is the 8 volts at the relay a problem?

[JerryR]

How do you measure the 8v *getting* to the relay? Is that with the relay unpluged and you are measuring at the socket? Which terminal are you measuring?.
With the info that you posted, the fact that you hear the relay"click" does not necessarily mean that there is continuity thru the relay contacts. did you try to operate the realay out of the car and measure continuity?
If you need more info, I have access to the 2003 Camry manual(I think this is the same generation as the 2005).also tell us 4/6 cyl?, at/mt?
HTH
JerryR

[Westlake15]

Voltage was measured with relay removed, at the socket on the drivers side. It is a 4 cyl. A/T. Had this problem once before, and never really figured out what the core problem was. The cover came off of the relay as I was removing it and it had normal looking marks on the contacts. I cleaned them while it was open but nothing changed.

[JerryR]

If you measured 8 volts at pin 5 on the socket with the relay removed it may point to high resistance path anywhere between the battery and pin 5.
Was there any load on the battery at that time?(lights int/ext, radio, heater fan etc.)
The first thing I would do, is measure the battery voltage at the terminals, if OK, remove the battery connectors and clean them and the battery posts until they are shiney, reconnect. Don't let the fact that the radio, fan or light work fool you. with a high resistance between the battery posts and the connectors you will get what you describe. The problem will show up only when you try to turn the engine over.
Still no help? What I'm about to suggest could be risky (I would do it, but I'm crazy). the reason it's riskey is because we are going to bypass a whole bunch of fuses and circuit breakers.
Disconnect the Red/Black wire from the starter. Take a heavy gauge wire(at least as heavy as the Red/Black wire)And connect one side to battery + (be extremly careful not to touch that wire to ground!!!)and momentarily touch the other end to the starter terminal where the Red/Black wire was.
Did you hear the starter attempting to turn? If not, you either have a bad ground, or the starter solenoid is defective.
If you did hear it, remove the starter relay and touch that wire to the other side of the N.O. relay contact on the socket(It's pin 3 on the 2003)(the relay cover has the pin designation). if you hear the starter you eliminated everything after the relay, and the solenoid as the problem.
Gut feeling tells me you have a problem before the relay oweing to fact that you found only 8 volts going to the relay.
HTH
JerryR