2.2kW Starter Rebuild (1 Viewer)

[DARKNESS]

I recently picked up a used 2.2kW starter (244k) and rebuilt it so I figured I'd document it. Thanks to Kernal for alot of help with the process.

First, a little about the 2.2kW starter. There are 3 types of starters for the FZJ80:

1.4kW: ????
2.0kW: 28100-66060
2.2kW: 28100-66050

The 2.2kW is the largest and most powerful, but it only came on the 1993 model in the US. All other models seem to have come with the 2.0kW. I'm not sure where the 1.4kW was used, but it doesn't seem to have been common in the US.

How is the 2.2kW starter identified?

•Part number (28100-66050)
•2.2kW starter has a 9 tooth gear while the 2.0kW has 10
•2.2kW starter has internal through bolts while the 2.0kW starter has external bolts
•2.2kW starter has a sleeve covering the gear​

These pictures from informationjunky and photoman make it pretty easy:

Here is an exploded diagram of the starter:

The main wear parts are the contacts and plunger. However, unless your starter is remarkably well preserved all the rubber is likely shot. The field frame wire grommet (insulation) and boot are probably cracked and falling apart. The o-rings, magnetic switch gasket, and breathers are probably dried out. Also, the front armature bearing is probably dried out.

Here’s a list of all the parts I replaced. I got the contacts, plunger, o-rings, gasket, and breathers from Toyota. They took a long time to arrive. I got the grommet and boot from - Alternator & Starter Parts Wholesale. Finally, I got the bearings from Amazon.

I’d also recommend getting some electrical contact cleaner. Also, if you’re going to rebuild the drive section you’ll need some high temperature grease. I used MolykoteG-4700 (based on Kernal’s recommendation) but I think whatever you use for birfs probably would work.

 

[DARKNESS]

Once you’ve got all your parts, start disassembly. It’s pretty straightforward. If you only want to replace the contacts, simply remove the magnetic switch cover.

Pull the plunger out. You’ll probably see that its thickness is reduced from arcing.

Once the plunger is out you’ll see that the contacts have grooves worn in them from arcing as well.

Removing them is pretty simple. Just remove the nuts and they’ll slide out. Installing them is a bit trickier. I think many people simply put the new contacts in place and tighten them up. However, the FSM says that you should clamp the contacts down with a block of wood at 200 lb force and then tighten them. This keeps them flat while tightening the bolts. I didn’t follow the FSM procedure exactly, but I found that a scrap of 2x2 and some quick clamps did the job just fine.

Here are the replaced contacts:

 

[DARKNESS]

Replacing contacts is probably the minimum level of rebuild I would do, but you can probably stop here if you like. I would highly recommend replacing the grommet and boot on the field frame if you have time. Mine was badly dried and cracked. As soon as I moved the wire it started flaking off.

I’d recommend taking the field frame off to do this. Most likely, bits of the grommet will fall into it as you remove them and you’ll have to remove the frame to get them out. Just remove the two hex bolts to pull the field frame off. However, you could theoretically do it without removing the frame. Here’s what it looks like when all the grommet is removed.

You need to remove the brush assembly to get the armature out.

You need to remove the brushes to get the brush assembly off. Pull back the springs with a small screwdriver and pull the brushes out. The FSM says the brushes should be between 15.5mm and 9.5mm. Mine were nearly 15mm. I would guess these generally don’t need replacing.

 

[DARKNESS]

Once the brushes are out the brush holder pulls off easily. The armature is still held in the field frame by the bearing on the other end. Hold the field frame at an anlge and tap the edge of the case with a plastic mallet to get the armature to drop out. After the armature is out, you can shake out any left over pieces of grommet. I also sprayed a lot of contact cleaner in there to clean out the carbon dust.

The bearing on the bottom of the armature is probably dried out. I think Denso thought the cup at the bottom of the housing would keep out carbon dust. Unfortunately, it didn’t work that way and my bearing was very dried out and rough. I replaced this bearing with a fully sealed bearing (NSK 608VV). The other bearing on the armature, which is double sealed, seemed almost like it was new. I replaced it anyway, but I don’t think it was necessary. I pulled it off with a bearing puller and tapped the new one on with a hammer and socket.

