4X4 and how do you fanangle the starter out?"

Jon

Jon

New member
97 4X4 and I have to replace the starter. It's not a "Toyota" starer so I'm not bothering with the "contact replacement" since it's it's a $hit made starter already, why not get one with a lifetime warranty! I couldn't get the main " 4ga pos connection off the starter (stripped and corroded) I had to cut it loose which is easier than said. Have you ever tried to wiggle a pair of dikes between a rock and a hard place?... pun intended :whipping2 Any way, it SUCKED in a bad way! Finally got it loose but still can't manage to get it out unless I drop the trans pan or the passenger CV axle.

The trans pan is looking best route as of now since the fluid needs to be replaced anyway but I'm looking for the easiest way to rip the starter out. Pulling through the top looks impossible. This was a 2hr battle and made me resort to cleaning my battle scars and resorting to a few shots of SoCo. The battle shall continue tomorrow! I'm going to run new 4ga wire from bat to starter and splice in a new signal (black/white) start sig wire from fuse box. Both were bad and destroyed during removal and not a big deal.
 
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Yeah. It's a ***** for sure. It took me two hours and a bunch of swear words just to get it to go back in the hole I pulled it from. Are you approaching it fron the wheel well?
 
try it from the passenger wheel well, I have a link somewhere for starter remove/install. Will post as soon as I find it.

and it is a total PITA job!
 
steezemcqueen said:
Unbolt the brake line and the transmission dipstick and you should be able to get it out through the wheel well.
Click to expand...

This. It's still a whore, but atleast you don't need to remove the pan. You need to wriggle the starter around until it clears the manifold and finally the UCA.
 
I swapped mine out and i had to spin and flip and squeeze it past the rack and pinion to get it out. be patient and it will come.
 
X2 on the brake line i recently had mine out and i took out the passenger side fender liner, and removed the brake line. Then i was able to tweak the dipstick tube enough to remove it. I think the dipstick tube is meant to seperate but idk mine def would not.

hope this helps
zero
 
LINY4Runner said:
bahhh stop with all these terrible ideas for removing the starter!

take out the four bolts that hold the sway bar to the frame and the starter falls into your lap. I promise.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...er-plan-removing-your-starter-read-first.html
Click to expand...

not true. yours may be different but there is a power steering line and the transmission dipstick that is in the way. the newer ones may not have that line or it may be routed differently. its dead in the way on the older ones.

easiest way is to go out through the wheel well
 
steezemcqueen said:
not true. yours may be different but there is a power steering line and the transmission dipstick that is in the way. the newer ones may not have that line or it may be routed differently. its dead in the way on the older ones.

easiest way is to go out through the wheel well
Click to expand...

You're right steeze, LINY I'm not sure if they are different. I have done MANY starters on these and have not once seen your way as a "cost effective" measure to do it. The only way is through the wheel well unless you plan on dropping the pan and undoing your P/S lines which is absurd!
 
I'm dropping the trans pan tomorrow. Needs a fluid change any way so why not do it all in one go? And the steering rack will bleed itself whereas the brakes won't. Then I can at least drive it again, and then it's on to new upper ball joints and CV axles, yay!
 
steezemcqueen said:
not true. yours may be different but there is a power steering line and the transmission dipstick that is in the way. the newer ones may not have that line or it may be routed differently. its dead in the way on the older ones.

easiest way is to go out through the wheel well
Click to expand...

there's a line that looks like it's in the way...but it's not.

Victor said:
You're right steeze, LINY I'm not sure if they are different. I have done MANY starters on these and have not once seen your way as a "cost effective" measure to do it. The only way is through the wheel well unless you plan on dropping the pan and undoing your P/S lines which is absurd!
Click to expand...

cost effective? Removing 4 bolts to save 2 hours isn't cost effective?

Jon said:
I'm dropping the trans pan tomorrow. Needs a fluid change any way so why not do it all in one go? And the steering rack will bleed itself whereas the brakes won't. Then I can at least drive it again, and then it's on to new upper ball joints and CV axles, yay!
Click to expand...

Jon, when you've tried everything and can't snake it out, unbolt the sway bar and let us all know how that works.


Have any of you even tried the sway bar or are you just immediately discounting it at a glance?
 
LINY4Runner said:
there's a line that looks like it's in the way...but it's not.



cost effective? Removing 4 bolts to save 2 hours isn't cost effective?



Jon, when you've tried everything and can't snake it out, unbolt the sway bar and let us all know how that works.


Have any of you even tried the sway bar or are you just immediately discounting it at a glance?
Click to expand...

I tried to remove my sway bar. The bolts were so frozen, I knew I would have a tougher time with them then doing the starter through the fender well. I couldn't separate my trans dipstick either. I ended up replacing the contacts with the starter still in the engine bay. Truck was running 15 minutes later.
 
LINY4Runner said:
there's a line that looks like it's in the way...but it's not.



cost effective? Removing 4 bolts to save 2 hours isn't cost effective?



Jon, when you've tried everything and can't snake it out, unbolt the sway bar and let us all know how that works.


Have any of you even tried the sway bar or are you just immediately discounting it at a glance?
Click to expand...

It IS in the way. Believe me. i tried to take it out that way and it just was not coming out. As i said, the newer ones might be different because it will NOT come out past the sway bar. And its only 2 bolts to remove the brake line and transmission dipstick if we are counting bolts
 
Sorry I totally forgot to add that part. My sway bar removed and has been for some time. It looks like if I drop the pan to get the lower portion of the dip stick tube out of the way then it should come out. Might have to remove the p/s line on the rack for a sec.
 
It's simple. It just slides out toward the back, over the swaybar. 10 minute job.

Oh yeah, I have a manual trans!
 
steezemcqueen said:
Unbolt the brake line and the transmission dipstick and you should be able to get it out through the wheel well.
Click to expand...
x3. Tried removing the starter through the bottom with the sway bar unbolted but ended up just wasting time. Went back up through the top after unbolting the dipstick and brake line and it took a couple of minutes to find the right orientation to slide the starter through the wheel well.
 
yeah dylan is right.

The older runners are different, there is no way its coming out the bottom. I don't have a sway bar and there wasn't room.

Here is how we got it out.

42025031.jpg~original
 
sn0wrunner said:
yeah dylan is right.

The older runners are different, there is no way its coming out the bottom. I don't have a sway bar and there wasn't room.

Here is how we got it out.

42025031.jpg~original
Click to expand...

I have a 2" body lift and it absolutely would not come out through the wheel well.
 
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