4th Starter for an '09

I installed the fourth starter in my Tacoma. The original lasted 8 years. The last one 4 years. Has anyone else been through so many starters? 101k miles with what I call ‘normal’ duty. Low corrosion on truck, mostly parked inside. Not driven on salted roads. All replacement starters have been remanufactured OEM units. Nothing unusual noted when the failed units were removed. All failures began with intermittent click but no crank. No corrosion on cables, battery confirmed good.

Also, does anyone recognize this part? It was on the floor right under the bell housing after I finished the install. I swept the floor before pulling the Taco in.

 

This is a blind guess...

But are you on the original battery? If so, have you ever gotten it tested under load?

 

My '09 with 270k is on the original starter.

That part.....looks like a thingy

 

I'm also on the fourth battery. The last two changed with the starter pretty much as a precaution. Both of the last two batteries tested good and were installed in other vehicles without issue.

Yes, a thingy. not from the A/C evap drain

 

My 09 has 150ish...original starter

 

Agreed. My '08 with under 120k is on the original starter but not the original battery. The original batteries in my truck and wife's Highlander did not last past 60k.

 

Any starter or alternator needs I have go to a local electrical shop for a rebuild.

One might think that's the same as an OE reman, but only in theory. Because the shop I use is a 2 pony show, not a high volume production line.

 

Normally I would rebuild it myself if a reasonable kit is available. But this is my daily driver. I wanted it fixed right away. My other fun cars are torn apart right now. Maybe I should have kept the core return and ate the $40 and found a rebuild kit.

 

Are you sure the engine is grounded well? I had a similar problem with another truck years ago.

 

Did you bench test the starters? If not there is no way to know if the problem is the starter or the starter circuit. I’m guessing the starters were not bench tested. Since most starters last a long long time I’m thinking it’s almost impossible that all 4 starters were defective and failed in such a short time. This is probably a starter relay problem. At this point I’d consider finding a shop experienced in automotive electrical and see if they can diagnose the problem. You can bet this is going to happen again. Take care of it before that happens. ​

 

I checked the ground circuits last time, but not this time. I will double check that.
One of the previous failed starters was bench tested and was bad. The others were replaced after a few days of intermittent no crank. I did not look at the starter relay. Good point. I will remove it and check for high internal resistance and corrosion on the contacts. Or buy an OEM replacement and keep the existing one as a spare. The only other component I see in the circuit besides wiring is the ignition switch.
Also each time I noticed the engine cranked faster when engaged than the replaced units. I wrote that off has the old units had problems.
Another thing I never completely understood is the first time I replaced the starter, I had the option of a 'normal' unit or the one that came with the cold weather package. I couldn't find any definitive info on that. I think the last couple I bought were rated at 2.0 kW. Maybe the original was 1.4 kW. Any ideas on that? I have a base model, standard cab, 5-lug, bench sea, manual crank windows, etc. The last of the real basic models.
Thanks for the suggestions.

 

I doubt the starter was worn out. The weak link on these starters is the Solenoid Contacts which are prone to wear and charring. Indications are one single click and then nothing. That click is the starter relay which sends power to the starter solenoid to pull it in. The solenoid pulls in the plunger that connects the copper contacts for the starter motor power and extends the bendix gear to engage the flywheel. The problem is the copper contacts inside the solenoid are burned and need to be replaced.

You can buy the contacts and plunger new from Nations Starter and Alternator for about 30 - 35 bucks. Much cheaper than hundreds for a rebuilt POS from Autozone or big bucks from the dealer.

https://www.nationsstarteralternator.com/Starter-Rebuild-Kits-s/37.htm


Check this video for rebuilding the solenoid on the starter. The biggest issue with the V6 Engine and 4X4 is you have to take the starter out through the drivers wheel well area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwokxzjlYcQ&feature=emb_logo

I rebuilt my starter solenoid for 30 bucks and 45 minutes in my driveway.

 

That's the breather from the starter. Or one of the previous 3. Not a major deal.

 

I paid $155 for my POS remanufactured Nippondenso from O'Reillys. They didn't even bother cleaning it, that's for sure.
I thought the same thing about the breather for the starter. I forgot to mention both the new and replaced starters had breathers after I found this part. I had just changed the oil on the car that is normally parked there. Maybe I knocked something off that car but didn't sweep it up.
I disassembled failed starter #2. It wasn't difficult. I'm even more convinced I should have kept the failed starter and rebuilt it myself. Good video.

 

My 07 has 180k+ miles with the original starter.

 

• Most chain part store reman components are crapy and have much higher failure rate and shorter life than OEM. Too bad the local reman shops are not as prevalent as they used to be
• From past experience with an older car... Bottom line; the power cable going into the starter had corroded/degraded [on the inside, not visible to the naked eye]; increased resistance; required nearly a fully charged battery to turn over and I believe shorted starter life. Fix was a new cable, cleaned and dielectric grease on all connections (Did the same for ground strap while I was at it). Crazy, I had no idea that was a thing but looking back it makes sense. Someone else diagnosed it for me. No idea what the specs for yours should be; recon you could find it on-line and then test with a quality multimeter / ammeter of some sorts. IIRC there was connectivity, but under load the resistance was too high.

 

This might explain the bad no-oem starters, if they are from autozone/oreilleys type stores. Their quality tends to be subpar. However, most such components have a lifetime warranty. Did you inquire on that?

 

Yes, I did ask. But got such double-talk that I marked it up to let the buyer beware.

 

That part was your dip stick holder,

 

05 here. 190k miles. Original starter.

I've had a optima yellow top 1000 cranking amp battery for almost a decade.

Only starting problem I've had was when the starter wasn't getting enough juice, i thought it was the battery finally dying. The starter was making the low voltage grinding noise.

Turned out, the problem was just my old ass ground clamp on the battery. I replaced it and everything was fine afterwards.