Copyright © 2008 Brian McCamish,  All Rights Reserved

Note about the photos on this site:
Most photos were taken by me.  I usually allow people to use my photos for personal use or websites.  Simply Email me.  
Replacing the Starter on
the FZJ80
Starter replacement
Pictures from left to right....Removing the starter....the starter removed - as well as trans dipstick - note how much easier it is to access the PHH...
starter hole showing the flywheel gear that the starter connects too....comparison of the mexican remanufactured starter (lower) with the Toyota
remanufactured starter (upper).

Toyota starters are a common replacement item within about 100,000 miles.    For vehicles that are used for lots of quick drives, the mileage where
the starter starts to fail can be as low as 50,000 miles.   The failure point is typically the starter contacts, which are rebuildable but these are rarely
replaced by most owners.  Instead, the engine starter is usually swapped out for a new or remanufactured one.

Denzo of Japan was the main supplier of starters for Toyota, but the 1FZ comes with three different versions.    The basic starter for all 1993-1997 IFZ
is a 1.4kw starter.    In 1993, Toyota offered a 2.2kw heavy duty starter.    Between 1994-1997, the heavy duty starter was a 2.0kw version.
Of course, everyone wants the biggest and baddest of any part, but the heavy duty starter is mainly meant for extreme cold climates where it might be
harder to turn the motor over.   For most uses, it's not really needed.

Because the price of the 1.4kw and 2.0kw starters are the same, I went ahead and ordered the 2.0kw starter from C-dan on ih8mud.com.   I wasn't
aware of the 2.2kw at the time for the 1993 models and while I imagine they will fit all years, I'm not sure if they are available from Toyota or not.

My reason for replacing the starter was that it was going to be removed anyway to access the PHH and the prior owner had replaced the original
starter at around 84,000 miles with a cheap Mexican remanufactured unit.    It was working OK, but occasionally made concerning clunking noises
on start up.    The problem with an automatic transmission vehicle is that if the starter fails, there is no back up way of starting the vehicle, so I had
always planned to buy and carry a spare starter.     Now I'll have the proper Toyota starter and a working spare as well.

I chose to go with a remanufactured Toyota starter from Toyota, which is not as good as a brand new unit, but still fairly high quality and should last
for many years.  With a working spare with me at all times, there's no more risk.  

Tip:  Of course, absolutely disconnect the battery before removing the starter.   Remove the starter battery wire and starter plug.    The upper bolt is
17mm head size and easy to access to remove.   The lower bolt is more difficult.   The bolt to the rear of the transmission bell housing is 18mm in
size.  The nut on the starter is 19mm head size.   Once removed, the starter will come right out, straight down between the engine and frame.