To install the new grommet, tie a string to the terminal on the wire. Thread it through the new grommet, and pull the new grommet on.

Here is the field frame with the new grommet and boot installed. I took the opportunity to paint mine.

 

[DARKNESS]

At this point, you could reassmble it and call it good or rebuild the drive section. Rebuilding the drive section probably isn’t necessary, but I didn’t know that going in. To open it up, just remove the two phillips screws that hold the cover on. Mine both stripped out immediately. I had to drill the heads off. Once I did that, the screws came out easily.

Here’s what it looks like with the cover removed. There’s not much to do other than clean everything and re-grease it. This video does a really good job showing how to get the clutch out.

To get the clutch out, you need compress the shaft so you can get a circlip off. I did it with some quick clamps. Once you pop the circlip off, the bendix comes off, along with a bunch of other parts and the clutch will come out.

To get the bearings out, simply get a socket and tap the shaft in the clutch down until the bearing pops off. Flip it over and do this to the other side. The video explains this process really well. Don’t tap it too far or you will pop the shaft out of the clutch. This happened to me. Luckily, none of the parts inside flew out and I was able to get it back together.

Once the bearings are off, you can clean and regrease them, put the bearings back on, and reassmble everything. There’s really no tricks to getting everything back together, so I won’t go into it. Here’s mine after assembly. Make sure to put the new breathers on if you decide to do that. They just snap in.

 

[DARKNESS]

Of course, you could spend more time cleaning and protecting yours to make it look like Kernal's:

And that's it. I haven't installed it yet. I figure someone will identify a huge mistake I made and I'll have to fix it first. Once that's done, I'll throw it in and enjoy an extra 0.2kW of starting power.

 

[leucadiacruiser]

Thanks a bunch for this @DARKNESS. Waiting on a plunger and contacts from CDan and hopefully get this 2.2d in by next week.

 

[DARKNESS]

Nice. Good luck.

 

[TrickyT]

Excellent job documenting this rebuild, Darkness! This definitely needs to be added to the FAQ sticky thread.

 

[inkpot]

Good job. So how much did you spend for all the parts ? John

 

[DARKNESS]

Too much. I wound up buying some stuff twice because I couldn't figure out exactly what parts were the correct ones. It's about $50 for the plunger and contacts which is the minimum I would do. I think if you buy them aftermarket (not OEM Toyota) it's cheaper. Probably another $20-50 for grommet, bearings, o-rings, depending on what you decide to do. So, I'd say it's around $50-$100 assuming you already have the starter in hand. Not too bad considering what a refurbished starter goes for.

 

[DARKNESS]

Finally installed it today. Fired right up! Woohoo! It definitely has a different sound than the 2.0kw. Higher pitched. It also makes kind of a whizzing sound at the end, sort of like an electric drill slowing down. It doesn't seem to start up any faster.

Ahhhh, my OCD feels slightly better.... for now....

 

[Tools R Us]

... So, I'd say it's around $50-$100 assuming you already have the starter in hand. Not too bad considering what a refurbished starter goes for.

A reman Denso 2.0 is ~$100. Luckily I don't deal with arctic conditions, so even the 1.4 works just fine.

 

[DARKNESS]

Updated my part number list. The magnetic switch cover gasket numbers were missing.

Also, my starter still works great. Didn't bat an eye all winter.

 

[johnalex]

Buying a new one is starting to look like a really good idea after reading this thread.

 

[2fpower]

I wonder if this is a rebuild kit for the 2.0

There are a bunch listed for the 1.4, have no idea which one is which.

REPAIR KIT-ND OSGR Wholesale Alternator Parts - Starter Parts & Repair kits

 

[DARKNESS]

Still starting great even in cold weather.

 

[ERG80]

(Edit)Found the parts

 

[ERG80]

Darkness, thank you for the thread. I hope you don't mind I used your parts image and updated some info. All the parts you listed above with a Toyota part number are still available, including the front armature bearing. The aftermarket contact boot and wire grommet are also still available and came from your link above. I added the large oring to the image so we have have it in the future. I haven't verified that the oring fits yet so will update the image when I can verify or when a parts expert chimes in and confirms.

 

[2fpower]

Thank you for updating this @ERG80 I have one too, bought all the parts and have not rebuilt it yet.