I finally did it! I managed to get the old starter out of the bus for a replacement! It's been a mystery, but at least part of it has been solved!

We purchased a shuttle bus to transport my family of eight, and to make our trip down south more comfortable. We've maxed out our Highlander and it's pretty crowded these days. The bus has a brand new battery, but it seems to require a jump every time we start it.

But the problem isn't only with the battery - even after charging it up, when we turn the key we hear one single "click". It's not even trying to start!

Yesterday I was charging up the battery, completly mystified as to why it wouldn't start, my dad came over offering to help. He suggested asking our neighbor for some sort of idea of what might be going on.

He heard the "click" and said "It's the starter". We crawled under the bus and he showed me the starter and described how it works.

It looks pretty nasty and rusty. This is what was making the clicking noise. Something was going wrong. He suggested removing the starter and replacing it with a new one. It was getting dark, so I packed up for the night.

The next day, I begin removing the bolts to get the old starter out. It was much more difficult than I anticipated. My neighbor said "eh, a pro could do it in 20 minutes, if you've never done it before, maybe an hour." Ha! For me it's all afternoon!!

It was these two bolts at the top that were driving me mad. Looks so simple in the photo, just get a wrench in there and start turning! But there was very little room to move a wrench. While I was trying to get the starter out, I discovered what the problem was.

This mess of wire mesh is supposed to be a cable, connecting the two cylinders. It must have either separated on the way home from the purchase or it burned (melted) apart while we were trying to get it started with the second battery.

Can see some evidence of melted copper... wow! I could try to reconnect the wires, but looking at this rusty thing, I think it'll be worth replacing.

I visited to local auto store and picked up a new starter. It looks completely identical to the one I pulled from the bus.

OLD STARTER:

NEW STARTER:

It's amazing how these haven't changed is over 20 years! The part is virtually identical, except it's new!

On to the next task: installing the new starter and, well, starting the BUS!

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Benjamin Turner: God fearer. Rooted in Messiah. Husband of @lturner. Father of SIX wonderful children. The guy behind the camera. Blockchain enthusiast.

Bless the Most High!

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