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Update on the Starter issues. As advertised, I ordered the Doorman repair kit and although the kit is sort of a universal kit for 3 different types of gear reduction starters, I found the two most critical parts, the copper contact pieces. Make sure you use the ones that most closely resemble your originals, and taking only one side apart at a time is great advise too.
I do recommend that you jack the front of the car up as high as your jack will go and use jack stands for support. It makes the job SO much easier. After disconnecting the negative battery terminal, getting the hands in there to loosen the two 14mm headed bolts was a trip, but a combination of small extension shafts and a 3/8" SK ratchet with an 12" aluminum cheater pipe on it got them to pop. Using a 6 point 14mm socket might make the difference between rounding of the bolt head and having a much better grip on the starter bolt, especially if the starter has never been out of the car before. Also, having the SK 1" extension was a big plus when the 3" was too short and the 5" too long. 1" extensions are hard to find(got mine at a garage sale), but in lieu of a 1" extension, you can use a 3/8" to 1/2" adapter and then plug in a 1/2" to 3/8" adapter and come up with basically the same thing. Those two items are certainly more available at tool and parts stores. Extracting the little black wire from the solenoid was fun too. Ended up disconnecting the oil pressure wire connector to give me some more room for my big hands. Getting the upper bolt off from under the throttle body was more of a "feel the bolt's location" rather than being able to actually see it, although a small mechanic's mirror would've been useful for sure. I did pop the TPS connector off so I didn't run the risk of breaking it if the socket were to slip and crack that connector. The starter came right out with no force needed, but navigating around the radiator hose and oil filter took some unique twists and angles before it actually came out.
Got it apart on the work bench and sure enough, the wider of the two copper contacts was really hammered in from 160k's worth of starts. The shorter piece on the other side wasn't too bad, but they both got replaced. I chose to re use the Toyota bolts and insulators due to the fact that they were the right size and the kit bolts weren't long enough for the battery connection side to attach. Made sure both new copper plates were as parallel to the plate (right under the contacts) as possible and then back together with di-electric grease on all threads and washer surfaces. Also cleaning up the flat surfaces on the wire connectors both on the car and in the starter will help electrical current transfer. I did use the Doorman washers since they were nice and shiny. Although I didn't use Brake Cleaner to clean out the copper dust that was everywhere, I did clean it all up with a multitude of Q Tips. Can't ever have enough of those laying around!!
Wrestling the starter back in took a few minutes, but not quite as much of a hassle as getting it out. Getting the bottom bolt started took a little doing but snugging it up to where it would support the starter, yet let it move around a little did two things. One, it allowed the starter to pivot a bit which really helped in aligning the top bolt installation and two, it freed up my left hand to do other things from the top side of the engine. Not sure if starting with the top bolt first would have been a better plan or not. Everything else went back together as it should and the best news is that the starter is working perfectly now.
Thanks to all that helped me out here. This was a good $25 repair that saved me a $200+ starter.
DM&FS
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Last edited by dimwittedmoose51; 12-24-2011 at 10:10 AM.
Reason: added text and corrections
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