i need a starter i think. brand new battery and it still ususally just clicks when i try to start it. sometimes it takes 20 or thirty tries, and when it does turn over, it fires right up, no problem. so i htink its my starter. agree?

ok, now, i asked a mechanic and he wanted 400. im considering getting one myself at autozone and changing it myself. im no mechanic, but im not bad either.. the starter should be accessible from the undercarriage, right? my dad has a lift.. thinking i could save some cash. unless someone has a great mechanic in the alexandria va area they want to recomend.

so any input? how rough is a starter swap? its a 99, 3.4- stock. thanks!

 

common problem. do a forum search for "starter contacts". there's a million threads on this. i replaced my contacts this summer for $30 and now she starts great. good luck.

 

My dad changed my starter over the weekend, I couldn't because I had to work all weekend. He said it took him 8-9 hours, and he was pissed the whole time. I have a 95 4Runner, and it was extremely hard for him to get to. But, if you have a lift it might make the job much easier too. I'm just warning you that it could be difficult.

 

yea, the starter can be a PITA to get to because it's really tucked up in there. Make sure you have the right tools. (see write ups on YT) It took me about 3 hours for removal, change contacts and reinstallation. A local shop quoted me 1 hour of labor($70/hour) for the same job. You could also go that route and save you knuckles

 

28 bucks for new contacts
and elbow grease. fixed.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/START...Q5fAccessories

or if you don't have the tools....all you need is 35 bucks at sears to get the extensions and sockets
required to reach the darn thing...


250 bucks for a toyota dealer to throw in a refurb starter. NOTE: refurb starters are equal to or
better than a brand new one. there is absolutely nothing wrong with refurb

 

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f128...4runner-76347/

Just reading this article makes my knuckles hurt. I must admit, swapping the starter on the 3.0 and now the 3.4 swapped into my '91 4Runner looks way easier than that. I've done it in about 45 minutes or less.

Good luck.

 

Starter removal on the V6 4runners is a beach. I have done the 91 3.0 4x4 about three times and the 96 3.4 4x4 was just done for the first time, two days after I bought it started acting up. The 86 22re is pretty easy. I work as a Feild Sales Rep and use my starter atleast 30 times a day (oouch). Typically all these OEM starters will ever need are contacts and an occasional plunger. All three of mine still have the origanal starters and the 1986 has almost 240000 mi and the 1991 has 199896mi with only a few contact and plunger replacements. I have always bought my contacts and an occasional plunger at the Dealer. But when I just did the 96 for the first time I found out that Checker Auto Parts has a kit, Checker is now owned buy Oreilly Auto Parts. Their kit includes the plunger and contacts for only 15 bucks, I bought one to compare to the new contacts and plunger I had at home from Toyota. They are equal in quality. A hint though, the parts counter guy when looking up the 1996 told me they only had the kit for a manual transmission so I had him look up a replacement starter for both the auto tranny and a manual tranny, just as I thought same starter = same kit. In fact this kit will work on all three of my starters, at Toyota they have different contacts smaller for the older starters and bigger for newer staters. The bigger ones do fit in the starters that had smaller contacts and just last longer. I will no longer be filing and sanding my plungers as the kit comes with a new one for less than just contacts at the dealer. In fact it just dawned on me I think I will pick up a couple of these kits incase they discontinue them, and keep one in each of the 4runners. Oh yea the kit comes with four contacts, a pair each of two different styles. Happy Yota trails!

 

Listen to BigBallsMcfalls, contacts are way cheaper and it almost always takes care of the problem. In the unlikely event that you do end up needing a new starter, have yours rebuilt or buy a Toyota re-manufactured one. The auto parts store brands are crap.

I replaced the starter in a '02 Taco and also had to do one years ago in my old '95 4runner. I remember the 2nd gen being a lot more difficult to get at then the Taco (or 3rd gen runner).

 

Easiest to replace the contacts, but a quick test will tell you if that is needed:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml