Symptoms
Intermittent no-crank: you turn the key and get a click, or nothing, until the third or fourth try.
The fix, step by step
- Disconnect the battery.
- Remove the starter-side front wheel and the rubber splash guard.
- Unbolt the automatic-transmission dipstick tube (one bolt on the intake manifold, one below the starter), move it aside without disconnecting its hoses, and plug the lower tube so nothing falls into the transmission.
- Disconnect the two starter leads, remove the two bell-housing bolts and slide the starter out through the wheel arch.
- Remove the three screws on the contact cover, fit new contacts in the same orientation, and replace the plunger as well since it wears too.
- Reassemble in reverse.
Tools & part numbers
- 10 mm (battery), 12 mm (dipstick tube), 14 mm (terminal nuts), and 17 mm plus 19 mm spanners for the bell-housing bolts, per the IH8MUD write-up
- small socket or screwdriver for the three contact-cover screws
- starter contact set and plunger. The intake manifold stays on.
Where to buy the parts
Starter solenoid repair kit (contacts & plunger), 1995 4.5LRockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Starter motor repair kit, 1995 4.5LRockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Starter (replacement unit), FJ40–FJ80 1958–92Cruiser Corps ↗Amazon ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series parts →
Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.