How do you remove the starter on a 2000 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner V6 2wd?

Answer 1

You will need a 10mm wrench or socket, an 11mm wrench or socket and a 14mm wrench or socket.

****REMOVE the POSITIVE battery terminal. Skipping this step can result in serious injury if not death. Disconnect the battery first.****

Get beneath the truck on the driver side. Look up at the starter.

If you don't know what the starter looks like, follow the wires from the positive side of the battery, they go down beneath the starter. The starter is a cylindrical part that has two long, skinny bolts running through it on top and bottom that screw in toward the tailgate. (DON'T LOOSEN THESE- THEY DON'T FREE THE STARTER FROM THE TRUCK).

After you have located the starter, pull the black plastic cap off of the hot wire and unscrew the 11mm nut that holds it on. When the wire is free replace the nut onto the bolt. New starters should come with this nut attached, but this is good practice. Push the little button in where the smaller wire connects to the starter, then pull out the little plug. I did this with bare hands, no problem, and I work in an office.

Now that you have unplugged the power and the contact to the ground, you can unbolt the starter. There are only two 14mm bolts holding it on. They screw in toward the front of the truck. One is on the bottom, right behind the transmission dip stick. This one goes through the fly wheel housing, and a clamp that secures a wire. Just unbolt it, and leave everything else as it is. The bolt on top is a little hard to get to, but it can be done! It's about six inches higher than the bottom bolt. I used a socket with no extension to break it free, and it actually came out the rest of the way with just my fingers. There is very little room to move the ratchet back and forth, so be patient.

Hold on to the starter when you get it loosened up so it doesn't fall and break anything. Put the bolts in the holes they came from for safe keeping. Lower the starter carefully and turn it until you figure out the right way to get it out. It comes out without forcing it, or bending anything, or removing anything else. (my truck has skid plates so it wouldn't just fall out.)

Replace in reverse order. Pretty easy, I am a beginner and it took me a half an hour to remove it.