daffy Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Hi all, Got my new starter installed today and it really turns over now! It only cost me $1680.00 cnd. (Lexus dealer). I have to say, this really puts me off. Why would they design, a hard to get at place, for a starter? If the starter would last as long as the engine, I'd suppose it would be ok. But this isn't happening, I have read on this forum that even newer LS400, getting new starters. Mine at least lasted 14 years and 430,000 kilometers. If I had any other car, I could have done the job myself. I am now good for another 14 years with the starter, but I don't think my car's engine is going to make it that long. Daffy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obergc Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Yeah, you got to wonder why they mounted it where they did. I also have a Caddy with a Northstar engine and it's mounted in the same place. I personally can't think of a single good reason to put it between the cylinder heads but I'm sure that someone will enlighten me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc19907 Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 They put the starter there for engine balance, nothing really more than that. This is the one item in the LS engine - that I think is an engineering suck... Oh, well just one complaint on my LS motor is okay by me. I just had mine go out last year; I have a 99LS. So, the car made it 5 years and about 65K on the factory starter. I had one installed at Toyota for 875$ - OEM. 8 hours labor plus the part 375$. Not fun to pay. I didn't have time or inclination to do it myself. I used to be a mechanic and got out of that business about 4 years ago - no garage to do things in now... Plus I'd rather pay someone else to do it anymore, anyway. Only other fusses about my LS are the terrible cupholders and my HVAC (navigation system) is too complex - I prefer simple dial designs etc. The rest of the car gets the best car, this guy has ever owned award. 2cts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daffy Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 Hi jc19907, obergc, Thanks for the replies. I took my car out for a drive and I feel much better now. I look around and I really don't want to drive anything else. For me the Ls400 is the right size, quiet, smooth, powerful, reliable, long lasting, good on gas and still looks good today! AND has the best forum online!!! Daffy :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ED. Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 We just got ours replaced and you get what you pay for! We went to a cheap place and it was a PITA! First they got the wrong number of gaskets, then they didnt connect a wire so it wouldnt start then they broke the EGR valve and the exhaust was leaking!! It only cost 300 something plus the starter we bought but no more crappy noise when it starts up! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRK Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 Daffy it sounds like they installed a factory new starter for that price. The dealer here will have the starter overhauled locally, which is what I do for my customers, as we have a shop that specializes in automotive starter-generator-alternator work. Typically the starter runs about $200.00 overhauled, and what actually fails in the Denso starter costs less than that. It's not like the entire unit explodes, just a contact, or a set of brushes, or a bearing, or a drive. None of those things cost. Certainly the labour is a factor in the price, it's just that the starter itself can be somewhat cheaper. All the same you have a reliable repair that will last for another 15 years. The starter is in the valley in order to package the engine tighter. The exhaust manifolds can be kept tight to the block on both sides, and that makes the engine physically smaller. Lexus keeps the catalytic converters very close the cylinder heads, and that also generates more heat than a starter would like to endure. So heat and packaging are the reasons for the starter in the valley. I did a starter re and re on a Ferrari Daytona a couple of years ago. Even that old car makes the Lexus look easy. The starter for that one ran $1850.00 US for new, but I had it rebuilt locally for $215.00 Can. Works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Shuler Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 Daffy it sounds like they installed a factory new starter for that price. The dealer here will have the starter overhauled locally, which is what I do for my customers, as we have a shop that specializes in automotive starter-generator-alternator work. Typically the starter runs about $200.00 overhauled, and what actually fails in the Denso starter costs less than that. It's not like the entire unit explodes, just a contact, or a set of brushes, or a bearing, or a drive. None of those things cost. Certainly the labour is a factor in the price, it's just that the starter itself can be somewhat cheaper. All the same you have a reliable repair that will last for another 15 years. The starter is in the valley in order to package the engine tighter. The exhaust manifolds can be kept tight to the block on both sides, and that makes the engine physically smaller. Lexus keeps the catalytic converters very close the cylinder heads, and that also generates more heat than a starter would like to endure. So heat and packaging are the reasons for the starter in the valley. I did a starter re and re on a Ferrari Daytona a couple of years ago. Even that old car makes the Lexus look easy. The starter for that one ran $1850.00 US for new, but I had it rebuilt locally for $215.00 Can. Works great. Stop the madness. I rebuit my Lexus LS 400 starter for .45 cents. Oh yeah it did cost $450 to get the starter out of my car though. Usually when a Lexus starter stops cranking it's because one of the copper contacts on the solenoid (+ positive side) burns down to a level where the internal plunger can not make contact to complete the circuit. The contact can be purchaced at an auto electrical shop for .45. I replaced the .45 electrical part and buffet the copper