A while back my starter began playing up in my 3.5L. When I would turn the key, I would get nothing. Sometimes it would go back to normal on its own and sometimes I would need to bang the starter for a little persuasion. It has always done the job, but seeing as how I was taking the engine out anyway for some other work, it seemed the time to go ahead and fix it properly.

It's obviously just the solenoid, but I opted to go ahead and replace the whole starter with a Denso starter. Got it in the post today and it is much smaller and lighter than the Lucas starter. I wasn't expecting that. Everything lines up and it fits, but it feels like a toy in comparison.

Has anyone had any experience with the Denso starter or should I stick with my Lucas and just replace the solenoid? I was going to replace the solenoid anyways and just keep it around as a spare, but not sure if I should just send the Denso starter back. What are your thoughts?

For some side by side comparison...

Not sure of brands but have used both sizes. Helpful