spuds

Agree completely. I also would hold that core and do a rebuild possibly 'just because'.The knowledge gained alone is worth the price of admission IMO.Since most of us are in no hurry to leave the LS400 experience.

Are you going to post a pictorial on the replacement? For sure let us know the challenging parts you encounter if you can.

LS400FAN

Here's an update on replacing my starter in case anyone is interested or wants to chime in. I currently have the original starter out of the car ('98 LS) and decided to run some tests on it before installing a Denso Reman from Oreillys. Btw I would encourage any diy'ers to run these tests before installing a replacement, the tests are simple and easily outlined in the shop manual. Happily I discovered the original starter failed the "hold-in" test and the "Performance" tests outlined in the manual. It's also a good idea to have your new replacement starter on hand so you can do direct comparison testing. I highly recommend this after spending all that time and effort pulling this puppy out of the car, if I had only replaced the contacts without running these tests, I would still end up with the same problem and I'm really not up for any "surprises" if you know what I mean. I'll keep you posted and will give a summary on the complete job when I'm done. In the meantime please feel free if you have any questions. Sorry for not posting any pics but will be happy to give detailed info on any questions. Btw, it's -20 below zero here with a wind chill of -50. If you are warmer than that, be happy Cheers.

aptoslexus

How many hours to pull the starter?

LS400FAN

Probably 4-5 hrs if its your first time for the '98 LS, longer on earlier models because you have to remove the lower EGR pipe which is a pain. Some guys and even the manual says to remove the coolant pipes and rear coolant hoses, but you don't have to if you're careful. Most of the time is consumed removing the electrical connectors because they're brittle and can easily break which means more repair time. You simply have to take your time and avoid costly and time consuming mistakes. All visible electrical connectors on the harness have to be disconnected, all the way down to the crank sensor in order to make enough room to lift the plenum/intake manifold straight up. Be extra careful with the knock sensors near the starter and the be careful not to strip the nut on fuel delivery pipe, I had to use a vice grip to get that puppy off. I would really allow for a couple of days if possible because of all the other stuff you might want to do like clean the intake ports and repairing exposed electrical wiring which could cause problems down the road if not tended to. Make sure you have plenty of electrical tape on hand. On the starter itself its best to use a swivel 14mm closed end ratchet wrench for the 2 mounting bolts. Good luck.

LS400FAN

Let me know if you plan to do this job yourself, I can give you a few more pointers.

LS400FAN

Mission accomplished! As most can see I took my time and persevered through almost a week of sub zero temps and minor glitches and oversights here and there, but it was worth every bit of it when I finally "turned the key", it was music to my ears. No cel's, no hard starting, and it runs as smooth as silk. Cleaning the intake ports alone took a couple of hours, the gunk that builds up in there is incredible. After I scrubbed them clean I put an ounce of Sea Foam in each of the 8 ports, having that sit in there over a few days while I put everything back together can only help. She really runs smooth. The Denso Reman fired right up without a hitch, checking and cleaning all of the electrical connectors and wiring is a must, I had the misfortune of one of the knock sensor wires break off at the connector! I did a pretty good job improvising a fix that made the wiring much stronger than when new. I also took out both vvt-i ocv's and tested them, and did a reverse cleaning of the vvti oil filters by putting an ounce of Sea Foam into the ocv slots and blowing it out with compressed air, I think it worked. I took some photos but they are pretty much the same as posted by Valex on a related thread. One word of caution, make sure you remove the gas filler cap and don't put it back on until you've reconnected the fuel delivery pipe, I made the mistake of putting it back on "after" disconnecting the pipe and it represurized and continue to leak out veeery slowly, when I went into the garage the next day, there was gas all over the floor! It was an adventure to say the least, but now with 320k and she runs as smooth and good as new, let me know if anyone has any questions, otherwise I will keep you posted on the progress of the Denso reman from time to time. Cheers.

DGMD

Those who had to change starters on your 98-00's were their any warning signs that it was going out? The last couple of cold mornings my LS makes a whirring noise on the first key turn. Second key turn starts up ok. No problem starting in the evening. Also, what were the part numbers for the starter and did you combine it with any jobs? Mine needs a TB soon... 192k.

LS400FAN

The "whirring" sound on the 1st try after sitting all night in cold weather could simply be a battery issue, I would start there first.

simpson

More like every toyota v8... I can't think of one toyota v8 that doesn't have a starter in the valley

Sherl

@LS400FAN How if your Denso holding up? Any pic guide? My 98 LS400 clicks but doesnt start so its time for mine I think.