Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluesky 07
That was likely the issue. I started researching starter issues as a preventive measure since I'm at 236K miles on my '07 and the alternator died a couple of months ago. In a nutshell, the starter works by forcing a plunger down until it makes touches a couple of contacts, completing the circuit so the starter gets power to turn the engine. The contacts wear away over time and eventually get to the point where sometimes they make enough contact and sometimes not. I have the rebuild kit but haven't had a chance to pull the starter yet.
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I've rebuilt several starters over the years. The hardest part is getting the old one off/on. Some starters use the solenoid (plunger) some use torsion (motor starts turning and pushes the gear into the flywheel). The brushes can wear down, contact wire can break off or sometimes there's a metal plate that can get loaded up with carbon deposits.
I have always felt that you are much better off repairing your own starter than buying a rebuild. As a teen I bought a rebuilt one that looked great, with about 2 coats of cheap paint and a load of dirt on the windings. Toyota starters (Denso for the most part) are well built and with a repair they should last the life of the vehicle. It's really not too difficult, especially if you can find a good rebuild kit.
The starter on my '91 V6 Camry was acting up in it's 26th year so I took it off, took it apart, cleaned it up with CRC QD contact cleaner, put it back together and reinstalled it. It ran like a top until I finally donated it to Goodwill when it was 29 years old. The brake lines rusted through and I wasn't able to do that repair without some major labor, so I donated it. Until then, it started and ran just fine, used a quart of oil between changes and rode very well. A/C still worked great.