lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Pretty likely the engine mounts are bad too. At least the one on the driver's side will be. Mine definitely is bad, but I'm at 177k in my '08 too.

I totally hear you on the headers. I'm in the same spot. I have the cash, but don't want to part with it right now. Might need it to buy in the market when it finally bottoms out.

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

Yes do both engine mounts and also try to order the harness cover for starter cable..

The starter is packed in behind the passenger side manifold.. As depicted by Lobuxracer..

Joe Z

Kron1ck

Thanks for taking the time to reply back. That's definitely good information. Also something I didn't see further up in the thread.. I'll try to get my hands on them tomorrow... appreciate the cart pic . makes my life a lot easier.

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

No problem..!!

Depending where your parts supply chain flows up to the PNW, you are looking at 1-3 days out on stuff like this.

It is very unlikely a local dealer has these on hand.. Ordering online also takes time.


Joe Z

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

For those wondering what the starter harness protector / cover looks like "New"







Joe Z

Kron1ck

So to give a update... It turned out Im also a member of the bad header crew as well. Cracked at the flange but this turned out to be a good thing.

I had bought a 3rd party warranty at the time of purchase that I've been meaning to cancel for about 6 months ... I just kept saying to my self. It's made it this Long and nothing major yet I could just cancel it and get back most of my money and that they probably will find a way to get out of fixing it when something happens anyway . But I kept putting it off saying I'll do it next weekend.

Turned out that me me being a procrastinator paid off for once.. I told the shop that I couldn't afford new headers right now and have him my warranty info and to give it a shot if they don't over it ... Just put it back on the way it was.. I never thought they would but they did.

They are going to cover all of the labor the header both sides and I also had a bad AFR sensor so I think they are covering that also. So all that I have to cover is the plugs dasno starter and my copay ... So for about 500 I'm going to get OEM headers ( I wish was aftermarket but only a fool would turn down free...) Starter, primary cats, plugs, and AFR sensor.. I completely lucked out on this 1.. and going to keep the warranty it just payed for itself at lest 3x what I paid for it.

I also gave home a parts list of all the things suggested to me .. just for him to look at and replace as needed.

Sorry for the long post but honestly most of us have more free time on our hands then we really want right now. And for the hole time I was writing this I didn't think about coronavirus so that was definitely a good break from real world we now live in... Happy hand washing

ISFinHKG

I had the joy of joining the club this weekend out in Hong Kong. Went out to move my car Sunday to wash it, click and nothing. Repeat about three times to no avail. I've had no symptoms of a bad starter up until now. Failed jump the following day, battery reading 11.3V so replaced it and the starter relay, still no go. I'm now resigned to it being a starter failure. I have an 08 with only 47,000KM, (30,000 miles). I'm fairly shocked it happens at such low mileage, but maybe all the short trips here did it in over time.

Being a RHD car I assume the job is harder due to the steering shaft. Will begin the round of calling the dealer and independents today to get quotes. If I was still in the US I'd happily tackle this at the home garage but at least here the labor is a bit cheaper.

1A1

It's an electric motor so after a number of years corrosion may cause the issue you are experiencing.

Steve

ISFinHKG

I suppose, but I normally would expect to have seen a string of slow starts leading up to this versus the abrupt no crank I get now. I've run out of troubleshooting at this point, unless there is something that can provide further confirmation in techstream or get my hands on the starter from above to verify connections and whack the solenoid, so on to the repair booking.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

It's not corrosion. It's the Bendix. Easy test - short the connections going to the Bendix in the fuse box. If the engine spins, it's not the starter or Bendix. If it just clicks, for sure, it's the Bendix. Denso's motors are incredibly tough, but the contacts in the Bendix are not. It doesn't make sense to just replace the Bendix because you have to go through the entire starter replacement procedure, so most of us just get a rebuilt unit from Denso. Maybe it's more cost effective in Hong Kong to just replace the Bendix, but the simple test makes determining the root cause pretty easy.

My starter failed when I installed a new LiFePo4 battery. I have no idea why this coincidence happened, but the engine started just fine when I removed the lead acid battery, and only clicked as soon as I installed the lightweight unit. After replacing the starter, the new battery worked perfectly - in fact, better than lead acid.

ISFinHKG

Thanks, this is incredibly helpful and verified the issue. Is the general consensus that a Denso rebuilt starter is acceptable? My shop here in HK has not had good experience with starters and is would prefer a new Toyota unit (~$700) whereas I can get the Denso for less than half shipped via Rock Auto. My core charge will be a toss-out.

Lexus Dealer price here was near 4,000 USD labor and material, yikes.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

A rebuilt Denso from Rock Auto will have a brand new Bendix. You can't beat it for value, and I'd contend the unit from Toyota/Lexus brand new offers no additional guarantee. I didn't even hesitate buying a rebuilt unit from Rock Auto.

jleonard71

I found this thread while researching starter replacement on my 2008 IS F w/90K miles, but I actually ended up fixing mine rather than replacing it so I thought I'd share how I did it in case anyone else has the same issue. Based on the loud single "click" when I tried to start it, I figured it was just a stuck solenoid and the motor might be okay. There's an old-school trick of banging on a stuck solenoid to free it up, but since you can't get at our starter without removing the exhaust manifold that wasn't an option. So instead I decided to hit it with some electricity for a longer period of time than just the short burst that it receives when you push the ignition button. So I pulled the starter relay, jumped the two connectors on the right side, and after a few tries it started cranking again! It has been about 3 weeks since I fixed it and I've had zero issues so far (YMMV of course) .

Here's a video to show exactly what I did:

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Definitely not a permanent fix. The problem is usually the contacts wearing out. Only rarely is it a stuck solenoid (which is the part that drives the contacts together) and if the solenoid clicks, it's not stuck. If I were you, I'd be ready to replace either the solenoid or the entire starter soon. It will be sooner than you'd like for sure. And yes, the passenger's side header will need to come off to do anything with the starter. What you did just hammered the contacts hard enough to get the burned copper crushed and exposed some fresh copper.

Yes, I tried this method with mine before I swapped out the starter, and it did not work because it didn't click at all.

Also, the solenoid used to be pretty pricey, but they've come down a whole lot in the last 5 years. I have one sitting on the shelf with all the necessary plastic covers and the connector body waiting for the next starter failure. They're inevitable.

jleonard71

Just wanted to update on this - it has been 9 months of daily driving the car, and I've had no issues with the starter since I applied by "fix" above! Actually, I take that back, shortly after doing this (maybe a month later) I started it up and I shifted out of P a little too soon so it didn't full start. When I went to start it again, I got the dreaded *click*. Tried a few more times and no luck. So I applied the "fix" again from above and it started right up! So I'm wondering if a lot of these issues aren't actually DEAD starters, but rather STUCK starters from shifting out of P while the starter is still engaged? I've been careful ever since to wait until the revs drop back down after startup before shifting out of park and I've had no issues since then.