Starter Motor Complete Failure - Armature Stuck in Transmission Housing (Problem Solved)

Please let us know the outcome!

I have never seen a starter destroyed like this or even heard of something like this.

Best of luck getting this repaired .

 

So? What was the final cost? What did they do?

 

Just got her back Friday, she was available Tuesday but I was out of town for open hours all week. Total cost was $420. Can't express how glad I was to find a good Toyota mechanic on my first try. He got into the tranny somehow without dropping the whole thing and pushed/pulled it out. He inspected the flex plate for damage and decided against replacing it, which I trust - my impression was that the flex plate was fine from the admittedly less extensive view I had of it.

While he was under the truck, he greased my driveline and calibrated the drum brakes I recently installed new pads on. He also had me send the Bosch starter in the passenger seat with the tow, and put it in using bolts of his own I had forgotten to send with - no extra charge.

Not positive on the rules, but if I may.... if anyone's in LA or OC, I highly recommend Bell's Toyota Services on Batavia in Orange, CA. Friendly dude, crack mechanic, and very fair with his pricing.

I appreciate all of you who gave advice and recommended things to try. This was a complete fluke of an issue - can't find this problem online anywhere (except with 1930s Fords and Studebakers) and every mechanic I talked to on the phone said they'd never seen it before. Thanks for helping me brainstorm!

@Bivouac btw, this is relevant to your comment. Thanks for the moral support =)

 

I am glad it not something more expensive and your back on the road.

What brand starter was the one that failed so bad?

I would love to know the cause of the failure.

 

Strangely enough, it was Toyota/Denso. The metal O-Ring at the end of the armature shaft sheared and I found it resting on the skid plate. I suppose that's critical in limiting the range of the armature's movement.

 

Well thanks for that it explains to me just what happened . That is a first for me.

When the starter drive was energized nothing would have stopped it would have flown back as far as possible.

The rest of the starter should still be good.

 

Man that was real inconvenient for you I know but it was real interesting to see something like, never heard of such a thing. Makes me want to take my 24 year old starter off and clean it up haha.

 

LOL

Yeah, it was a PITA but hey, at least I had some people to share it with. What a crazy issue. Honestly, taking the starter out and making sure the electrical connection is solid and the unit is clean might be worth it.

 

Just had the exact same thing happen to mine. 2002 with 138k on it. No mechanic where I am will be that cheap to fix.

 

With a Helper pull your spark plugs and with a 6 point socket on the crank bolt you should be able to free the starter drive . Then pull it out . Just much easier with 2 people rather crawling back and forth.

 

I’ll give a try. Biggest problem is finding the time to do it.

 

Then it is no big deal as you don`t need to drive your truck .

I am going on 4 years now changing a clutch .