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.!