Like TheDurk said, it's probably the fuel pump. I've changed my starter contacts over a year ago and within a few months had the long start problem....more than likely the fuel pump.

http://www.ncttora.com/fsm/1996/SIL/fsm/repair.html

LoL. Pretty funny that despite your first post people went on to fill this thread with long detailed (and possibly wrong) "do it yourself" advice, exactly the kind that you are ranting about.

I will concur this information. I will only add that you will need to remove a PS line and possibly the loosen or remove the upper half of the trans dip stick.

Much much much easier than any other procedure that I have tried.

thanks, I'll be giving this a try right now, it definitely seems much easier than snaking out the starter at various angles...

Well, I removed the bellhousing/tranny/tc and swaybar brackets, and then it was a breeze to take out going to the rear. (Of course, what I really had to do was my clutch. I only had a mm or two left on the contact so it was a good time to do it.)

If you are over 120k and have the trans out for any reason, I recommend doing this at the same time.

Let me knows if it works

That definitely worked! It was very easy to simply unbolt both front sway bar brackets and drop the starter out that way (but make a note of how it came out!).

I had initially planned to just swap the starter contacts without fully removing the starter itself (based on THIS THREAD), but once I unbolted the three (3) 7mm bolts and removed the cap, I realized my starter was full of debris, so I decided to just take it out completely and clean it on the bench, which was fortuitous because I would never have been able to remove the contacts from the starter under the 4Runner because they were just so tight...

By the time I cleaned the inside of the housing and replaced the worn plunger & both contacts and bolted on the cover, I tried to put the starter back in the way I had taken it out, i.e. past the front sway bar, but I just could not remember how I had oriented it for removal... so I ended up getting the started back in place via the passenger wheel well; I had already previously unbolted the two (2) 12mm bolts which keep the brake line in place on both the outside and inside of the frame (based on THIS THREAD), and it was very easy to maneuver the starter back in place that way.

Now my starter starts right up again, and so I hope my intermittent starter issues (clicking, and one time recently, the starter still attempted to start both when the engine was already running, as well as when I tried to shut off the engine and removed the key from the ignition! *) are a thing of the past...

* according to ExPo - Denso starter contact replacement, the starter contacts can get pitted and worn down to the point such that when the starter engages, the plunger can stick between the channels dug out of the contacts, keeping the starter engaged, even if you remove the key from the ignition - there is full battery amperage going through the motor, and so if this happens, then you run a great risk of your vehicle catching fire! BTW, this particular thread was a good reference for all the proper torque specs (stud nuts and cover bolts), as well as the piece of steel which Dave machined to apply force to both the starter contacts while properly torquing down the 14mm stud nuts on the outside of the housing.

Having done numerous starters on all types of Hondas, I thought this would be straight forward with two bolts, remove cable/wire and pull out. But NO! This was such a PITA. Took me roughly 45 min. to get the starter off of the block. It took me 3 hours to get it out of the damn engine bay! OMFG!

I tried through the wheel well but the brake lines were in the way even though the bracket was removed. Finally got it through the bottom by dropping the swaybar, removing the transmission dipstick holder bolt AND undoing a power steering hardline. Haven't put it back in but hopefully things will go much smoother. Wow and I thought these things were easy as Civics to work on.

I've done 2 2nd Gen starters, on my old '94 and my dad's '95. The only way those go out is through the wheel well. What. A. Pain. In. The. !#@$!

Well slapped on the starter yesterday and it a little under an hour to have everything bolted up and started. I love my 3rd gen t4r!

I have a 96 4x4 that this wont work as I took everything removable off the rag. I was at the point of a saws all and a cutting torch I kid you not. I cussed Mr. Toyota for hours. It is the most stupid thing I have ever seen as far as a starter goes. BUT........Taking the break line brackets off and the half dip stick works. Its just the process of twists and flips you have to do with one arm under the truck and one in the fender well with a tire in your face while your licking the control arm. Just remember the butt end comes out first as you are twisting it out of the hole lift strait up and it comes out. Took me 2 minutes once I got the info from a Toyota Tech bud.
ON MINE...Biggest problem is the wires going to the starter have no play what so ever so you cant put them on first like most vehicles that have some slack. You have to mount the dang starter first then put the wires on and you need 2 more joints in a forearm to get in there. Then the plugged wire is a T total beach with that seal inside the female end of the starter that it took me three hours of cussing using my finger tips on 2 fingers to get it to go. Not even enough room to use a hammer or I would have, a 4lb'er at that.
And this doesnt have anything to do with it but as I was under the vehicle we had a nice 3 inch rain as I was in the driveway and not in the garage!!! So I was doing this as I was exposed to Chinese water torture to the left retina and when I would turn my head, then a stream of water (of oil and grease) strait into the ear!!! and thats not to mention the mud puddle I was laying in!! Oh yea.....great experience. Just thought I would share.

This is how I fixed my starter. Enjoy the show!

So, why some people in here, including the OP, states that it only takes the swaybar removal to uninstall the starter, then others that states that it takes the removal of power steering lines and dipstick?

Are 3rd gen different in this area between the years?

I have heard the 2 wheel drive versions are easier to remove the starter because you get it out easily from the bottom. Going through the wheel well isn't that hard really. Once I knew the orientation the starter needed to be in to come out, it was pretty easy. It also took me some trial and error to figure out the best way to get a socket onto the starter bolts. It's tight in there so I found several extensions with a swivel was the answer. The most time consuming part of all was researching on-line for the starter contacts. I tried forever to find a affordable kit for my starter but all the kits I found didn't list my starter as one it would work for.

If you watch my video, you'll have no problem doing this repair. It's a long video, but you can always fast forward if you get tired of listening to me blab away.