Starter lifespan

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Originally Posted by Miller88
I've had to put a starter in every vehicle I've had. ...
I've never had to replace or repair a starter in any vehicle I've had (see list below). My parents never did either.
 
2000 Ford Taurus, 19 years and 150,000 miles. The starter motor got covered in oil every time the oil filter was removed. Finally it became undependable in hot weather. Probably over 10,000 starts.
 
Still have the original starter on my Camaro at 273k miles.
Replaced the starter on my Dodge at 322k miles as PM.
 
Originally Posted by bbhero
That's good to hear A_harmon ^^^^^^^

Gives me a bit more confidence going forward.



I remember cars from the 50's-60's and 70's having starters go out and maybe the eighties as well but I haven't heard much of anything since. The interesting thing too is that starters are pretty small now compared to back then.

Remember the old knock on the starter with a mallet or hammer to get it to work?
 
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Had to replace it a few months ago on my Jeep. After 23 years and 148k miles it was cranking slow. Also did the alternator because I ruined that in a mud puddle...

Camry and Sonata both have their originals.
 
Hmm, well maybe. I went nearly 400K and 19 years on my Sienna's starter and still going on the ECHO. The BMW's starter lasted 25 years.
 
My Tacoma is 13 years old and 154,000 miles, still has original starter and works/sounds just fine. I will shut off the engine if I expect to be idling longer than 2 minutes so maybe it gets more starts than the average identical vehicle. When the original starter goes out, I'm prepared to rebuild it myself... Lord only knows when that will happen.
The pinion gear (starter) is made of slightly softer metal than the ring gear (flywheel), so there is little to no risk of wearing out the ring gear by using the starter (assuming the starter is designed, installed and working properly).
 
Really depends on the engine that needs to be cranked and how well the electrical system was designed.

With that said, I had 295K and 27 years on the OEM Denso starter on a Lexus LS400. It was starting to go out. My parents had a Nissan Quest that had 242K and 16 years on the OEM Mitsubishi starter and it still cranked like the day it was bought. A friend has 143K and 21 years on the OEM starter on his Explorer. It seems like OEM Denso, Mitsu, Hitachi, Bosch and Ford starters can live a long, happy life as long as the starter isn't ragged on and the battery is maintained/replaced when it's about go weak. It seems like an under-sized starter from the factory and multiple attempts to crank an engine with a low/dead battery can kill a starter.

OTOH, I recall my dad having to change the starter on a Mercedes with a local reman that wasn't as good as the OEM piece. He also installed countless aftermarket starters in a old Cressida we had before a shop told him to wise up and install Toyota remans(before Denso sold directly to the aftermarket). I installed a Remy reman on a ex-friend's 1998 Tahoe only for it to start going out again. I should have put in a Chinese(TYC or Remy Gold)PMGR starter in before the parting ways.
 
I read a lengthy paper on this not 2 months ago, as there's a lot of attention on starter wear with the start-stop systems. The studies showed where primary starter wear was in the contacts and brushes/commutator. So the newer starters have basically reverted to the older designs where they've dropped gear drives and the motor becomes direct drive to the flywheel. Lower RPM reduces brush/commutator wear, and beefed up solenoid contacts yields a longer lasting device to offset more cycling.
 
I remember reading somewhere that UPS replaces the starters in their delivery trucks as preventative maintenance!
 
2014 Accord, less than 50k miles, had to replace starter, took me by surprised being a mighty Honda and all.
 
Timely discussion, as I have 218,000 miles in 12 years on my 2007 Tacoma V6, and who knows how many starts, and just wondering how long it'll last. Heck, this coming winter will make 6 years on my current battery. Longest-lasting battery I've ever had. Bought it at Walmart. Guess it helps that it's a 24 series battery, which are pretty good sized batteries, especially for a 4L engine.
 
some of the toyota starters are hard to get to. The 4.7 L had it buried within the intake manifold, not a quick job.
 
Originally Posted by nthach
It seems like an under-sized starter from the factory and multiple attempts to crank an engine with a low/dead battery can kill a starter.


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