How to disassemble and clean a starter motor for a Toyota 22R engine

Hello,

I enjoy things that last a long time. I'd oftentimes rather maintain an item, rather than replacing it later because it broke, or failed, leaving me stranded. 

I have a Toyota Motorhome with a 22R engine, and while I am rebuilding the engine, I decided to re- grease the motor and mechanism. The 22R engine is regarded by many as one of the most reliable internal combustion engines made.

I found what I think to be the most well- built starter motor I have ever seen. Everything has either ball bearings, or roller bearings, on both ends of each shaft. Wow... A far cry from the sintered brass bushings you'll find on other starters. 

Oh! Sorry. On to the instructable. 

P.S. You'll find I enjoy using a *lot* of grease. You may disagree with the amount of grease I use, and that's fine. The principles are the same.

Step 1: Begin by removing the two small Phillips screws on the back of the motor.

Degrease the starter motor assembly. I recommend hot water and Super Clean. 

Begin by removing the two small phillips head screws on the back of the motor. These two small screws hold the brush assembly against the rear motor cover. 

Disconnect the positive motor terminal from the other end of the solenoid connection post. This nut is under the brown protective cover. Thread the nut back on the stud so you do not lose it. 

Next, remove the two long bolts holding the motor assembly to the gearcase assembly. 

If for some reason the rotor sticks and the coil assembly and brush assemblies come out, do not pannick! In fact, this must happen at some point, anyway. 

If you are adventurous, you could remove the motor end cap first, then the rotor, then the coil assembly. 

You can now remove the rotor if ti did not come out. Look at the pics. Bearings on both ends. Nice!

Comments

[s0nik]

The electrodes in your solenoid look like sort of years from burning completely away, as mine did last summer. That circular bevel is not intended to be there! Failure was not imminent and it developed slowly from a few attempts of clicking before getting contact each start to finally end up hopelessly clicking in the parking lot of our convenience store. So while not a life threatening problem, why not make a preemptive repair?

I agree, it's a great design, really meant for long term service, never seen any other make of solenoid with the electrodes bolted on (usually they just cast them in the backplate, once it's worn, you throw it away...) so you can replace them with 2 suitable pieces of copper. If you haven't yet done it, I'd advise u to do so, will last for another few decades ;)

[liquidhandwash]

thanks for posting such a detailed instructable, great job. Just one thing, you should really replace the contacts and plunger, as they are quite worn, cheap to replace, and can cause problems. I've done an instructable on Toyota 4AGE starters, if you are interested
http://www.instructables.com/id/Starter-Motor-Repair/

[tundrawolf]

Thank you for the kind words. I know... I should replace the brush holder, too. I didn't even know you could still gets parts for these starters. What's your source?

I'm definitely interested, thanks for the link!

[tundrawolf]

Thank you for the kind words. I know... I should replace the brush holder, too. I didn't even know you could still gets parts for these starters. What's your source?

I'm definitely interested, thanks for the link!

[liquidhandwash]

I get much I my car parts from ebay, because here in Australia parts are expensive and you often have to wait while they order it. Just email the seller before you buy to make sure your getting the right part, as sometimes the photo is on ebay is generic and not the same as what your buying. If you have a good auto electrical supplier near you they should also be able to help. Ebay is always a good place to start even if you just want to know the cost of the repair.