'97 Starter Removal - How to Get it Out?

[fugnutz]

Forget it. This car repair nonsense is not for weekend warriors. I thought, "Okay, how hard can it be to repair my starter motor and/or solenoid?" Repairing it sounds simple. Getting access to it to remove it is a whole other issue. I want to know what retarded monkey designed this vehicle such that you must disassemble half the passenger side wheel assembly just to get at the god damn thing.

Maxman1 and Leenmachine pretty much tell you what it will take, which is way too much work for any sane person. It would be more worth your time to go buy a six pack and watch some massochist get under the car and do it for you. Oh wait, it's going to cost about $300 for someone to do the work so that means I'll be about 25 six-packs in the hole.

This is a 1998 Toyota 4Runner. Judging from all the different ways I "learned" to get the starter motor out on the internet, Toyota changed the design almost every year.

So to reiterate, if you don't do car repair and don't have hours to waste trying in vain to disassemble half your car to replace one small part, forget it. Send it to a mechanic.

I'll never buy a Toyota again. Piece of shit that it is.

[Brian R.]

I see... You want a vehicle that has been engineered so that all components are easy to get to and easy to work on.

Don't hold your breath.

[corbinwaterski]

How about a big wheel or tricycle?

[Brian R.]

I still bang my knuckles - does that count?