I removed and cleaned the starter contacts on my 1998 4Runner on Saturday. Couldn't have done it without the good info from 4Crawler and HaveBlue. Thanks guys!

The local dealership wanted $500 for this repair so I went out and spent $200 on tools. End result, I have a 4Runner that starts like a champ and I have $200 of extra tools!

I'd say it took me about 5 hours from start to finish. With a third of that time trying figure out what to do next. The other third was watching football highlights.

Stuff I wish I had while doing the project:
- black tshirt (I wore a white one, :pat: )
- U-joint ratchet
- Creeper (used cardboard)
- Replacement solenoid plunger

One of the things I noticed though was that copper ring around the solenoid plunger was wearing down too. Is there a replacement for that? I didn't replace my starter contacts, just cleaned them off and wire brushed them. When I do this again, I want to repace that plunger as well.

 

Sounds like you had a fun day.

 

Yeah, 4Crawler was a great help to me and my starting problems a few weeks ago too.