starter problems, what to do? 2000 LC with 135k

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K

krosnovski

10 Year
Joined
Feb 2, 2012
Threads
3
Messages
14
Location
Chandler, AZ
Have a 2000 LC with 135k miles. Recently started having starting issues, classic symptoms of the starter contacts wearing out. Sluggish or no start at first, then the engine starts strong when started second time. Happens once in ten starts approx. Have a few questions regarding this:

First, what are the side effects of letting this continue to the point where the frequency of the start problem increases to a bothersome level? What else does the starter problem effect? LC is not driven everyday.

Secondly, what would be the typical cost of getting this fixed. I am assuming a new starter would be the best thing to do.

Thirdly, what else should be taken care of while the starter is being replaced. I have heater tees and hoses on the list. Have read on other threads that the valley pan needs to be removed to get to the starter, are there other things that should be replaced at the same time? I am planning on keeping the truck for a while.

Thanks.
 
Be sure to check the battery contacts and cables first.
Maybe cleaning the contacts or tightening the cables would solve your problem?

There is no problem with leaving the old starter in for a while, but eventually your truck might not start at all, so it makes sense to take care of it before that happens.

The starter is located under the intake manifold, so you have to remove the intake manifold to get to the starter. It is an all-day job if you do it in your backyard.

A good mechanic in a proper shop could do it in 2-4 hours.

I think the new starter costs about $200, some people just replace the contacts and put the old starter back in, which seems to work okay. There are no reports of the actual starter motor failing; it is just the electrical contacts that wear out.

It will probably cost about $500 to have a toyota dealership replace your starter.
You could just do the contacts for <$50 if you are a decent mechanic.

Others will have pricing info more accurate, but these numbers are in the ballpark.
I cannot think of anything else that should be replaced "while you are in there" for the starter. You can reach the heater hose Ts without removing the manifold.

Hope this helps.
 
I had the starter go out on an 80-series I had a few years ago, and I went to the local Toyota dealership who gave me a quote of $451 for the new starter + installation.

They also said that if I went to the auto parts store down the street and bought a rebuilt starter for them to use, it would save me about $100 if I brought the core back to them afterwards.

I ended up going to the store they recommended, buying a used starter, and as I was leaving the store, ended up bumping into a buddy of mine who was picking up some parts for his Tundra. When I told him what I was doing, he laughed and said that starter replacement is an "easy fix" and that he could swing by later that day to do it himself.

Long story short, he ended up replacing my starter in less than 2 hours and all for the low low cost of a 12-pack of Blue Moon and a ride to the airport later that week.

Point being, if you're even reasonably mechanically inclined as so many on this site are, starter replacement in an LC is probably something you should be able to do yourself.

Otherwise, it may cost you a pretty penny but a rebuilt starter can still save you a few sheckles. :)
 
Space Unicorn said:
I had the starter go out on an 80-series I had a few years ago, and I went to the local Toyota dealership who gave me a quote of $451 for the new starter + installation.

They also said that if I went to the auto parts store down the street and bought a rebuilt starter for them to use, it would save me about $100 if I brought the core back to them afterwards.

I ended up going to the store they recommended, buying a used starter, and as I was leaving the store, ended up bumping into a buddy of mine who was picking up some parts for his Tundra. When I told him what I was doing, he laughed and said that starter replacement is an "easy fix" and that he could swing by later that day to do it himself.

Long story short, he ended up replacing my starter in less than 2 hours and all for the low low cost of a 12-pack of Blue Moon and a ride to the airport later that week.

Point being, if you're even reasonably mechanically inclined as so many on this site are, starter replacement in an LC is probably something you should be able to do yourself.

Otherwise, it may cost you a pretty penny but a rebuilt starter can still save you a few sheckles. :)
Click to expand...

I believe the 100 series starter replacement is much more labor intensive than the 80.

I'll be tackling this when things warm up. Mine's not bad, but I could see it failing come next winter.
 
Be thankful you got 135K. I have had to replace twice already, and stranded both times... but I did ignore the warning signs, even the second time. :bang:
 
Space Unicorn said:
I had the starter go out on an 80-series I had a few years ago.......

Long story short, he ended up replacing my starter in less than 2 hours and all for the low low cost of a 12-pack of Blue Moon and a ride to the airport later that week.

Point being, if you're even reasonably mechanically inclined as so many on this site are, starter replacement in an LC is probably something you should be able to do yourself.
Click to expand...


Yeah, this story might be relevant if you are considering replacing the starter in your 80-series Land Cruiser (1990-1997), but I think the 100-series (1998-2007) has a V-8 engine and the starter is located in the V under the intake manifold. It is a different design than the earlier 6 cylinder engines, and the starter is substantially more difficult to access.

You could still do-it-yourself if you are "reasonably mechanically inclined," but plan on all day to replace the starter and get everything back together, unless you are fast with a wrench.

You could probably save a few duckets by using off-brand parts, but if I was going to take the time to do this job, I would make sure to use the OEM brand.

Cheers.
 
Book time on this job is 6 hrs. Most dealers or specialty shops will charge you that, plus a reman'd starter and intake gaskets. I'd recommend replacing the gaskets and both heater t's and going with a reman'd starter. Others have had success just replacing the contacts, but at 15yrs and 150k miles, and given the difficult to get in and replace it, I felt much better going with the entire unit.

I just did this myself in about 4hrs last week. Spent ~$275 on the starter (minus core) t's and gaskets. There's a huge long thread about this not too far down the board, if you can turn a wrench and have a warm place to work, anyone can tackle this job.
 
marshotel said:
Yeah, this story might be relevant if you are considering replacing the starter in your 80-series Land Cruiser (1990-1997), but I think the 100-series (1998-2007) has a V-8 engine and the starter is located in the V under the intake manifold. It is a different design than the earlier 6 cylinder engines, and the starter is substantially more difficult to access.

You could still do-it-yourself if you are "reasonably mechanically inclined," but plan on all day to replace the starter and get everything back together, unless you are fast with a wrench.

You could probably save a few duckets by using off-brand parts, but if I was going to take the time to do this job, I would make sure to use the OEM brand.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
Yeah, this was mentioned above by a previous poster who corrected me. No need for the passive agressive dick-ishness.
 
fireball said:
Book time on this job is 6 hrs. Most dealers or specialty shops will charge you that, plus a reman'd starter and intake gaskets. I'd recommend replacing the gaskets and both heater t's and going with a reman'd starter. Others have had success just replacing the contacts, but at 15yrs and 150k miles, and given the difficult to get in and replace it, I felt much better going with the entire unit.

I just did this myself in about 4hrs last week. Spent ~$275 on the starter (minus core) t's and gaskets. There's a huge long thread about this not too far down the board, if you can turn a wrench and have a warm place to work, anyone can tackle this job.
Click to expand...

Yes that's what I am thinking. OEM Denso starter is costing around 250 on ebay. Part description says "new", doesn't mention reman'd. A lot of people seem to be going with reman'd parts, are they reman'd to a higher spec than the new original?
 
They don't make new ones. They're all remanufactured AFAIK. Lookup "beno" or cruiserdan and order from them, they provided a discount for MUD members and more importantly top notch customer support and LC knowledge. I think I paid 190 for the starter, plus a $30 core charge. The heater T's were 8 bucks each and the intake gaskets were 37.

Ask around to see if anyone is local to you. I could do it again in ~2 hrs since I just did it and it's fresh in my mind. I'm a bit far from you though :)
 
LandCruiserPhil said:
Before just replacing the contact check the stater closely. Mine went at ~140K contacts where fine. Front bearing ended up being the problem.
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Hey Phil,
I see that you are a fellow Phoenix resident, do you by any chance know an independent mechanic in the greater Phoenix area who specializes in LCs?

I moved to Phoenix from OC, CA, used to know a great LC specialist there. Don't know anybody in Phoenix.

If there is anybody else who knows, feel free to chime in. Thanks!
 
Without question give MURF a PM he takes excellent care of many CSC members with super fair pricing. Search his name and Camelback Toyota and you will see nothing but positive feedback. He will change the way you view a dealership hands down. He and Camelback Toyota has built and modded a bunch of Land Cruiser. You will not be disappointed.
 
Some Mud members haven't gone the reman OEM route with their starters due to the fact they don't seem to last as long as the originals. I believe it was Spresso Who stated he'd consider an aftermarket brand (reputable) with a lifetime guarantee. Others has had their reman OEM starters bench tested before installing them.
 
LandCruiserPhil said:
Without question give MURF a PM he takes excellent care of many CSC members with super fair pricing. Search his name and Camelback Toyota and you will see nothing but positive feedback. He will change the way you view a dealership hands down. He and Camelback Toyota has built and modded a bunch of Land Cruiser. You will not be disappointed.
Click to expand...

Thanks Phil. I will definitely give MURF a PM when I am ready to bring the truck in.

Thanks to everybody else as well for their responses to my problem.
 
Today I had starter issues.... I got the click,click,click this morning when starting the truck.. Then it fired right up... Then later in the morning, same drill...

Then again a third time a few hours later, same drill.

I am guessing it is time to get a reman and gasket..
 
Last edited:
Chris Sandstorm FJ said:
Today I had starter issues.... I got the click,click,click this morning when starting the truck.. Then it fired right up... Then later in the morning, same drill...

Then again a third time a few hours later, same drill.

I am guessing it is time to get a reman and gasket..
Click to expand...

Chris, you can just replace the contacts in the starter for cheap. Much cheaper than a repro and it only takes a few minutes to change contacts (after you get the starter out of course).

Often the re-mans have had nice oem bushing etc. replaced and I suspect the replacement parts are not up to par.
 
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