Rebuild your starter for less than $20

[BSQ5]

Instead of purchasing a rebuilt starter (~$135), you can rebuild your starter for less than $20. The part that wear out in the starter are the copper contact points. Honda does not sell the contact points, BUT Toyota does. Honda starters are made by Nippondenso and so are Toytota (as well as other manufactures). Toyota sells the contact points in a starter rebuild kit. The parts that you will need are 28226-74070 ($11.89) and 28226-64370 ($6.32). These Toyota starter parts are identical to the Honda starter parts.

If you can remove your starter, you can replace the starter contact points. You should also clean the plunger magnet switch with some sand paper (see photos below).

Here is a picture of the Toyota parts.


Here is a picture of the new Toyota parts installed.


Here is a picture of the plunger switch before being cleaned.


Here is a picture of the plunger switch after being cleaned.

[96acuraintegra]

Don't be fooled though. Granted changing out the contact points may help some people, there is a lot more that can go wrong than just that.

[BSQ5]

Originally Posted by 96acuraintegra on Feb/23/05

Don't be fooled though. Granted changing out the contact points may help some people, there is a lot more that can go wrong than just that.

True. But 98% of the time the contact points are what wear out. Because, there are not a lot of parts to the starter as the diagram below will illustrate.

[emexsix]

Wow, very informative. You should do a write up on this. This could save alot of people alot of money.

[96acuraintegra]

on a good rebuild though, there is a lot to it. I work in a auto electric rebuild shop. it's what I do all day. The gears can be, and most of the time are, worn down. The armature could be corroding and could need a sanding like on a lathe. The brushes may be worn, which is almost always the problem, and the fields may have a tear in them. There's so much to it, but yes, changing out the contacts is one source of problems for a bad starter.

[noob]

Originally Posted by 96acuraintegra on Feb/23/05

on a good rebuild though, there is a lot to it. I work in a auto electric rebuild shop. it's what I do all day. The gears can be, and most of the time are, worn down. The armature could be corroding and could need a sanding like on a lathe. The brushes may be worn, which is almost always the problem, and the fields may have a tear in them. There's so much to it, but yes, changing out the contacts is one source of problems for a bad starter.

You seem knowledgable about the subject; do you have more info on how to save money with the rest of the rebuild? Are there other tricky ways to save money on the brushes, armature, etc? I need to do something with mine soon and saving money would be a big bonus for me. Thanks to both of you for the tips.-Bill

[integrapunk67]

Are you sure that honda doesn't sell the starter contacts? Because long ago... when i first bought my car i put new starter contacts in that i got through honda parts express.... And yes, its a lot cheaper than a new starter, and the shop i was working at frequently installed new contacts into many other hondas.

[BSQ5]

96acuraintegra, there are other items that should be checked and inspected in the starter (as you mentioned) and this is all documented in the Helms Service Manual page 23-80 thru 23-86. But since Honda does not sell the replacement contact points there is no mention of it in the Helms manual and this was the main reason that I posted this information.

[4drtegra]

what was the reason for you to do this rebuild. If you list some problems with your started it will help others including myself diagnose our problems. Thanks

[BSQ5]

Originally Posted by 4drtegra on Feb/23/05

what was the reason for you to do this rebuild. If you list some problems with your started it will help others including myself diagnose our problems. Thanks

Periodically when I went to start my car, all I would get was a "CLICK" sound. Eventually this occurred more frequently and required several attempts before the car would actually start. This is the primary indication that the contact points are becoming worn.

[integrapunk67]

Originally Posted by 4drtegra on Feb/23/05

what was the reason for you to do this rebuild. If you list some problems with your started it will help others including myself diagnose our problems. Thanks

Why i did my rebuild... simply put, when you would try to start the car, sometimes it would simply "click" and not do anything but click. And then all of a sudden the next time you turn the key it starts...

[4drtegra]

awesome, that is exactly my problem and am looking forward to doing this soon. Thanks Guys.

[BSQ5]

Originally Posted by integrapunk67 on Feb/23/05

Are you sure that honda doesn't sell the starter contacts? Because long ago... when i first bought my car i put new starter contacts in that i got through honda parts express.... And yes, its a lot cheaper than a new starter, and the shop i was working at frequently installed new contacts into many other hondas.

I'm not aware of Honda or Acura selling any starter contact rebuild kit, such as the Toyota kit. The diagram that shows all the starter parts doesn't show any contract points either. But if you know something, let me know. Because I was elated when I found out that Toyota sold there kit.

[jojo]

This can't be done on ODB2 starters. Well thats what the service manual says.