Procedure for replacing 100 series(98 and up) starter contacts (1 Viewer)

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hank14 said:
Looks like the $300.00 labor plus parts (new starter) I paid was well worth it.

That was an E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T deal!!! Though I replaced the whole starter and installed new intake gaskets (both from CDan, of course), my parts bill alone was +/- $250

dnp
 
Update to starter replacement

I just finished this project in my garage with simple tools. Air ratchet provided no advantage on this one. It took me 4 hours total and I'm a 2.5 banana mechanic, ~average.

Of note:
I left the fuel regulator on the manifold and pulled the hose off the filter, like others did.

For the "tough" bolt on the starter, I used a deep 14mm socket that I placed on the bolt first. Then I added a 3 inch "wobble" extension with a universal joint adapter next to the wrench. I got this sucker off in about 2 minutes!! Thanks to the advice from the rest of you, and this socket set up! I also removed the 10mm bolt holding the wiring harness bracket on top of the bell housing. Made it much easier to get in there.

With the bolts removed and the ground wire unbolted, you can pull the starter out and rotate it to get to the little plastic "door" part of the yellow plastic cover. Last bolt is inside this.

I reused my gaskets and cleaned everything up while I was in there.

You do need to spend some time deep inside your engine bay, laying on some things and sitting on others, but this is a very straight forward exercise. Well worth the savings if you're inclined to that kind of thing.
 
Wish me luck. I have the parts and am going to take a stab at this after a trip to the dump.

I'm going to plan 4 hours. Maybe quicker depending on how long my son wants to hang around to hand me tools.
 
Well, last weekend's attempt was a bust.

Lots of interruptions and after replacing the contacts, still got just the *Click-Hmmm* noise. I wish I had tested the reassembled starter before I put everything back together. I suspect both contacts were not seated in the same plane, and that the plunger would smack into only one contact, but not both. I believe that's what is keeping the motor from engaging the fly wheel and spinning.

Ordered another starter. Going to replace instead of repair, since it's such a pain to dissasemble. I blew the DIY payback.

A couple of tips for others trying this:

o completely remove the airbox so you can stand it its place in the engine bay. clip the tie-wrap that holds the MAF sensor wire routed against the box, so you can move it completely out of the way. The sheet metal under the air box is strong enough to stand on (I weigh 170lbs.)

o with the airbox & hoses out of the way, you can get your left foot down along side the passenger side of the block and stand on the right front upper control arm hinge. It's a beefy suspension component that gives you someplace to stand when you lift the throttle body. Just watch out for the coiled tubes.

o FYI, the FSM doesn't show disconnecting the TPS/ThrottleBody from the intake manifold. It just shows removal of throttle cable and wiring harness that goes to the TPS, and you can leave the whole throttle body bolted to the intake. Did I do that? No, I unbolted the TB from the manifold so there was less weight to lift. My helpers had all left to go to the pool!

o FSM says unbolt/unclip/unscrew the engine wiring harness all around the intake. You have to unplug all the injector wires anyway. You might as well also unscrew the two bolts that hold the harness (where shrouded in a black plastic protective case) at the back of the engine over the starter area. Getting the harness pushed a bit (an inch back there) out of the way is a good thing so you don't pinch anything when removing the intake manifold.

o There's a metal hot H2O bypass tube across the VBanks at the back of the engine that blocks your access to those darn starter bolts everybody has (with good reason) griped about. It combines coolant from each bank into a single hose that goes into the firewall. If you remove the 4 bolts (2 on each end) of the metal bypass pipe, you can swing it up out of the way. Leave it connected to the heater hose. Caution: cover the air intake holes at cylinders 7 and 8 before unbolting, so no coolant or dirt gets in them. A few ounces of coolant will dribble out and drain to the floor through holes under the starter motor. FSM recommends replacing the 2 gaskets for the bypass tube. Once I got this off, the driver's side starter motor bolt was easier to reach. Time saved on the bolts was probably worth $5 extra in gaskets.

