I got rid of the clutch switch years ago by creating a short (3") jumper wire with spade terminals. I simply unplugged the switch and replaced with the jumper. Gotta be sure you're working with the clutch/start switch and not the cruise cancel switch, though.
Starter strangeness
- Thread starter pluton
- Start date
I got rid of the clutch switch years ago by creating a short (3") jumper wire with spade terminals. I simply unplugged the switch and replaced with the jumper. Gotta be sure you're working with the clutch/start switch and not the cruise cancel switch, though.
pluton
Senior Member
The clutch switch will be looked at if it becomes a suspect.
Progress is slow because I've only got one chance per day to produce the fault. Today, before trying the starter, I made sure the battery terminals were making good contact. Battery has been checked with a load tester. All good.
Upon trying the starter, it showed a variety of behaviors: The usual two revolutions and then stop. With repeated engagements of the starter, it went a few more revolutions and then stopped, and on a subsequent try then did the classic 'clicking only' a couple of times, then, on about the 7th engagement of the starter, started normally. Checking the integrity of the signal and power feeds to the starter would be logically be the next thing.
Progress is slow because I've only got one chance per day to produce the fault. Today, before trying the starter, I made sure the battery terminals were making good contact. Battery has been checked with a load tester. All good.
Upon trying the starter, it showed a variety of behaviors: The usual two revolutions and then stop. With repeated engagements of the starter, it went a few more revolutions and then stopped, and on a subsequent try then did the classic 'clicking only' a couple of times, then, on about the 7th engagement of the starter, started normally. Checking the integrity of the signal and power feeds to the starter would be logically be the next thing.
phattyduck
Elite Member
Get that starter out of there and take a look...
If you find this:
You need new contacts and a plunger...
-Charlie
If you find this:
You need new contacts and a plunger...
-Charlie
brillo_76
Elite Member
Get that starter out of there and take a look...
If you find this:
You need new contacts and a plunger...
-Charlie
That's what I am thinking.. Great job posting a photo of it Charlie so people can see what they look like inside the plunger .
JoeT4R
Senior Member
@ OP, I've had perfect results with my reman Denso starter purchased from RockAuto. I threw it in 3/11/23 @ 323,664 miles and I'm at 341K ish right now. I held onto my original starter in case the reman unit goes out and I can have the oem unit rebuilt or rebuild it myself. But I went with the 1.8 unit, p/n 280-0166 for reference. Mine is also an auto.
pluton
Senior Member
Yeah...I got one...came in 1 day...Denso remag, remagged in USA.
Interestingly, the starter worked normally Saturday morning. Didn't drive it today. More to come...
JoeT4R
Senior Member
Could be an intermittent issue... my original started producing this awful screeching sound and it was inconsistent at first but started to become more of a regular thing. I wanted to swap it out before I really shat the bed entirely.
BuffaloBass
Member
Get ready to pull the downpipe/front converter off to access this area better for starter R&R.
pluton
Senior Member
Luckily, it's a 49-state version using 1 cat. All is not grim.
brillo_76
Elite Member
I was going say. All mine are easy to do but they are all signal cat rigs except my 2001. I don't think I had to change that starter on that one yet...
Most likely your contacts etc are gone in the starter. That's how they will act if they are going and barely making connection anymore. It needs fixed or it will strand you. As i had that happen in past Toyotas. With manuals it wasn't as big as a deal as it was for autos. :/
pluton
Senior Member
I saw that post while searching. That poster was not happy about all the complicated prescriptions for extracting the starter through the wheel well, etc.
If it looks easy enough, I'll do it. Otherwise I'll farm it out.
pluton
Senior Member
Final (probably) update: The starter continued it's poop-out cranking, but only first start of the day. Then it did it twice in one day. A few more days pass, and I get the poop-out crank a couple of times, then the classic clicking with no crank several times. Arranged for a local shop to swap out the starter with the Denso reman I had gotten via Rock auto. The reman starter cranks noticeably faster (on the same battery) than the 27 year old starter did. I thought it would be a good idea--and educational--to dismantle the old starter to see what could be observed inside. However, since I don't have an inside shop space where I could dismantle it and walk away whenever I wanted (my preferred way of working), I caved in to sloth and elected to return it for the ≈$32 core refund pittance. I'll post up again if the starter strangeness returns. Thanks to all who commented!
