WorldZ beZt car...

Toyota have a reputation for making great cars. Maybe not the sexiest, but nevertheless a car that takes one from point A to point B in some type of class.

When it comes to the LandCruiser, this is also valid in roadless terrain. Few cars, possibly with the exception of the LandRover Defender, have seen such diverse conditions in all the four corners of the world as the venerable LandCruiser.

But like all mechanical beings, they break down or get worn out. For possibly two years, I've had an issue with the starter (solenoid) not being 100% realiable. Initially, it was more like the battery needed to "juice up" since the car always would start at 2nd or 3rd attempt. But, once in October of this year, luckily in the garage, it just would not turn over. Glad it happened when it did, could have been on a distant forest service road, or worse, on vacation far away.

Some quick research pointed to the starter contacts being burnt out. Normally happens on the LC after some 70K-90K miles. I guess it was my turn.

On any and all vehicles, pulling the starter is done in 30 minutes. But Toyota in the development of their DOHC V8 engine (that first showed in the Lexus) decided to put the starter on top of the engine between the cylinder banks, under the intake manifold. Not a bad position, since it is pretty well protected and sits high up so you can ford a stream w/o having to worry about water getting into the starter. The only drawback though is when you need to do some maintenance on the starter - such as right now! The normally 30 minutes takes about 4-6 hours in the shop. Oh well, I was in no real rush anyway.

A couple of good posts from Tundra Solutions and IH8MUD.com provided more than enough info to tackle this job. And, parts totalling only about $30 made this an easy decision compared to dragging the truck to the dealer (~$900).

I did post some feedback on Tundra Solutions, but for those who do not want to venture away from this blog, here are some pictures from the surgery...