Need to have starter fixed

Logans994runner

New member
So here is the story, I'm out of town for work and my 99 4runner has been getting harder to start according to my mom. Well my dad comes home and takes it to the local Toyota/scion dealer and has them diagnose it.... They are saying bad starter? Ok, cool thats fine well my dad sends me a text saying that 500.00 dollars later it will be fixed with a new starter...

HOLY SHIT ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!? Thats a lot of cash for starter...

So I found starters online for 150.00


MY QUESTION IS!!!! WHERE IS THE STARTER LOCATED I'm not home to look at my engine bay to find out where it is can some one tell me
 
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well man I just had one helluva time replacing my starter and honestly I would make some one give me 500 to do it again, it is do-able, should be on your passenger side under the exhaust manifold, it's easier to get to for the bottom but i'd take off my sway bar and rack&pinion lines first before I tried taking it off
 
Really? undo the rack and pinion and sway bar, thats good to know... yeah im a lil upset at Toyota for putting it there. But I already called Toyota/Scion and told them not to do it and I will deal with it when I get home. There is a guy that only works on Toyota's and I will have him look at it and at the same time I will have my rack and pinion bushings replaced

thanks









beallen21 said:
well man I just had one helluva time replacing my starter and honestly I would make some one give me 500 to do it again, it is do-able, should be on your passenger side under the exhaust manifold, it's easier to get to for the bottom but i'd take off my sway bar and rack&pinion lines first before I tried taking it off
 
hope this helps


REMOVAL & INSTALLATION
NOTE: Replacing the starter while the engine is cold is recommended. A hot engine can result in personal injury.


Disconnect the negative battery cable.
Remove the nut and disconnect the battery cable from the magnetic switch on the starter motor.
Disconnect the remaining electrical connections at the starter.
Remove the nuts and/or bolts securing the starter to the bell housing, then pull the starter toward the front of the vehicle to remove.
To install:

Insert the starter into the bell housing being sure that the starter drive teeth are engaged with the flywheel teeth, not jammed against the flywheel.
Tighten the attaching hardware to 29 ft. lbs. (39 Nm) and replace all electrical connections.

Fig. 1: Exploded view of a common starter mounting found on Toyota trucks

a>~original



Connect the positive battery cable (starter wire) to the starter.
Connect the negative battery cable.
 
Is the starter actually going out? I had mine rebuilt last year and all it that needed to be done was the connectors were wore down. Less than $50 and done in less than 30 minutes.
 
What engine ??

Either way, $500 is a rip off. It's like a 15 min job.


So is $150 for a (most likely) rebuilt one from a parts store.
 
Logans994runner said:
Really? undo the rack and pinion and sway bar, thats good to know... yeah im a lil upset at Toyota for putting it there. But I already called Toyota/Scion and told them not to do it and I will deal with it when I get home. There is a guy that only works on Toyota's and I will have him look at it and at the same time I will have my rack and pinion bushings replaced

thanks



yea if you are gonna replace the rack bushings anyway then drop the whole rack but if you are just going after the starter, you can just take off the feed and return LINES on the the rack
 
thanks so much for that diagram thats really going to help.... Where did you find that? And sweet well I will see if it just needs a re-build. I'm already out 115.00 due too having to pay for a diagnose from Folsom Lake Toyota and Scion... But if its just rebuild thats sweet if not then Im going to put a new re-built starter in there....


shootmymime said:
hope this helps


REMOVAL & INSTALLATION
NOTE: Replacing the starter while the engine is cold is recommended. A hot engine can result in personal injury.


Disconnect the negative battery cable.
Remove the nut and disconnect the battery cable from the magnetic switch on the starter motor.
Disconnect the remaining electrical connections at the starter.
Remove the nuts and/or bolts securing the starter to the bell housing, then pull the starter toward the front of the vehicle to remove.
To install:

Insert the starter into the bell housing being sure that the starter drive teeth are engaged with the flywheel teeth, not jammed against the flywheel.
Tighten the attaching hardware to 29 ft. lbs. (39 Nm) and replace all electrical connections.

Fig. 1: Exploded view of a common starter mounting found on Toyota trucks

a>~original



Connect the positive battery cable (starter wire) to the starter.
Connect the negative battery cable.
 
fourwd1 said:
What engine ??

Either way, $500 is a rip off. It's like a 15 min job.


So is $150 for a (most likely) rebuilt one from a parts store.

To replace a starter is a 1 hour job. And a new starter would cost you anywhere from $220 - $400 depending on where you go. I would first reccomend finding a mechanic you trust that is not at the Toyota dealership. This is the most expensive place to go.

The other possibility is that your start contacts are going bad which would cause it to click before starting. And any mechanic will tell you that the best idea is to replace the entire starter, its not just for them to make money, but it really is the best idea. Think about it, if your starter contacts are that bad why would the starter be fine to go for another 100,000 miles??

All in all the best idea would be to find a mechanic you trust and you will get the lowest/reasonable pricing. I had my starter replaced and it was $325 out the door. And i didnt have to worry(if i had done it myself) if i did everything correctly or if it would fall apart down the road.


(just my advice);):
 
The starter is not too difficult to replace.

-Remove both skid plates (if there)
-Remove the passenger side rubber wheelwell liner
-Loosen starter bolts and remove by sliding towards the front of the engine (access these bolts from below the vehicle--hence the reason for removing the skid plates).
-Install the starter by inserting from the front of the engine.

It will take some twisting and turning, but it will go in... The whell well liner should be removed so you can see what you're doing. (Remove the front tire, and basically sit under the front fenderwell while looking at the lower passenger side of the engine through the gap between the body & frame -- normally covered by the wheelwell liner.)

Oh yeah, disconnect the battery FIRST!!

So far the hardest thing to replace has been the AC compressor IMO.

BTW, I've got a '97 SR5 V6 4x4...

Hope this info helps.

Aloha!
 
Yeah, that helps a ton... My dad was talking to one of his friends thats a mechcanic and he said the same thing you did and that confirms what to do... I really appreciate the help. To bad my parents took it to Toyota/Scion to let them do it, 115.00 dollars later for them to tell me it was the starter that was bad.... Like No Shit!!!


Thanks Guys!



uluafishing said:
The starter is not too difficult to replace.

-Remove both skid plates (if there)
-Remove the passenger side rubber wheelwell liner
-Loosen starter bolts and remove by sliding towards the front of the engine (access these bolts from below the vehicle--hence the reason for removing the skid plates).
-Install the starter by inserting from the front of the engine.

It will take some twisting and turning, but it will go in... The whell well liner should be removed so you can see what you're doing. (Remove the front tire, and basically sit under the front fenderwell while looking at the lower passenger side of the engine through the gap between the body & frame -- normally covered by the wheelwell liner.)

Oh yeah, disconnect the battery FIRST!!

So far the hardest thing to replace has been the AC compressor IMO.

BTW, I've got a '97 SR5 V6 4x4...

Hope this info helps.

Aloha!
 

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