It would be extremely difficult for a novice to replace the starter.

 

It is the most challenging repair I have done, I would give it a 9/10 as I reserve a complete engine replacement as a 10/10
the rear coolant bridge y pipe bolts are the biggest pita
followed closely by the actual starter bolts themselves.

 

What year is your LS? There are differences throughout the years.
Some forum members have had good results just replacing the solenoid / plunger and contacts which eliminates the need to remove the entire starter housing.
IIRC the coolant bypass and EGR pipe (depending on the year) are not removed when you leave the starter in place and just replace theplunger and contacts.

 

Just as easy as an old chevy, 15 minute job. Yeah its just a dream.

 

Mine took a couple of days but honestly, if you go into a job with all the tools and parts and you know the severity it's just a time sync.

Just take your time and read everything 5 times It's not that hard. Keep labels and containers for all bolts etc. Take photos or even better video telling yourself any think you might not remember about disassembley

 

never done one before and it scares me to be honest.
however the timing belt job scared me too, but it wasn't too bad.

I'm sure people will say that a starter job is still more difficult than a timing belt/water pump replacement!

 

thats one of the most horrible things to work on. prepare your anus.

 

I am on my third timing belt (1999 LS400 w/255K miles ) , original plus two changes, had it done by a mechanic both times, but I've built up my confidence, did my starter myself and planning on doing next timing belt myself too

 

This job is difficult but if your comfortable working on cars it's not that bad. The most time consuming part of the job is getting the 2 starter bolts out IMO since the room is so limited. The 1 must have tool is a crows foot socket just for that part of the job. If you have a helper it's easier just to remove the intake manifold in one piece. The job is more intimidating than anything else. There are minor differences in the removal depending on the year of your LS.

​​​​​​http://www.lextreme.com/starter.html

 

Our 96 is showing starter failure signs. A mechanic, who has been good so far, is concerned that getting to the starter could result in other parts failing/breaking (age of the car, etc.) and that some of these parts will be difficult to find (already having that problem with my 02 maxima). This is probably not a fair question to ask, but how about his concern over failing parts when you remove parts? I did just find the same car, a mechanic special that doesn't run, and I will call my mechanic and see if he's willing to take the other car for parts. But I would like to hear the general consensus on his concerns. Thanks in advance.

 

I mean ****** happens when you do car repairs. This is one reason I always advise people not to buy rusty cars or cars that come from areas that pour salt on the roads in the winter. Stuff breaks, it's frustrating, you have to back up and punt. Oftentimes shops don't want to fool with this type of repair and/or older cars for this very reason (10 things break just to get one part out or off). If it is a really nice car, it has to be repaired. Do you know this shop/mechanic well? You could let them know that you realize the difficulty and that stuff may happen, and that you are willing to compensate them for their effort (within reason).

 

I've replaced 2 starters on my 97 & 00 LS400 myself. The later is much easier as Lexus had made some design changes to the plenum/upper intake manifold & emission control (no flex EGR pipe from upper intake to exhaust manifold) so you can remove the plenum & upper intake manifold in 1 piece. This is not a job for a novice or someone w/ just generic tools. You also got to have lots of patient & be able to to work around & fix things i.e. plastic fuel injector's connectors (qty 8) as they will break during the removal process. If you still want to do it yourself then make sure to bag & tag everything during the removal & replace the front & rear water bypass bridge's gaskets w/ new ones or it'll leak on you. Best of luck.

 

Your mechanic is right there are old brittle hoses behind the starter that will not survive the job. An old parts car that doesn't run will have the same issue the parts in question will not play nicely on either car.
See post #5 above /\/\/\
Replacing just the plunger and contacts eliminates the need to remove the entire starter assembly which is where the surrounding parts become compromised...