So I went through all the work to get at the starter on my 89' Pickup (4 cylinder 22RE) and I can't figure out how to get a wrench in to get the starter off. I tried a 10" extension but couldn't get enough torque on it to get the bolt turning. Any suggestions?

 

Short extention or none, I'm guessing it's the top one?

 

Yeah I'm not even sure how to access the top one, the bottom one I can get at with the extension but subsequently the extension takes away the leverage I need to get it to turn.

 

Hm, I used a 3" extension with no problems when I changed the starter in my '93 22re a few years ago.

Try making the wrench longer

 

Yes, experiment with different length extensions. On a '94 pickup, we found a long extension that let you put the ratchet up in front of the engine worked best:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...rter.shtml#Fix

 

For one of the bolts I had to use about 2.5ft of mixed extensions (provided some flex) and went at it from the front.

The other bolt, I just had to use a 6" extension and removed the access panel, gave me lots of room...

 

I use a ratchet wrench for the bottom and a 3" extension and/or no extensions for the top.

 

you may have figured this out, but inside the passenger wheel well is an access panel you need to remove. jack it up, take the wheel off, and you will see a little rectangular panel that is held in with a couple bolts just above the frame rail, you have to reach in there to access the top bolt. if the bolt is over tightened, put some penetrating oil on it and try to loosen it up before you force it. one trick with the oil is to tap the bolt gently with a hammer (in this case, put your extension against the bolt, and tap that with a hammer). don't hit it hard, just so the oil vibrates into the threads. take your time so as not to damage anything, although it is a big bolt and would be pretty hard to break. also, the top one might actually be a stud with a nut on it, in which case try to clean the threads of the stud before removing the nut, as you really don't want to strip the threads off the stud. if your crafty, you can get in there with a wire brush.

if you still have problems, post back and i can take a picture of my roommates truck ('89 22re) to show you where to reach in from.

 

Thanks for all the posts guys. So I fixed it, the hardest part is getting the starter out and then back in. you can go in through the access above the front right tire without jacking it up if you have the 4x4. Using a 5-6 inch extension to get just beyond the length of the starter worked for me. I got it started by hand and then used an impact wrench to save myself the the hand cranking that would take forever since there is only a cuople of inches of swing each time.

 

On my 85 I never used an extension, figured it was too much hassle to even use a ratchet, so I just used a box wrench, was done in no time.

 

Solid axle vs. IFS makes a big difference in ease of access to the starter, as does a body lift. With IFS, there is a lot of the front suspension components in the way and it is usually easier to reach in from the front of those parts with a longer extension. With a solid front axle, you can get right onto the bolts without as much hassle. And the body lift helps, even 1". I found with no lift on my '85 I could either see the bolt heads or I could put a wrench or socket on them, but not both at the same time. With even a 1" body lift, you could both see the bolt head and fit the socket onto it at the same time. It is a heck of a lot easier to do when you can see what you are doing.

 

toyotas are awesome, but sometimes i think i need little japanese hands.