Newbie 74 FJ40 Starter Problems? (finally dead?) (1 Viewer)

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Apr 17, 2006
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Location
Charleston, SC
Hey All,

I have looked through the threads and either did not see or could not find a solution to my current problem.

I have a 74 FJ40 and it has slowly been tougher to start after sitting for a while. Normally when I go to start the rig, I only hear the starter clicking (fast) and then nothing....turn off the ignition, take out the key and then try again, same clicking but the engine turns over (although slowly and sounds like a struggle to finally fire and catch). There has be no pattern to this...sometimes just the clicking, sometimes clicking and a slow start, and sometimes nothing at all.


This morning when I tried to take the rig out, 1st attempt was the clicking. So I tried again and now nothing. No clicking at all and no start. While this has happened in the past, my 2nd or third attempt would finally catch, but does not seem to be happening anymore.

I have cleaned all battery terminals and connection to starter. Battery is new (6 months) and has juice - the headlights are nice and bright.

So, would this finally be a dead starter (with the previous symptoms a sign it was about to die) and time to replace?

I am new to this and any help would be appreciated or any test I can do to put my on right track.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
To add a quick followup...I tried to jump rig from wife's car and engine did try to turnover...but was extremely slow and never caught.

Any ideas?
 
First guess would be the battery or electrical connections, but it sounds
like you've checked those - so, yes, I think it's your starter.

I had similar symptoms - sometimes it would start normally, other
times I'd get nothing, not even a click. A new starter was the cure.

-Phrog
 
Dude, do not buy a new starter - it sounds like your brushes are worn, pull it apart and replace them before going out and spending s*** load on a new one.
 
Thanks guys....decided to try to take out the starter (to see if I can replace the brushes, or if I need to replace the starter completely. I unscrewed the 2 long bolts from the front side of the starter, but it seems caught on something. The starter has pulled out about 1/2 way, but catches on something and does not pull much further.


Right now I can't pull the starter all the way out and it will not go back in....seems like I'm digging a deep hole.

Thanks for the help.
 
it's easy... just pull on it..
and when you get a new one... get one spec'd for a fj60 - with the gear reduction... it's aweseome and fairly cheap $80 IIRC
 
I had the same problem with 2 starters I finally found an fj60 gear reduction on ebay. Worked like a champ.
 
sounds good....I will try to pull HARDER on the starter and hopefully will come off. Other than the 2 long screws from the front, is there another bolt/screw I am overlooking? Current starter looks like this one in diagram from SOR: Specter Off-Road-Land Cruiser Parts - Page 020-Alternator & Starter (near bottom of page)


Will also look into FJ60 replacement and see what I can find. Will any year work?

Thanks!
 
When you are putting things back together, you may want to consider adding more grounds. It is a "tried and true" trick that gives you the best starter operation. Make sure you have a haevy guage cabel between:

Battery Negative and Engine Block
Battery Negative and Frame
Engine Block and Frame

Those flat woven cables work good between the Engine Block and Frame.

A bettery with both sied and top posts makes the two connections to the battery easy.

Regards -

Rocky
 
Hey All,

I have looked through the threads and either did not see or could not find a solution to my current problem.

I have a 74 FJ40 and it has slowly been tougher to start after sitting for a while. Normally when I go to start the rig, I only hear the starter clicking (fast) and then nothing....turn off the ignition, take out the key and then try again, same clicking but the engine turns over (although slowly and sounds like a struggle to finally fire and catch). There has be no pattern to this...sometimes just the clicking, sometimes clicking and a slow start, and sometimes nothing at all.


This morning when I tried to take the rig out, 1st attempt was the clicking. So I tried again and now nothing. No clicking at all and no start. While this has happened in the past, my 2nd or third attempt would finally catch, but does not seem to be happening anymore.

I have cleaned all battery terminals and connection to starter. Battery is new (6 months) and has juice - the headlights are nice and bright.

So, would this finally be a dead starter (with the previous symptoms a sign it was about to die) and time to replace?

I am new to this and any help would be appreciated or any test I can do to put my on right track.

Thanks!