o Have fun getting the starter bolts out.

o You don't have to totally disassemble the starter if you think it's just the contacts at fault. You can just unbolt (3x 12mm?) the trapezoid shaped door that covers the plunger/contacts end of the solenoid to get at the contacts. Clean it out when you are in there, but be carefull not to break any wires inside. If you want to overhaul the rest of the starter while you have it out (like I thought I would do), BEWARE the crappy soft screws that hold the covers on. I wasted an hour trying to get them out, stripping one of them and eventually resorting to a "Philips-to-Slotted" conversion, a al Dremmel tool. What a waste of time!

o After replacing the contacts, the FSM also shows a procedure of putting a wood block in the cavity and pressing down on the contacts with a drill press. No kidding! Nobody else mentioned this in their postings above, but maybe I was the only one to have a problem with not having the contacts seated in the same plane.

Now that I know what I'm doing, I expect I can get the swap done in 2 hours, withi help from somebody lifting the manifold out, and putting back in.

My wife would multiply that by 4 after last weekend's attempt!!!! ;)
 
Unfortunately it sounds like we all will have to deal with the starter issue around 90K? The 90K service just got bigger and more complex. But thank you for taking the time to write all the details up...it will save the rest of us lots of time and frustration I'm sure!
 
New starter P/N

Old (OE for 2000/03 UJZ100)
Red metallic sticker
"Toyota 28100-50070
228000-7393
12V (then some date code stamped)
Denso Japan"

New
Green metallic sticker
"Toyota 28100-50101
228000-8812
12V (d/c stamp)
Denso Japan"

Had a little bit extra plastic insulator behind/around the terminal posts, but otherwise same dimensions.


3 hours + break for lunch.
 
Last edited:
BUMP..... to say thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. My operation went very smoothly thanks to the directions and pictures posted. Awesome job guys, and Woody that silver star is yet again a bargain compared to $300 in labor! :D
 
Need Parts

I need to get the contacts and the plunger for my 99 LX470 starter, but I am having trouble finding the parts. Where do you get these?

Also, when I took off the intake and reinstalled, the temp guage stoped working, any sugestions?

Thanks for the info and the help.
 
robertpowell said:
I need to get the contacts and the plunger for my 99 LX470 starter, but I am having trouble finding the parts. Where do you get these?

Also, when I took off the intake and reinstalled, the temp guage stoped working, any sugestions?

Thanks for the info and the help.

I got my contacts directly from my Toyota dealer. The parts for the LC and LX should be exactly the same.

So let me get this straight. You actually removed the intake manifold already and put it all back together? Or do you mean just the air intake and plumbing?
 
Need Help...

Yes, I did remove the intake. I was going to replace the starter, but I decided to wait and get the contacts instead. $150 is worth the wait and the pain. But, now the temp sensor is not working. I suspect that I have left a wire off, but I sure cant see anything.
 
Are you talking about the "Outside Temperature" sensor that has the LCD on the center console? Did you check the connection at the temperature sensor? I believe the sensor is in front/near of the radiator somewhere. I might be able to dig up the testing procedure for it if needed.
 
Just FYI Guys-

I just ordered my starter contacts and plunger for my 2000 UZJ100 from Cdan. He was kind enough to inform me that Toyota changed the design of the contacts during the year 2000. The 100 series model years 98-2000 March use one type, and from 2000 March to present use a revised type. Just a heads up.

Does anyone know why they changed and what improvements they gain if any??
 
One can determine the production month on the vehicle by the VIN or the label on the driver's door.
 
i may have to have a garage sale to pay for this..............not sure if i want to do this on my own.......i am a puss, so be it
 
Noah said:
i may have to have a garage sale to pay for this..............not sure if i want to do this on my own.......i am a puss, so be it
There's really not that much to it..really. Just move slowly and methodically........It took me longer than it should have, but it's really pretty straightforward
 

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