Need help/guidance on starter replacement 02 tacoma prerunner

I have an 02' tacoma prerunner 3.4L automatic & 6 cylinders, 2wd. This is my very first time doing maintenance on my own truck & and I usually rely on a mechanic to do my maintenance but since this is a pandemic time and social distancing is a priority, it is a time where you can only rely on yourself at the moment. My friend is gonna drop off his tools and the rest is up to me. Please, any information to help me will work. Where do i start & and if you need me to provide pictures i can do that. Again this is maintenance for replacing my starter.

 

Lots and lots of info here you can search through in the forum. Here's a video that covers all the important details for the procedure. After you educate yourself with the video, ask your questions. Everything is covered in the video
https://youtu.be/WV1t5-wcoOI

 

Thank you! I will watch the video and go from there. Ill ask questions if i need guidance regarding the video.

 

I did mine back in December since i figured it would be a problem when it got colder, however it never got colder.

I'd order the one from Rockauto rebuilt denso, its like $90 total. Job is really only 2 bolts but they can be hard to reach and space is limited. **disconnect battery first** Jack up and support, remove passenger side wheel, remove or get the rubber liner out of the way, you should see starter directly in front of you. one bolt is accessible here,and the other you'll need to loosen from under the car with a socket wrench and 3/8" drive. I don't remember socket size, prob 12mm or 14mm.

Just take your time and prep watching a bunch of videos. Also you'll probably want to wear some old clothes since you probably have some leaks or seepage.

**Edit - one thing that slowed me down was i had the little warmer weather southern state tacoma starter, Rock sent me the larger version and i took me a while to figure out how to fit it in(notice how beat up it is now**). Its got to go in and come out the same way to keep note of that.

 

Oh wow *remove battery first* i would have probably missed that step but thank you! Ill make sure the battery is disconnected before i start my maintenance =). Thank you for the link to rockauto i will surely bookmark that and will probably order parts, it looks like it has just about everything you need when it comes down to older vehicle models

 

@projectdko What's wrong with it. If it's the original Toyota Starter, you can buy a kit and rebuild it rather than buying an aftermarket one. I'm sure you can find a video on U tube that would show you how, or maybe even Timmy the Toolman will have one.

 

I would think there's a really good chance it's an OEM starter if it lasted me since 2007. Is it hard to rebuild it? I already found a local shop that is selling a remanufactured denso brand for about $110. I wouldn't go for any aftermarket due to my past experiences. As far as what the local shop told me, it was a denso brand when I asked them what was the original brand for the 02 starter.

 

@projectdko , that's not a bad price for a rebuilt Denso Starter. What kind of warranty comes with it. Here's a video of Timma the Tool man trying to repair a 3rd gen 4 runner starter before replacing it if needed, but I'm pretty sure it's the same job for the Tacoma. A rebuild kit is relatively cheap. Either way you have to remove the starter, and you could save quite a bit of cash by rebuilding it. Good learning experience also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV1t5-wcoOI

 

When you tried to start the truck, were the symptoms a "dead silence" when you turned the key to the Start position? And if you tried again and again, did the starter eventually turn over and start the truck?

If so, most of the time that is caused by worn starter solenoid contacts. You can get the parts at your Toyota dealer. The cost should be somewhere around $20 or so, and once you have removed the starter, the replacement of the contacts is pretty simple.

And Timmy's video is all you'll need to do the job!

 

i wouldn't get rid of that starter if i were you. those originals are awesome ,i just rebuilt mine for real cheap and its way easy. i mean way easy.

 

Hi guys!, Thank you all for the useful info and guidance and the video! At the end of the day I just ended up going to an auto repair to have a mechanic do it. When he had removed my original starter, the mechanic had called me over because there was a difference in size and weight & he asked me if the new one was a 6 cylinder(original OEM being heavier, larger, & slightly longer in length). I had called to confirm with the shop and the new one was indeed a 6 cylinder. It was also a Denso brand like the OEM. Now i have researched that with the OEM starter, there is an option for heavy duty or w/o heavy duty. I'm concerned because my original starter lasted me nearly 17 years (since 2007). The idea about rebuilding it seems like one of the best options so i think ill keep it until i can find somebody who can rebuild it for me. Also can anybody provide me some links where i can get the rebuilt kit? I feel the same way as my core key components should not be replaced which i have already done so with the alternator (denso brand). I don't have this type of auto repair experience so i dont think i have a choice.