How to remove a starter from a 1997 Toyota Tacoma?

Answer 1

Here's how I did it on my '97 Tacoma which is a 2wd, Automatic, 4cyl, 2.4L (2RZ engine). The starter motor on this vehicle is located on the driver side and the best access is through the front fender/wheel well. First, disconnect the battery. I just disconnected the negative terminal and moved it out of the way so there was not a chance it might make contact with the battery post. Then, Loosen the nuts on your driver side wheel, then raise vehicle up as if you were changing the tire. Make sure you have adequate support under the vehicle, you don't want something to fail and come crashing down on you. Now that your car is lifted and supported, remove the front tire. Looking through the fender well you should easily see the starter motor. Once you've located your starter motor, finding the bolts should be simple enough. There are only two bolts holding the starter in place, one at eye level and another just above it. For the top bolt, I just reached down from the top of the engine compartment with a wrench and went to town. Its a tight squeeze between the firewall and engine but it can be done. Before you remove the bolts, disconnect the wires at the end of the starter motor. One wire is the clip in type and the other will need a 12mm (I'm pretty sure its 12mm) wrench to remove the nut holding it in place. Once you've removed the wires, use a 14mm wrench to remove the bolts holding the starter motor in place. I started with the top bolt because it was the hardest and second, I can support the starter motor with my other hand when it came time to remove the bottom bolt. Once all that is complete, the hard part is getting the motor out of the fender well. It can be frustrating and will take some "finagling" but it'll come out. Once the motor is out, take a peek into the bell housing and check the teeth on the flywheel (I just looked at the ones that were visible). Also, examine the starter motor itself. Check for any obvious signs of damage. Getting the new/rebuilt motor back in is easy, its just getting the motor back through the fender well again is where you might get frustrated. Installation is all the same steps, just in reverse. Good luck.