Seans4Runner

I'm now on my 6th starter within a 4 month period. Everytime I get a new one, it last a few weeks then dies. They have lifetime warrenties from Advance Auto but it's getting to be a pain in the ass.

So is my truck causing them to die or am I just getting crappy remanufacted starters?

mt_goat

Wow, I'd guess its crappy remanufacted starters. What engine is it? Do you have headers close by or something?

OSU4Runner

Ya...heat would be the only culprit that would kill a starter that quick, unless they are just rebuilt poorly

norcalsvx

i would'nt trust those reman take it to a local guy and have it rebuilt the right way

mjwalfredo

I was speaking with a mechanic the other day about bringing in my own parts for work. He said as long as they were good parts he wouldn't mind. He specifically said though, that when people bring in those starters he refuses to put them in because they will go through 6 of them before they finally get one that works for more than a few weeks. I guess he was dead on....

Seans4Runner

I had a friend mention something similar to, except with alternators. It's on the 3VZ and I don't have headers (yet). Does anyone know of a good site I could just buy a new and trusted starter from?

rdharper

In what way do the starters die? Relay clicks, but pinion gear dosn't pull in?

drunberg

Replace the starter with an OEM starter. I have found that the starter and the alternator will die very quickly if they are remans. I have had good luck with the OEM stuff, expensive though. You could hit a salvage yard.

TNRabbit

If you just rebuild your original it should last for years.

mt_goat

I've got the original 3.0 starter from my 93 truck I'll sell you. It's got 115,xxx miles on it and never gave me any problems. I sold the motor but still have the starter.

gixxerjesse

starters don't charge, and I am thinkin he had to give his original one up for a core,

what i would do (and have done with an altenator at checkers) is tell them it is pretty crappy that you keep getting crappy starters and would like to trade for the higher quality new one with a lifetime warenty and pay the diffrance.


depends who you talk to but they did it for me and probably would for you even though its a diffrant store. and if you still want to just get a new one i would go to a napa IMO they have the higher qulity parts than the other stors

mtnfreak

I used to go through starters pretty quickly, though not nearly as quickly as you seem to be. I don't think any of the starters were actually bad (expect the original) - I think it was the ignition wire to the starter. I added a relay following the advice from 4Crawler's site and haven't had a problem in almost 5 years. Toyota wiring is often not Toyota-level quality and builds resistance over time. I was still getting enough current to turn a brand-new starter, but not a year-old one. Now that ignition wire just has to switch a relay.
Automatics typically don't have starter relays. If you have a 5spd then you probably already have a relay and it may be bad. Don't get a relay from the stealer - go to Radio Shack or similar store and save $200. If 4Crawler's write-up doesn't make sense, let me know and I'll try to describe what I did.

Seans4Runner

I don't think we have a NAPA around here. One of my good friends works there now(Advance Auto), I'll probally go talk to him and see if I can just get all my money back and go look for an OEM starter. I hate to ask the dealership, but they owe me a favor after they shafted me on another issue. I prefer to refer to them as the "stealership" now. Thanks for all the help.

Seans4Runner

alright I called the "stealership" and told the guy my problem. He said my problem was else where but when I asked him he said he didn't know. They transfered me to another guy who recommended a Bosch starter, said they were the best ones he'd ever used.

Then some guy got on the phone and told me I had a bad voltage regulator. If I had a bad voltage reg., this would mean that other things besides my starter would be having issues, which isn't the case.

So I called and got a price on one at somewhere other than the dealership. 121 bucks plus core, but there were two options:

1 Kilowatt
1.4 - 1.6 Kilowatt

I'm assuming that the truck came with a 1 kilowatt and I'll guess thats what Advance Auto was giving me. Should I worry about the higher voltage option? I think I'm just gonna go buy a new Bosch. Any other suggestions?

NW Runner

IMO..... Bosch for European and Denso (OEM) for Toyota's. I work for a import parts whoelsaler and have had alot of experience with both. If you have a Carquest store locally you can get a Denso through them or Drivewire.com,which is an account that I deal to. They have the Denso
for 126.00 with a 40.00 core...the Bosch is 105.00....you also get free shipping with orders over 50, standard UPS ground. The only real advantage that Bosch has is that they are now offering a 2yr replacement for all rotating electrical, which was only implemented to offset the amount sales lost due to huge warranty #'s.


JP

NW Runner

I forgot to mention that after my overhaul 2.5 yrs ago on my 91 3VZE I replaced my starter and alternator with the Denso's and have not had one problem yet.......just my .02

Seans4Runner

So do you think If I replaced the wire going from my battery to my starter things would change? I was kind of thinking that in the back of my head, being as that wire is almost 20 years old and never been replaced, I'm sure theres enough corrosion in there to build some resistance.

Do you have a link to 4-Crawler's write up?

Robrt32

Guess i'm just lucky or something but have bought several reman alt. and starters over the years and have not taken but 1 back and that was because it was under water for a month

mtnfreak

While you may want to replace the battery cables, the wire I'm talking about is about 1/10 the size of the battery cable that runs to the starter. It ends in a simple plastic clip and attaches to the side of the starter. Here's the link to Roger's page http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml.
Go all the way to the bottom. I'd give that a try before spending another $120 on another starter. Since I had the wire and connectors at home, it only cost me like 12 bucks for the relay.
BTW, the higher KW starters were originally used on trucks shipped to colder climates. Won't hurt to use one, but probably not worth any extra $ if you don't see really cold temps often.

gixxerjesse

NO NAPA! HOLY ☺☺☺☺ BALLS! that sucks. and yeah i stay away from the dealership unless i need the stuff that basicly ony they have.