ok so ive read multiple writeups, and they are helping out a lot. however i am having difficulty locating the 2nd bolt (17mm) that holds the starter in place. the writeup im following is:

http://www.toyotaoffroad.net/afertig...rterrepair.htm

it is helping tremendously, and even he (not sure who did it) said he spent a while staring and trying to find it. im trying to remove my skid plate, but the very front middle bolt that holds it in place is being a PITA; its currently soaking in pb blaster, and hopefully soon it will budge.

i know its pretty much impossible to get a good pic of this...but if anyone has even help as to how to get this second bolt off/moreso actually locating it, it would be greatly appreciated. cuz right now im just sitting here wasting time at a roadblock.

anyone with 3rd gen 4runner starter removal experience, please chime in. thanks.

 

o and thanks in advance for links 4crawler's site. got it.

 

Here's a link to the FSM. Under Engine electrical/Starting system/Starter/Removal and Install there are some pictures that may help. Good luck.

Link

 

well, i finally figured it out...i guess my starter is different than the ones that i had looked at the writeups for...because i just had 2 14mm bolts holding the starter in place. after staring forever at it, i couldnt find another bolt that was holding it, and there was a 14mm bolt that looked like it held it in place...so i decided to remove it, and it just popped right out.

john preciate the link, that is correct for my starter also. now time to rip into the starter, and replace the contacts. pics to come.

 

{hijack}

Where did you find this link? It's an AWESOME reference! There are various pieces of the various FSMs around, but to find a well done JS app like this is way cool. And it has a SEARCH!! THAT WORKS!!!


THANK YOU!

Is epnet a company you work for, or the publisher of the FSMs, or?? I don't think I've ever seen this link before.

{/hijack}

 

well i just finished up.....didnt get any pics because my hands were too nasty and didnt want to mess up the camera.

well bad news....replacing the contacts didnt do anything. and the weird thing about it, is that the old contacts were absolutely destroyed. ?????

now i have suspected one possible mistep i made. i didnt know which contacts i needed, and when i went up to the dealership and got new ones, he gave me 2 different pairs. could i have used the wrong set? they all looked a like to me.

would replacing worn/destroyed starter contacts with new ones that were just slightly different, cause the start to be the exact same, very very weak start as before replacing the destroyed ones?

ive tried to maybe target another area, i just cant get over the fact how worn my old contacts were, and replacing them didnt do anything.

 

As long as the plunger came into contact with the new contacts, your starter should work. When I did mine I got some half moon shaped one from the dealer. Did you clean the plunger to make sure that you'd have a good connection when starting??

 

no i didnt, maybe i should do that today. thanks for the heads up.

 

Yeah clean your plunger with a wire brush and make sure the contacts are in there good and tight. When I did mine the 1st time I neglected this part even though I put in new contacts. I had the same symtoms as before but then I pulled it back about and cleaned the corrosion off of the plunger. I also put a little wd-40 on it to be sure. Works beautiful at every turn of the key!

 

yea i did give it a real good cleaning today, got a lot of junk off.

it starts within 2 seconds of the key being turned, but its just a very weak start; i feel like the gears inside the starter are turning very slowly. but i mean, it hasnt failed me yet, or come close to failing, so maybe im ok?

ill have to test it out in the cold mornings, but right now im charlotte its in the mid 80s.

 

That one's been around for a little while.
.....it doesn't have everything, but it covers most topics.

 

Wow.. okay.. Must be that od age thing happening again!

 

ha ^ the old fart cant even spell

 

Yeah, like MTL mentioned. I saw a link to it on Yotatech awhile ago and bookmarked it. It is a good reference.

 

oh gawd! But ya' know, maybe it _is_ the "od" (odd) age thing and not "old" age thing!