How long should I play the bad starter...tap.tap game

This has been going on for over a year now. At least once a month I have to beat on that sucker.

 

rebuild it, I put new brushes in mine for less than $5

 

With me it would have been onetime!! To get it home and put another starter in and rebuild the one acting up.

 

^^^^^^^^^ this its very easy and you should do it before the brushes completely come apart and cause you to need a new starter $$$

 

after the first time i tapped on it lol

 

Oh, yeah, one time and it would be replaced or repaired. On the plus side, you get to check out the underside of the truck on a regular basis. That's always good.

 

Unless you like walking or your in love with a tow truck driver now would be a good time to fix it

 

They're not brushes, they're the copper contacts in the solenoid, but they are very cheap and easy to replace. Do it.

 

This will be a new one for me but def. something I need to learn. Has started up after a few taps every time but I don;t want to get stuck.

 

well the starter itself has brushes inside it to complete the circuit after the solenoid kicks in so there are brushes in the starter. this is it here: http://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/oem/toyota~holder~assy~starter~brush~28140-62030.html its the complete assembly, brushes springs and mounting plate.

as to this going on for an entire year now, what keeps bugging me about this is the thought it should have gotten much worse by this time so im wondering if it might be a wire or connection issue. that said, replacing the solenoid is definitely something I would say needs doing after 100k miles and this lets you redo and check all the wires and connections at the same time.

one thing is you need to be sure which one it is or just change both to besure.

if you have to tap on the starter body to get it to work then its most likely the starter brushes are bad but if you have to tap on the solenoid body to get it to work then its most likely the solenoid is bad or the wiring and or wiring connections.

9 times out of ten if your starter goes out all it need is the $18 replacement brush assembly to make it work like new again

 

I mean really if it comes out new contacts and plunger if it is pitted bad a new set of brushes after all the starter is on the bench.

I don`t know about being in love with the Tow Truck driver Lust for sure she was hot !! Dasiy Duke Shorts are not proper attire for bending and crawling around hooking up things .

After this I was thinking of breaking down more often with my luck It would have been her brother that showed up.

 

so funny story actually...

I bought my Tacoma with 120k miles. After about 6 months of ownership, it did that *turn key to start and NOTHING happens* thing. No strained starting, no clicking, just one single tap (from the solenoid I assume). It did it once. Then about 2 weeks later again. Then again. Every time it happened, it would eventually start if I turned the key again a couple times.
Then it kept happening more frequently and every time it happened, it took longer to start the truck. I thought the cable terminals were oily or loose or something. But I kept putting it off because it was winter and I had arrangements with a lift to change my clutch.

I take the starter out. Clean it down. clean off the terminals. Clean the wires. Put it back in. Starts perfectly! Been 3 months, ZERO issues.
But oh wait! I forgot to put that little grey plastic shield back on the starter. It is supposed to protect the starter cable terminal from water and corrosion I assume.
Eh, whatever. I don't feel like it.
So 3 months go by, and I finally put the little plastic piece back on.
Truck won't start. Tap. key it. tap. key it. tap. key it. tap. key it.
Take plastic piece off.
Truck starts no issues.

 

I have really been putting this off and have yet to get stuck for very long. It is weird, because now that I think about it, this winter (Florida not super cold) it was close to 3 months with no problems. I go through the wheel well and it is the solenoid body I tap on.
I have a number of things repair wise that are in need of work. I will just add that to the list.
I haven't seen any daisy duke type tow truck drivers so I guess I better not slack off too much longer.

 

Obviously the starter motor has brushes in it. My point was that's not what usually goes wrong, it's the copper contacts in the solenoid. I've done 5 or 6 of these, and while I realize that's not a huge number, all of these have been fixed by replacing the contacts, and not the brushes. But the best time to replace is when the starter is out, and considering how cheap it is you might as well do it all.

 

yes that was the point I was trying to make, do both while its out even if it is just the solenoid that's often bad because the brushes wear and at high mileage its silly to forget or overlook doing them too. we are on the same thoughts about it

 

i have been playing the game a while......
starting to get old. LOL

 

Why because sooner most likely it will leave you sit in the worse possible place !!

Another thing a new or fresh rebuilt starter will often mask other starting circuit issues till it starts to wear some.

At which point one gets the no crank intermittent problem then the starter is replaced again repeat several times moaning about how your vehicle is hard on starters.

All the Toyota`s passing through my shop get the Big three up grade and it seems to make a big difference in cranking and charging .

 

Wyoming09....what do you suggest I replace?

 

I just paid 90$ for a reconstructed starter when mine started acting up. Couldn't wait for shipping on the contacts because I needed the truck for work and school. Moving the hardline and turning the driver front tire to the left were vital in removing the old starter.

 

It all depends on what might have been done .

A start would be the contacts maybe the plunger in the starter solenoid depends just how bad the plunger is pitted.

New contacts with a pitted plunger just takes out the new contacts .

Just like any electrical connection all the current is trying to flow through the pitted area

Depending on mileage maybe new brushes as well.

I always make new grounds out of nothing smaller the 1/0 welding cable with crimped on ends .

Running one to the block one to the body one to the frame . I like a good ground connection at the rear of the frame for trailer plugs

On some I have run a new positive cable to the starter.

Keeping the battery terminals clean and tight is a given.

On some I have run the ECM ground direct to the battery

If the alternator is removed a new wire is made from the B terminal to the fuse block.

Now granted most of these vehicles have been really neglected maintenance wise and over all mileage always plays into just what needs done.