You say you cleaned your battery terminals which is a good first step but you should do the same with your grounds. There should be one from the neg battery terminal to the block. Clean the area where the cable connects to the block and use a star washer under the terminal and some dielectric grease. There should also be a ground cable directly from the starter to the frame. Clean both ends of that and use a star washer under the terminal end at the frame along with some dielectirc grease. If you have your starter motor out. NAP or AutoZone or others will bench test it for you and I'd suggest doing that before buyng a new one.
 
Quick question, you said you removed two long bolts/screws to remove the starter. As in these two long bolts were on the front portion of the starter motor. Put those back in, you are taking the starter itself apart, that is why it hangs up when you pull on it. The starter comes off with one bolt and nut, they should take a 14mm or 17mm wrench as I recall and bolt the starter to the bellhousing. It comes off pretty easily. In stock form the upper bolt is a bolt. The lower one, that the ground cable should be attached to is a stud from the the bellhousing with a nut on it. Sometimes the upper bolt is hard to get at, a short wrench is usually the easiest to get in there, and make small turns.
 
Have you checked your points? Or, is it definately a problem with the starter?:meh:
 
Thanks MoConative.. that's what I did, pulled off the top portion and did not unscrew from bellhousing :whoops:. Now all the "guts" are hanging 1/2 way out.

I will take the wrench at it and unscrew from the correct bolt to remove completely.

I did change out dist. cap and points roughly 6 months ago (when I had probs with no spark).
 
Quick update....I was able to take off the complete starter and below are a couple pics.

Loads of dirt fell out of it when I pulled it out. Think I will take up to local auto store to have tested, but probably will have to look for a new one.

I know someone suggested a gear reduction starter for a FJ60. My question is are Gear Reduction Starters alway labeled as such and different from Direct Drive Starters?

I did a quick search on Advanced Auto and here are the options:

Direct Drive Starter:
While we find your parts, please enter your ZIP Code at PartsAmerica.com

Gear Reduction Starter: (is marked with "optional" gear reduction..does this matter?) While we find your parts, please enter your ZIP Code at PartsAmerica.com

So...if the guys at the parts shop tell me the starter is dead...any ideas on which new starter I should look at?


Thanks!
starter1.jpg
starter2.jpg
 
I highly recommend the gear reduction starter. Just recently put one in my 71 FJ 40 to replace the apparently origional starter when it died. Easy, direct bolt in. My 40 did not have the extra circuit bypassing a resistor so it was an easy 2 wire hookup. One heavy wire from batt to starter and one smaller wire from keyed start circuit to solinoid on the starter.
 
Thanks.....will any starter for a 81-87 fj60 have be gear reduction or do I need to purchase one that specifically states, "gear reduction"?
 
You have two paths here. A good shop may be able to fix yours, or you could clean it all up, put new brushes in it etc... But you can also go to the local parts place and get a new one.

A delima you may face is not getting a core out of yours. If you get a starter for your year, rebuilt at that and give them yours, you will get some money back. If you get a newer starter, the gear reduction, you will not get any core money back.

I swapped over to gear reduction a while ago. Didn't seem to make a huge difference in starting power and speed, but it is a nicer unit, and alot easier to put on, much lighter and you can get them brand new from most parts places, or even Toyota for a decent price. They hook up about the same, and as mentioned above the wiring is pretty easy.

I have an 84 60, so I just asked for an 84 starter, as I knew that would be gear reduction for sure. If you buy new, the price is usually not much more than rebuilt, and you usually get a lifetime warranty.

I don't even think that your starter is an original Toyota starter anyway, looks like an aftermarket unit. They are basically Ford/Chevy starters that fit. They have a bigger motor case on them, and are harder to mount because you can't get a socket and extension past the motor squarely. An original one can be cleaned and rebuilt, the aftermarket units seem to not be very servicable in my experience.
 
Core charge

I think you'll be able to get your core money either way. Having worked at several parts counters, most core charges are just a flat rate. They don't really care what the core is from, as long as they're getting a core. That probably won't be true if you buy from Toyota. You should wait until your new starter is installed and working before giving them your core- they send them off a few times a week, and once gone, that's the last you'll see of it.

More advice from a parts guy- if you end up buying one from Advanced Auto Parts, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Checker, or one of the many other on-the-corner type shops, don't buy the cheapest one. I swear that they sandblast some cores, slap a new sticker on, and send them out as rebuilt. If you buy one from one of these places, rebuilt is usually as good as new, just not the really budget brand.
 

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