plunger and had the machanic replace the starter. (Good as new). I got the idea from this site after all Toyota and Lexus do use a lot of the same parts. http://www.off-road.com/toyota/tech/starter/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRK Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 Are you sure you were intending to quote me Eddie? I think you and I are on the same page. Maybe it's just because it's your first time here. When you replace a single part in a starter that has failed, that's a repair, not a rebuild. And that may be just fine, although as you paid $450.00 to re and re the thing, I would always advise a complete inspection of the unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapper_daddy Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 hey i was curious......everyone was talking about a funny noise, my starter works just fine but right after the motor starts, there is a grinding noise like something has to finish slowing down, anyone got any ideas because i'm about to change the timing belt some seals and a few other things so should i change my starter at the same time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Shuler Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 Sorry Daffy I ment to reply to your email and remove the quote. I'm a rookie to this board (first post). Oh yeah I had the dud at the electrical shop, where I bought the electrical contact, test the starter. He didn't charge a dime to do the test. I was impressed. It was so easy I reasembled the starter on the tail gate of my Tundra at the electrical shop so they could do the finial test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chucklarock Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Sorry Daffy I ment to reply to your email and remove the quote. I'm a rookie to this board (first post). Oh yeah I had the dud at the electrical shop, where I bought the electrical contact, test the starter. He didn't charge a dime to do the test. I was impressed. It was so easy I reasembled the starter on the tail gate of my Tundra at the electrical shop so they could do the finial test. I just replaced my starter the other day. I have a '93 with 160,000 miles. A few months ago, the starter was making a grinding noise when I cranked it. I noticed also that it sounded like something was spinning freely, and winding down when I engaged and then released the starter. Then last Wednesday night, I went to start it and it only clicked. I called Rockville Lexus near my home in Northern Va. They quoted $1155. I asked my mechanic friend about doing the job. He said it was more than he wanted to get into. So I did it myself. The Denso starter cost $156. plus core, and the intake manifold gaskets cost $30. The job took me about 10 hours. Here's a few tips. 1. The plastic is brittle so be careful to handle it gently. 2. You don't need to remove the throttle body from the car. If you remove the two nuts, and two bolts that hold it to the manifold, it will tip back and out of the way. If you do this you won't have to disconnect and reconnect the two hoses attached to the underside of the throttle body. 3. Remove the top half of the manifold from the bottom half. This will allow you better access to the fuel rails and injectors. Also, it allows you to remove the two bolts that hold a wire harness which runs between the two halves. You will need to remove these two bolts in order to free the bottom half of the manifold. 4. Remove the gas tank cap prior to opening the gas lines, otherwise the pressure will cause the gas to flow out continuously. 5. You will need a torx driver to remove the manifold. Get one that fits your ratchet wrench. 6. I didn't remove the water bypass pipe. Instead, I used a ratchet wrench (14mm socket) on one starter bolt, and a box end wrench on the other bolt, and slipped my hand down along the firewall to get onto them. The bolts broke free easily, and I got my son (who has a smaller hand) to reach down and back them out. 7. A magnet tool will come in handy on this job. 8. You will need some silicone gasket sealant for the throttle body re-install. This was a big job, but I'd do it again if I had to. I can get a lot of chrome for my V-rod with $1200.! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KY350 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 So it took you ten hours work + approx $200. If your charge out rate was $80 per hour (that's what my mechanic charges in AUD), then that bill would come to $1000. I don't know how good you are on the tools or how well you know your way around the LS400 engine, but generally, a qualified mechanic who has done this procedure previously, should be able to do the job in half the time. So 5 hours at $80 / hr is $400. Add $200 for the parts, then the bill should be only around the $600 mark or around half what you were quoted!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sha4000 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 So it took you ten hours work + approx $200. If your charge out rate was $80 per hour (that's what my mechanic charges in AUD), then that bill would come to $1000. I don't know how good you are on the tools or how well you know your way around the LS400 engine, but generally, a qualified mechanic who has done this procedure previously, should be able to do the job in half the time. So 5 hours at $80 / hr is $400. Add $200 for the parts, then the bill should be only around the $600 mark or around half what you were quoted!!!! yeah but a lexus dealer over here will charge you $100 and up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daffy Posted January 24, 2006 Author Share Posted January 24, 2006 Hi everyone, Thanks for the input. I would have rebuilt the starter myself. I have rebuilt a few and it's not that hard. I just didn't have the time to do it right now. One thing I do notice, the new starter turns the engine much faster than before. And I thought it spun the engine pretty fast before. Now I hope the engine will last because at 430,000 kilometers(267,189 miles) who knows? Daffy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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