Banshee365

I'm pretty sure WadeNelson has completed the starter replacement already...

Granite88

The way this job sounds I am going to buy the water bridge gaskets ahead of time found easily even on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Water-Outlet...VWy5rp&vxp=mtr
Also keep the intake manifold gaskets around which are even easier to find and not that expensive.

Then just keep the money kicking around to order a new Denso starter and pay a shop to do the labor for me while I have all the parts ready "Just in case"

My 96 has 201K miles and so far the starter is working flawlessly. My plan is to get all the "hard to get" parts such as the gaskets and have them ready. Buy a starter when mine shows signs of near failure and just let a shop do only the labor. I'm sure a shop would appreciate having the gaskets on hand especially.

Superfast1

Granite88- These cars are so old so the advantage of do-it-yourself is you will fix what is/are going to break during the removal/installation process whereas the mechanic may just covered it up.

valex

99LS with 222K miles, original starter is on its last leg, reading other posts, pretty good to go 222K miles, right?
I have :
1.both water by-pass bridge gaskets ready
2.intake gaskets ready
3. Denso reman starter ready
4. 18" flex head T-bar
5. Flex head ratcheting wrenches
Thinking to clean throttle body real good while I am at it, got
6.new throttle body gasket,
7.injector insulators
8. injector O-rings

I was contemplating changing the coolant rubber hoses to be proactive, do you approve?
Also , thinking to do a coolant flush job before doing the starter job and before changing the rubber hoses, right?

Anything else I am forgetting? Just want to have everything on hand before starting. What else would you do while doing the starter job besides throttle body cleaning and hoses changing?

Thanks,
Val

CarlB3

Very nice and detailed write-up. I think this convinced me to not tackle this job.

WadeNelson

Well, I get to go in again because I "recycled" the coolant bridge gaskets....and they're leaking. I made a mistake; after seeing the photo of the engine from the rear I realize now what was keeping me from lifting the bridge sufficiently was a Heater coolant line, not an immovable EGR line.

IN ADDITION to needing the gaskets, lots of coolant and vacuum hose, you MIGHT AS WELL replace your injectors once you're in there. $80 on eBay for a set of rebuilt Densos, including seals and O-rings, vs. spending $32 just to buy the seals and O-rings. No brainer, IMHO. along with spark plug wires, eh?

Of course you might as well order some spare injector connectors, I managed to unplug 7 but the 8th, of course, broke. That is, the plastic release trigger. I used a pick to remove it but it wouldn't snap back on TIGHT, so.. here we go again.

If you do not know how to use the releases triggers on electrical connectors, LEARN before you attempt this job. PUSH the connector on even further, THEN depress the trigger, THEN pull the connector off. Try, try, and try again. If you must give up, then insert a pick under the LATCH to get it off. And smear it with dielectric grease (silicone lube, sex lube, ...) before you put it back on...for the sake of the NEXT guy...which might be YOU. Practice in a junkyard, if you can. Or rob an extra connector or two off a donor car.

It made me really sad to read accounts of guys doing this job who obviously don't even know the triggers exist and break every connector.

When you are all done with your job you PROBABLY want to smoke the intake manifold, and pressure test the cooling system to find that vacuum leak, and/or coolant leak. Otherwise your car will forever "slightly" overheat since it can't hold pressure. And if you didn't replace the injector seals, it will have a vacuum leak there and that cylinder will underperform the rest of its days, and perhaps even throw codes.

I started wrenching because I got absolutely sick of paying guys to do work for me, who broke stuff, then just covered it up, pretended they didn't, didn't exercise sufficient care, left half the bolts out, etc. Dealers and independents. This car is old enough, if you don't care and aren't conscientious, you are going to break a half dozen things. Even being careful I broke some plastic.

And yes, it pisses me off to no end when my NEARBY Lexus dealer says tthe gaskets are no longer in stock and every other dealer says otherwise. Lazy phockers, I guess. I found mine on ebay after determining the correct Toyota part #s.

While I admire the "Guts and glory" of you young men who watch 3 Youtube videos and then tackle auto repairs yourself, there will be a learning curve on the tougher jobs. If not, then you should do this sort of work professionally!

All I can say is this is one helluva fine car, and properly restored, drives like the $55,000 car it was new. For a whole lot less, even counting the heartache of a repair like this one. Add a Bluetooth stereo, and...

pmarr

Just had the alt/PS pump replaced in my daughter's LS last week and it appears the starter is going as well. 230,000 on a 99. Not bad. My trusty mechanic quoted me $650 parts and labor which for what sounds like an awful day at work, really isn't that bad.

brybo86

hmm , parts alone and tools were probably 1/2 of 650.
price sounds good , make sure he is using a denso starter

CarlB3

I wish I lived closer to your mechanic. I was quoted $1,100. Did you have the job done? If so, was he upset to underbid the job? -Carl

PlatinumV8

If you recall, Lexus was about quiet function so you could hear the world class sound system perfectly. I can tell a 5.0 Mustang from 1,000 feet away from that starter that sits down low inside that fender well area, echoing across a parking lot. Lexus placed the starter in the V of the engine to cancel nearly all of its noise while starting the car. Notoriously they were changed out a lot under warranty, because valets would leave the car running for the owner at the club and these old rich owners thought the car was off, having been used to noisy Cadillacs, BMWs and Lincolns. Owner turns the key to start and crashes gear teeth to bits when the flywheel is smacked by the solenoid arm. Ouch! It's already running Grandpa!!!

I've a 1990 with nearly 300,000 miles and the starter has never been replaced, because it was always cranked until ignition saving the copper contacts that wear out from people that fail to replace faulty cold start components and end up having to crank twice or more on cold mornings. It's a race derived engine folks, let it crank and build compression.

pmarr

I have not had it replaced yet as it still starts the car. I also spoke to another seasoned gentleman, he said about three hours or so. Most estimates lean on the high side so a place won't loose money which is why I guess some of the rates are high; that and they suck to replace. For now, cross fingers, turn key....

Banshee365

Says who? (filler)

Amskeptic

Errrrr, not really.
Colin ; )

ankurdave

Here's a recent article on Jalopnik about this job: http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/how-to...-th-1793604418

The starter in my 1995 LS400 has started making a low-pitched scraping sound about 1 time in 50, so I'm expecting to have to attempt this eventually. I'm hoping the current starter will last for a few more years though.

olddogneed

I wish I had paid the $1100 to R&R my starter on my '91' LS400. What a job that was. But I made a little modification on those bolts holding the starter. I took a Dremal and cut a slot into then threaded end of the bolt wide enough for a screwdriver tip to engauge the bolt from the front side of the motor. All I had to do was get something behind the bolt to hold it against the hole and use the screwdriver to turn the bolt untill it bottomed out in the starter. then torque it down. But I wasn't so lucky upon start-up.It doesn't want to idle or run but the starter works fine. Guess I will have to figure out the rest.