bode

Hi,

Is there a clear post on taking out starter and replacing it, preferably with pictures. Can one get to the three bolts holding the starter. How difficult is this repair?
thanks,
bode

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

we did not have to replace the starter, just removed the starter motor to replace the faulty/pitted contacts.. on my 99, that was in 2010, still starting with 210476 miles on it... today
we used all OEM parts, the original lasted 11 years, & 160k....

bode

Thank you for your reply. It looks by the pics that one doesn't need to replace entire motor, but it is easier to repair original, like you have done. I know my problem is electrical in nature, because it is so intermittent. When it works, it works fine, starts well, no extra noises, etc. So i know the gears are fine. It could be the coil, also, in addition to contacts? I have done everything but the direct power test, still haven't determined for sure it is the starter, but strongly suspect it is. I just replaced the battery and now it starts fine. Will wait to see how long that lasts. I am in Florida and batteries don't last long here because it is garage kept and the heat in garage in summer(and it is always summer) shortens battery life. I replaced battery a year or so ago and problem disappeared also for a few months. As to your pictures, there is a lot to do between #2 and #3. How hard is it to take that manifold out? Looks like a lot of tubes and wires everywhere. I would really like to do it myself, just don't trust local mechanics very much as they have screwed things up in past. I am reasonably handy but older person. Would appreciate your advice and counsel.
thank you

Bode

billydpowe

iTrader: (1)

bode.... it is not a big job, no super smarts needed.. JUST DONT GET IN A HURRY... try not to break anything or crack the hoses (but they can be replaced) take your time and watch what you do , just remove things that are in your way, and you can take a few photos to guide you along your way... on going back together also....

Tappy

So, I am getting closer to removing the intake. My question is did I correctly identify the bolts for the fuel rail and intake?

Does the fuel rail need to come off? There should be 8 bolts securing the intake, correct?

There were casualties, unfortunately. The black plastic pieces that lock the electrical connects are brittle and 4 broke. I’m thinking of what I should I do to remedy.




another problem is a connector that is stuck. I think the previous mechanic broke it off and super glued it back on. But, I’m not sure what that connector is for and if I can just leave it on. It was on the diver’s side, and I wonder if that’s a knock sensor, maybe?

also, did I identify the correct bolts to remove for the intake. I read somewhere that 98-00 LS400 intake can come out as one piece. So, that’s what I’m trying to do.

aptoslexus

The intake bolts are all in the same plane. The lower plane. I can't remember if there's 4 or 5 per side. Have a telescoping magnet handy so you can pull them out easily. Leave the fuel rail bolts alone; they don't need to come out. You have 4 fuel injector connectors and 1 connector to the variable valve timing solenoid on each side. Remove them with care by depressing the tab and pulling straight out. Don't rush and don't gorilla anything. You also need to undo the fuel connector one the drivers side near the strut tower. Use a line wrench for it if possible. You don't want to round that bolt. Unbolt the throttle body and bungee cord it to the front of the car. Just to move it away from the intake by a few inches. You don't need to remove the lines to it. Remove the coolant temp sensor so you don't bash it with the intake when removing. Have some rags to mop up the coolant. You'll lose some coolant, but not much.
You're also going to have to unbolt the harness near the firewall. You'll have to fish around for one or two of the bolts as they're hard to see. When you get everything unbolted and the intake is ready to come off, have a friend available if possible. It will make wrestling that thing over the studs much easier. Be aware that there's a vacuum line connected to the bottom of the intake that you're going to have to remove as you're pulling the intake. Hopefully, you took pictures of where everything was hooked up to the top of the engine. It's really easy to forget. Also take note of where that vacuum line under the intake is routed so you can put it back the same way. When you lift the intake out, you're going to have to lift and tilt it so you can fish the fuel line under the harness. This is the most difficult part of the job if you're working alone, because it's heavy. I would have a blanket or something in the engine bay so you can rest it on it without damaging anything. If you've got a buddy helping, you can just lift it out and set it aside. Two people will also help limit the possibility of you bashing your fragile plastic connectors with the intake.
For the starter bolts, it's a bit of a challenge to get a wrench on them. I found you can get a fairly short box end on them and turn them that way. There's a goldilocks size when it comes to this. Hopefully, you have it. Some people use a long flex-head ratcheting wrench on them, but I found trying to get the flex head on to be damn near impossible because of the flex.

When you install the new starter, run the bolts down by hand before you put a wrench on them. It's temping to run them down with a wrench, but if you mis-align the starter there's a chance that the starter won't engage with the flywheel. Ask me how I know.

This is the best video I've found for this procedure. It's for an LS430, but it's basically the same. This guy actually removes the starter without taking out the coolant crossover. Once you get in there, though, you'll find that feat hard to replicate.

cj98ls

In your second picture you have circled the coil connectors. Therre are four on either side. The part number is 90980-11150.
In your third picture I believe that the "what is this" is the VVTI sensor. There's one on either side. The part number is 90980-10947.
I googled the part numbers and found them for a pretty reasonable price at corsa technic.
The connector shells are pretty easy to replace. Easiest way is to buy a new connector shell and transfer the existing terminals into the new shell. I would suggest a tutorial at Cartune NZ youtube channel should you be interested. Google search is your friend..

Tappy

Thank you, all! I was able to get 8 of 90980-11150 on Amazon. VVTI connector would take too long, unfortunately.

paulo57509

The fuel rail does not have to be removed. You use the fuel rail as handles to lift the manifold off. There's clearance around the fuel rails to get to the manifold nuts and bolts. You have to remove some of the miscellaneous brackets that are attached to the manifold to get to them.

There's four nuts at each corner; the remaining six bolts (three on each side) are Torx (T40) socket head cap screws. There is minimal clearance at the fuel rail for the body of a typical a socket drive Torx. I had a tamper-proof Torx drive socket on-hand that cleared the rail so it's what I used. Any long bit drive socket will work.



Tip: After removing the manifold nuts and bolts and before trying to remove the manifold, remove the front coolant cross over. There's a vacuum tank attached to the bottom of the manifold and there's not enough upward clearance for the tank to clear the cross over. You'll have to use a pry bar to lift the front of the manifold to get to the cross over nuts - use a universal socket and extension.

Tappy

Okay! I got the starter job done! 260k miles right now, so I hopefully won’t have to deal with it again for another two years when the timing belt is due.

The job itself was really difficult because of a few things. The fuel line near the fuse box was hard to disconnect. The 14mm bolt ended up rounding out so I just retightened it using a vice grip. Is there a way to replace that 14mm bolt?

The plastic wiring loom/harness that sits on top of the rear coolant bridge was very very very hard to get loose. Even with all visible bolts loosened the harness was still somehow not able to move freely around.

The connectors are very brittle. Many broke easily. We had to improvise and use rtv on the knock sensors because the latch broke. The coolant temp sensor that I bought from Amazon did not fit the connector, we had to reuse the original coolant temp sensor.

i had to remove the coolant bridge that links that runs parallel to the starter for more room. I bought a gasket kit from harbor freight and put on the closest fit. I hope that this doesn’t bite me back in the butt.

I ended up having to replace my radiator because we broke the plastic pipe that comes out the left side of it on the top. This job was very easy, but be sure to reconnect the hoses properly. I think the radiator was the original radiator, so I guess it was time anyway.

LeX2K

You should replace those knock sensor connectors think the part number is 90980-11166 going off memory.