My starter has been acting up the last month or so and i thought nothing of it...well last night she finally gave out on me. Its a 1995 3vze 4wd SR5 pickup. Where can i get the starter rebuild parts ASAP. I dont mind going to the dealership as long as they dont charge an arm and a leg, but i do need the truck this weekend. I think i just need the solenoid and the contacts. Anything else i need/ should know?

 

long extensions and a swivel will help get it out. one bolt is on the tranny side one bolt is on the engine side that you will need the long extensions for. Basically your ratchet will be close to the radiator. There is also an access panel on the passenger side to help you see and reach wires bolts etc. good luck

 

Best rebuild parts are going to be from the dealer. Last time I did it, I believe the contacts were $20 for both. Best way, cause sometimes the parts counter guys aren't so bright, or they assumed I'm not so bright, is to write down your VIN for them and ask for a "starter rebuild kit"
When I went in to get them for my 3.4's starter, the guy didn't know what I meant when I said starter contacts, and there were multiple part numbers so he ended up selling me 1 correct contact and 1 incorrect.

 

i just ordered the contacts from amazon for 25 bucks one day shipping. Dealership couldn't get them for 3-5 days and were way more expensive. I hope its just the contacts not the plunger as well.

 

While its apart you should rebuild it all, not just the contacts.

:wabbit2:

 

You sound confident in rebuilding but wanted to post this video for others that may have similar questions.

 

would napa,cap or one of the others carry the plunger? or is this a dealer only item?

 

Hmm, honestly not sure. I inspected the plunger in mine, but it's a larger piece of metal, so less of it had degraded than the contacts, so I didn't think it an issue. One thing I'll add that I forgot last night(sorry, it was after 2 long days at work) is get some electrical contact cleaner. What I got was called 'Lectra Clean or something, made by CRC. It does a good job of loosening up all the dust and stuff that was making my starter stick again after my rebuild.

 

well i yanked the starter out tonight. The positive contact looks almost gone/worn and pitted. I ordered 2 contacts so i plan on replacing them both. The plunger isnt too bad but im going to hit it with alittle fine sandpaper to smooth it out. Parts left Texas tonight...I sure hope they make it here as we are getting a HUGE snowstorm in MA. If the truck isnt up and running, the snowmobile always is . Will keep you all posted.

 

I ended up only ordering one contact by mistake, however only one contact was really worn. I lightly sanded the other contact and the plunger and cleaned everything with CRC electronic cleaner. Put everything together and she fired right up... thank goodness! Time to go play in the snow tomorrow! Thanks again for all your help.

 

VIN # is needed to get CORRECT parts seeing as catalogs are vin specific and generic search will come up with numbers for multiple applications...

my experience with 3vze parts and ordering is that the west coast seems to have the majority of parts in their warehouses compared to the east coast. we BOTH get parts from same toyota depot(WEST CALDWELL NJ) even though your in MA and im in NY .....

 

Well I guess it's a combination of not so brightness then. All I know is one dealership came up with a list of about 7 different part numbers and another dealership came up with just the right part number. Both given the same info, just that it was a v6 from a '00 Tacoma with a 5 spd.

 

7 different #'s is without a vin and your correct number was probably because of a seasoned parts counterperson...