So after a 22r to 22re conversion/ engine swap the starter will no longer engage. I seem to have all the wires and everything hooked up correctly. any help would be appreciated.

 

I would start off by getting a test meter and making sure that there is 12v to the starter. If not then it could be as simple as a blown fuse. Then test out the signal wire and make sure it is putting out 12v. Good luck

 

Starter issues should be fairly easy to track down... Like was already said check for 12V.

When you turn the key are you getting a click? If you're not 100% sure the starter is in good working condition you might want to check the contacts and make sure they are clean, no corrosion etc.

 

If you do hear a click from the starter area and nothing else, try putting the truck in gear and rocking the truck back and forth a few inches. You may be hitting a dead spot and just need to move to a new spot.

 

Define "starter will no longer engage".
Does the starter do nothing (no click or noise) or does it start spinning and the drive gear not engage the flywheel or what?

Test below:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...shtml#EasyTest

 

I don't know about the OP, but I am now having this issues and my starter clicks and sounds like tiny machine gun fire. It's as though it isn't strong enough to spin the flywheel or is not engaging it somehow. I have tried turning the crank, little by little, from the crank pulley, but still the truck won't turn over. I have also removed the starter and it spins fast when I turn the key.

Could this just be a bad starter/solenoid? If not, what else coud it be?

 

Simple test below:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...shtml#EasyTest

 

Thanks 4Crawler, that has been very helpful. I have a new main power wire and it was 12.7v at the starter as it was at the battery--so I was good there.

I was suprised to find a 2v drop at the small starter wire under load, down to around 10.8v. To rule out the ignition switch and wiring, I ran a small wire from the batter to the small wire on the starter--same problem, click, click, click.

So this looks like it is the solenoid, not the ignition switch, don't you think? I guess I am going to rebuild the starter.

One concern is that I have a cheapie aftermarket starter which I don't want to rebuild. Or are starters typically rebuilt cores, therefore being good if rebuilt properly?

THANKS!

 

It is the voltage at the small wire that matters, that is what operates the solenoid (that pulls approx. 20 amps). So a 2 volt drop is actually fairly high, but since the jumper wire did not help, likely the copper contacts inside the solenoid are worn out:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...OnlineOrdering

If the starter work fine other than the clicking, it may still be OK with some new contacts.

Problem with a lot of the rebuilt units is that I think they just throw them on a test stand. If they pass the test (basically run), then they pull them off, clean/paint and re-box them. Problem with the worn contacts is that unless they are totally gone, the starter still works most of the time. Now a good shop would go through the starter and replace all the common wear items like contacts, brushes, etc. but how can you tell what kind of shop rebuilt the one you have. Have heard of folks opening up recently "rebuilt" starters only to find worn out contacts.

 

Okay, so I opened up the starter and it was pretty corroded in there. I clean it up and checked out the contacts. They looked fine, no ridge or anything. One was a little black in the contact area and the other looked as though the groove was starting on one end, but overall they looked good and flat.

I cleaned everything up, put it back together and put it back in the truck. Same problem. I even tried powering up the starter with a jumper and turning the crank so it would hopefully find the teeth of the flywheel.

At this point either my contacts are bad and I can't tell, there is something else wrong with the starter or is it possible my new flywheel is wrong and the start won't line up with it?

Sorry for all the questions, and possibly hijacking the thread, but this is all that is preventing me from starting my 4Runner for the first time and it is driving me a little crazy!

 

I would still make sure you rule out the low voltage at the solenoid (small) wire. If that is weak, you don't get enough current in the solenoid windings and that is what makes the magnetic field that pulls the plunger in and pushes out the drive gear on the end into the flywheel. I think Toyota specs no more than 0.5 volt drop between the battery and the solenoid terminal.

If that is fine, then it could very well be the starter. With rebuilts, it is sometimes hit or miss. That is why it is always better to rebuild the original starter yourself than to hand it in trade for an unknown quantity with a rebuilt.

 

Thanks again 4Crawler, I really appreciate all your help. I know you are spot-on with this stuff, but the more I play with myt starter, the more I am thinking it is an alignment issue.

One thing I just noticed is that the teeth on the starter are directional--they are not straight up and down, they are twisted off in one direction. They are supposed to be straight, right? I think this might have worked with the old flywheel, but the new one isn't having it.

 

so did u get it started i been curious weather the flywheel is different on the 22r n 22re

 

Nope, not yet. The starter is out and I think I am buying a new one tomorrow as I think the teeth on it are bent. I looked at my old flywheel and looked at the new one through the starter hole. I am pretty sure I matched them up when I got the new one, but that was some time ago. I really don't think there is any difference.

This may be out there, but I think the old flywheel is just slighty worn away and the teeth on the starter are slightly bent. I know that setup worked before.

 

At least on my spare starter, the teeth on the drive gear are straight, same on the flywheel, I think the 22RE versions I have seen are just straight cut teeth.

 

Called all around for starters, but was scared to commit to any one parts store. I know some remanufactures only fix what is obviously wrong with the cores they recieve and leave all the other old wear parts in place. Some of the "premium" remans are completely gone through--or so they say. Bottom line, you do not know what you will get at any price which is why it is better to rebuild what you got as has been stated above--I agree with this 100%, in most cases.

Luckily I was at Right Toyota today in Scottsdale. They have treated me very well there which is why I am sharing their name. They give me fair pricing and a remanufactured Toyota starter was the same price as some of the others I had been pricing at typical auto poarts stores--and it was less than the one I was going to get!

The downside is I had to pay a $30 core because I did not have a Toyota starter to trade in. Still, this is good to know--I didn't want to put money into a generic starter which is what I have. They also told me the teeth on my starter were slightly bent as I thought.

Let's hope this solves my problems. Either way, I will have a Toyota starter that I will rebuild myself from now on!

 

So I got my new starter and that wasn't the problem. Needless to say I was slightly aggitated by this issue--I mean, what could it be?!?

It turned out to be the very most simple thing, something that I should have checked out in the first place--THE GROUND!

I installed 4 guage ground cable from the battery to the block, and there to the frame. Then I ran an 8 guage wire to the inner fender at the factory point. No problem, right? Wrong. I made the stupid mistake of assuming I had a good ground. Turns out the paint on my fresh block was too much to make a good ground regardless of the wire size.

The funny thing is that I was going to install a star washer but dropped and couldn't find it. Had I looked a little harder or got another one, I could have saved $100 on a starter.

Bottom line... don't know what your problem is? Check your grounds! It is a cheap way to at the very least rule out one problem.