1998 LS400 No-Crank After Blower Wiring Failure and Starter Replacement

[rogerswesley5]

Alright guys, I need some straight answers about my 1998 Lexus LS400 with the 1UZ-FE. I have two things I’m trying to sort out. First, I need to identify the three wiring connectors under the intake. Second, I need to understand why the starter is buried under the intake in the first place, because that layout has turned this whole mess into a nightmare.

This car has been dragging me through hell for a while. My air conditioning blower under the glovebox was off balance after the car took a hit on the passenger side. It still worked, but only if I tapped the underside of the glovebox, and that eventually turned into beating on it to get it going. One day the car quit cranking with the key and if I hit the blower hard enough while it was already running it would die and refuse to restart. That was the first clue something deeper was going on.

That same day the key randomly started working again after I pushed a loose wiring connector back into the fan assembly. As soon as it clicked back in the car came back to life, which tells me that connector is tied directly into the starting circuit somehow.

While the key wasn’t cranking the engine I went through every path I could find to start the car without the key. I followed every bad idea on the internet and eventually tried a relay bypass trick that actually did start the engine. It also destroyed the starter. The teeth on the starter gear were gone, completely stripped. So I figured it needed a new starter. I just installed the new one, got everything back together, sat down in the driver’s seat, turned the key and got nothing at all.

So here I am. Intake off, connectors unplugged and plugged back in, starter replaced, hours of work, and the car still refuses to crank. I’m at the point where I need either solid information or a different vehicle, because I knew the moment I turned the key and heard silence that this thing was not going to reward the effort I put into it.

If anyone knows what those three connectors under the intake are, or how the blower wiring ties into the starting circuit, or what I might have missed while replacing the starter on a 1UZ, I’m all ears. I have searched everywhere and haven’t found anything that matches this exact situation.

Thanks for the patience. If you made it to the end, you’re basically family at this point.

 

[extractors]

 

[Photon440]

I started to edit that wall of text but then found such a complete lack of punctuation that I gave up. Hopefully someone can get through that.

My takeaway is "Starter hooped, how to fix?"

 

[Frangijon]

Hello, the starter motor turns the flywheel. If the flywheel’s teeth have broken, you’ll need to remove the gearbox and take out the flywheel. Keep in mind that if teeth are missing, the starter motor will spin, but it won’t be able to turn the flywheel when it reaches the section where the teeth are missing.

 

[Lextreme]

I just used AI to edit the original post into something coherent.

Hopefully someone has answers, if not for the original poster, for someone who finds this later.

 

[ivan129]

Man u need all the help u can get. By the sound of things u need to take this to a workshop.....or......?.
The starter is located under the intake manifold cos that's where Toyota placed it during the design of the engine. It is not possible to relocate the starter due to compact design of the 1UZ engine. Starters will often last the life of the engine, if maintenance is kept up to the engine.
Under the intake there are 2 x knock sensors, and a loom to the starter with battery +12V and solenoid (starter power from the key).
Above the intake, below the plenum is a cold start injector.
These all have connectors.
To test your starter's function and mechanical hook up with the ring gear (with the intake off), you can apply +12V to the starter solenoid connector. This will proove your starter is functional and the ring gear has teeth.
I'd say good luck... but better to say, seek help.