Starter motor OEM Toyota or Denso

My experience with a failing starter on a 2nd gen was slow cranking. I initially thought battery, even had the parts store test and tell me the battery was bad (they were wrong). After battery replacement the symptoms remained. Got a reman Denso starter, that fixed it.

I got a Denso reman from Napa and it works fine still.

Get a denso. That is oem starter manufacturer company.

ESPECIALLY with a Honda, go Denso. I had an experience with a failed starter (would only intermittently grab the flywheel) on an '07 Accord where the starter is behind the exhaust manifold. Had a shop replace (they used a Carquest reman) and the issue returned so they replaced again. Off the engine they both tested fine and in spec. Shop refunded the repair as long as I returned the 'faulty' starter so I decided to try but use a reman OEM Denso and it fully worked and has been working flawlessly for years now. It costs a bit more, but worth it - On a Honda at least.

Denso OSGR Light Duty starters are very common so parts are easy and any local auto electric rebuilder has seen heaps of them. They may have parts to fix it on the spot. I order a primary gasket/seal kit online because swapping one is a primary cover R&I, and one muliple pack of starter motor to engine case gaskets since they're so inexpensive. If the starter concerned lacks an aftermarket pushbutton end cover I order those for every bike I buy.

First thing I do is remove the three screws holding the solenoid end cover to inspect the contacts which are cheap online. Kits with all the seals and plunger are about 30 bucks shipped so I replace them every starter removal o avoid buying more primary cover gaskets. Then (bike in neutral!) I bottom the exposed plunger manually. If starter rotates but engine does not it's starter clutch time. If engine starts I drill a ~1/4" hole centered on the end cover then reinstall it so I can ride until I sort the parts situation by usung a round shank screwdriver to push the plunger and start the engine. If putting battery voltage to the small blade connector which controls the solenoid does nothing the solenoid windings would likely be open. Those can be replaced from a donor but don't fail often. If I replace a starter I fix the original as backup.

All Balls starter clutches are decent though I don't know the OEM for the or HD. HD outsources starters but dealers stock them and parts.

I have replaced the Starter Motor/Solenoid with a reman Denso unit, the Starter Relay, and the Throttle Position Sensor, and it seems to have basically solved most of the issues I’ve been having.

The key is to replace with an OEM Toyota or a Denso (the brand Toyota uses) and not an AutoZone special.

Could be worse, could be that Toyota 5.7L V8 that puts the starter in the middle of the "V". Replacement means removing the inlet manifold. The good part is, it's a Toyota--you'll likely only need to do it once in half a million miles and maybe not even that.

Our 2018 just caught the whir of death tonight. 60k on the clock. Any suggestions on what brand to replace it with. Bosch and Denso both have options for the car.

I assumed my starter was going out so I replaced it with a new Denso one and it fixed the issue for maybe two weeks. After that it started to not crank first try and would take a while, now it’s almost every time I start it, it takes a while. I hear the starter spin and click every time so I assume it’s just not engaging the flywheel.