0{"id":712,"date":"2011-02-08T08:58:34","date_gmt":"2011-02-08T08:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.someguyinnevada.com\/?p=712"},"modified":"2011-06-20T02:09:40","modified_gmt":"2011-06-20T02:09:40","slug":"toyota-tundra-starter-repair-a-journey-of-discovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.someguyinnevada.com\/toyota-tundra-starter-repair-a-journey-of-discovery","title":{"rendered":"Toyota Tundra starter repair – A journey of discovery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, I jumped into our 2000 Toyota Tundra pickup truck to go to an appointment, and instead of the usual surefire start, all I heard was a single “chunk” from under the hood. After some troubleshooting steps, I realized that the starter solenoid had gone out, so I thought, “sure…a starter is really easy. Crawl under the truck, a couple of bolts, attach the wire and that’s it.”<\/p>\n

Wrong.<\/p>\n

The Toyota Tundra, with the 4.7 liter engine, demurely wears its starter buried deep beneath the intake manifold, like some sort of Victorian corset. In other words, the starter is basically inside<\/em> the engine. Normally, I would not write about something as mundane as engine repair on an otherwise light-hearted travel blog, but I realized that there may be others out there with the same problem who could benefit from a how-to from a non-mechanic’s viewpoint. I know enough about engines to know the general theory of how they work, where to pour the oil, etc. Fortunately, I’m also pretty fearless when it comes to general mechanical and structural work. Given the proper instructions and tools, I believe I can tackle almost anything.<\/p>\n

Initially, Miss Fish and I decided to save the hassle and have a pro do the work. The dealer wanted almost $1000 to replace the starter, and the local independent shop quoted $1500. That shock sealed the deal for us; we opted to do it ourselves. Keep in mind that the last time I went into an engine, it was to adjust the carburetor, replace the points, change a manifold gasket, clean spark plugs, and adjust the timing. In other words, it was a long time ago in a bygone era, back when fuel injectors were some sort of esoteric thing seen only in fancy cars with unpronounceable, Italian names.<\/p>\n

Let’s get started.<\/p>\n

This how-to is written for the 4.7 liter Toyota engine, also known as the 2UZ-FE engine. If this isn’t the engine in your Toyota, then I assume you’re only reading this for pleasure–in which case, you’re a strange duck and we like the cut of your jib.<\/p>\n

Assumptions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You’re not a professional mechanic or someone skilled with auto repair. If you are, then this how-to will only insult your intelligence.<\/li>\n
  2. However, you need to have some level of familiarity with what’s under the hood. If you don’t even know how to change your oil, then this isn’t the job for you to be doing.<\/li>\n
  3. You’ve definitively diagnosed (or have had diagnosed) the problem as the starter and\/or starter solenoid and not<\/strong> a starter relay or a dying battery, or any of the other myriad reasons why a vehicle won’t start.<\/li>\n
  4. You have a rudimentary knowledge of tool usage. If I say “Torque Wrench,” you should not feel nervous or sweaty.<\/li>\n
  5. You have no problems saying “I’m stuck” and asking a more-knowledgeable person for help if necessary. If you’re lucky, you have a mechanically-inclined friend who’d be willing to help you out for an afternoon.<\/li>\n
  6. You’re not a concert soloist or a surgeon. You will get scraped knuckles from this.<\/li>\n
  7. You understand that this is a record of my experience only<\/em>, and is not <\/strong>an official guide. You already know that we’re imbeciles under the hood. If you’re using my notes as a definitive guide, then you’ve been warned.<\/li>\n
  8. By undertaking this project yourself, you run the risk of rendering your vehicle unusable. You run the risk of setting your vehicle on fire. You run the risk of over\/under-tightening bolts and breaking very expensive parts. You run the risk of bodily injury to yourself. And, there’s a whole universe of other things that can go wrong.<\/li>\n
  9. At some point, you will be climbing into your engine compartment. Be careful where you sit, and watch where you set your hands\/feet\/butt.<\/em> It’s easy to break something, snap off a connector or sensor, or bend a tube. Get some padding to rest your knees\/butt on. The edges get uncomfortable.<\/li>\n
  10. The same model of engine can have small differences from year to year, so your own situation may vary.<\/li>\n
  11. Keep in mind that Miss Fish did about 50% of the work on her own, and she has zero mechanical aptitude. It is <\/em>possible to do this job.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Before-the-job steps:<\/h3>\n

    1. Know what you’re getting into<\/strong> and understand that you’ll be spending several hours being intimate with the guts of your truck. Visit the various bulletin board sites for helpful information from people who know what they’re doing. The problem is that if you don’t<\/em> know what you’re doing, like Miss Fish and me, then you’ll waste a good deal of time wondering what a “throttle body” is. I found the most helpful information in a long thread on tundrasolutions.com<\/a> and some pictures in another thread at YotaTech<\/a>.\u00a0 Read through and get a feel for what’s involved. The folks at the parts desk at your local dealer also may be a good resource. At least the guys at our local dealer were.<\/p>\n

    2. Sign up for a two-day membership ($15) at techinfo.toyota.com<\/strong>, also known as “TIS”. This will give you access to lots of diagrams, and general steps to disassembly and assembly. Search the library tree for the information on the 2UZ-FE engine. Ignore the other engine model(s). You’re looking for information on “Engine” and “Starter.” Download, save, and print out the PDF files. I found the component schematics and torque specifications most helpful.<\/p>\n

    3. Order your parts. <\/strong>You’ll need to spend a little money to fix your truck. Order your parts from a dealer or a reputable source, and use “Denso”-brand parts. Those are the parts already in your truck.<\/p>\n

    Starter:<\/strong> There are two<\/strong> different starters available for your engine, and either one will fit. The “normal” starter is the 1.4 kilowatt model. That’s what I had in my truck. There’s also a 2.0 kilowatt starter, which is more powerful and beneficial if you live in a cold area. You can either replace the entire starter ($260) or just attempt a replacement of the solenoid contacts inside the starter ($20).<\/p>\n

    I opted to upgrade my whole 1.4 kilowatt starter with the 2.0 kilowatt model. If you decide to only replace the contacts, you’ll need to research further information on contact replacement elsewhere, such as tundrasolutions.com<\/a>. Keep in mind that replacing the solenoid contacts may not solve your starter problem if the problem is not the contacts. It would be a major pain in the neck to reassemble your engine only to find that your truck still doesn’t start.<\/p>\n

    Gaskets:<\/strong> You have an option here just to reuse the gaskets you already have in the engine or get new ones. I opted for new gaskets. Now that I’ve been into the engine, I realize that reusing the existing gaskets is a reasonable decision.<\/p>\n

    Final shopping list:<\/strong>
    \n– 2.0 kilowatt Starter\u00a0 ($260, plus $30 deposit)
    \n– Intake manifold gaskets x 2 (one for each side) ($30 each)
    \n– Throttle body gasket ($27)<\/p>\n

    If you order parts from your local dealer, have your VIN number ready. They’ll know exactly what specific part numbers you’ll need based on the VIN.\u00a0 You can locate the VIN number on the inside of the driver’s side door pillar.<\/p>\n

    When you pick up the parts, save your receipt so you can get the $30 deposit refunded when you return the old starter. Return the old starter inside the same box in which you got the new one.<\/p>\n

    4. Tools you’ll need<\/strong> This is a list of every single tool we used. Everything is metric on the Tundra.<\/p>\n