Got a mechanic claiming there is no way to get the starter out to check it without loosening an engine mount and jacking up the engine. There is no way it's that hard, is it? I have been under the car briefly (not being one who usually works on my own car) and it does look cram packed. Not much room to work with hoses, wires, other hardware in the way. How do you get the starter out without messing with things like engine mounts?
Replaciing the starter Bertone X19
- Thread starter mtblan0
- Start date
bb4re
86X 22,000 miles
He is incorrect...
....The starter is easiest to remove from beneath the car, but I have really skinny wrists and have removed one from the top before. The are only three bolts and I believe two wires holding it in. The three bolts are pretty accessible. Really not that bad of a job, maybe an hour and two beers.
....The starter is easiest to remove from beneath the car, but I have really skinny wrists and have removed one from the top before. The are only three bolts and I believe two wires holding it in. The three bolts are pretty accessible. Really not that bad of a job, maybe an hour and two beers.
Very carefully! 
The starter is packed in there pretty good, but it does come out without moving the engine around. Try this approach to the problem.
1. Disconnect the negative lead from the battery
2. Jack the rear of the car up using the rear center jack point. Jack it high enough so that you can get under the car with room to work. Now before you go crawling under there, please use proper jack stands at the frame hard points just ahead of the rear wheels. No sense getting squished.
3. Once the car is secured. There are 3 bolts on the transmission side of the bell housing that hold the starter in. Remove these bolts and the starter will be free except for the wiring. Wiggle it out of its hole in the bell housing and slowly work it down past the radiator hoses.
4. Disconnect the electrical leads and you are done with the removal.
5. Installation is the reverse of removal.
6. Reconnect the battery.
OK. I have done this on my 78 and the "Wiggle it out of its hole in the bell housing and slowly work it down past the radiator hoses." statement in step 3 is more art than science. I tried to get that thing out of there for a good 15 minutes and I was convinced there was absolutely no way to do it. I was at the point of throwing something heavy, so I took a break to cool off. About 30 minutes later I slid back under the car, grabbed the starter and it came down so fast I almost dropped it on my head.
I believe the secret is " Do not be afraid to compress the radiator hoses a bit to gain clearance". I am pretty sure that was what made the difference on my second attempt. Either that or someone worked it free while I was in the house beating the kids. OK... just kidding... I beat them on the front lawn as a warning to the other kids in the neighborhood.
NOTE: Regarding step 3, Papa Tony says it is easier to get at these 3 bolts from above prior to lifting the car, but that is not how I approached them. You can take a look and decide what approach will work best for you.
The starter is packed in there pretty good, but it does come out without moving the engine around. Try this approach to the problem.
1. Disconnect the negative lead from the battery
2. Jack the rear of the car up using the rear center jack point. Jack it high enough so that you can get under the car with room to work. Now before you go crawling under there, please use proper jack stands at the frame hard points just ahead of the rear wheels. No sense getting squished.
3. Once the car is secured. There are 3 bolts on the transmission side of the bell housing that hold the starter in. Remove these bolts and the starter will be free except for the wiring. Wiggle it out of its hole in the bell housing and slowly work it down past the radiator hoses.
4. Disconnect the electrical leads and you are done with the removal.
5. Installation is the reverse of removal.
6. Reconnect the battery.
OK. I have done this on my 78 and the "Wiggle it out of its hole in the bell housing and slowly work it down past the radiator hoses." statement in step 3 is more art than science. I tried to get that thing out of there for a good 15 minutes and I was convinced there was absolutely no way to do it. I was at the point of throwing something heavy, so I took a break to cool off. About 30 minutes later I slid back under the car, grabbed the starter and it came down so fast I almost dropped it on my head.
I believe the secret is " Do not be afraid to compress the radiator hoses a bit to gain clearance". I am pretty sure that was what made the difference on my second attempt. Either that or someone worked it free while I was in the house beating the kids. OK... just kidding... I beat them on the front lawn as a warning to the other kids in the neighborhood.
NOTE: Regarding step 3, Papa Tony says it is easier to get at these 3 bolts from above prior to lifting the car, but that is not how I approached them. You can take a look and decide what approach will work best for you.
Yeppers
Especially since that big green wire on the starter goes straight to the battery. Accidentally grounding that sucker would not be fun.
Especially since that big green wire on the starter goes straight to the battery. Accidentally grounding that sucker would not be fun.
done it many times...
No jacking / loosening engine mounts needed. I would add though that the solenoid wire was a source of some frustration for me in the past. This is the single wire that energizes the whole affair. It is a friction fit on the solenoid terminal and mine was very loose. I simply pressed the spade connection down with a pair of pliers and pressed (fairly hard, now that it is collapsed) it back on. Double check it for corrosion and replace if needed. Dielectric grease here helps too.
-Brody
No jacking / loosening engine mounts needed. I would add though that the solenoid wire was a source of some frustration for me in the past. This is the single wire that energizes the whole affair. It is a friction fit on the solenoid terminal and mine was very loose. I simply pressed the spade connection down with a pair of pliers and pressed (fairly hard, now that it is collapsed) it back on. Double check it for corrosion and replace if needed. Dielectric grease here helps too.
-Brody
Rupunzell
Bernice Loui
Might consider another mech to get this done. As others have posted, the starter is quite removable without loosening the engine mounts and etc.. If said Mech told you starter removal is only possible as written, it appears said Mech has little experiencing working on the X.. which should have any X owner more than a bit concerned. Many an X has been altered or ruined by Mech who did stuff to these cars they never should have done... Then they claim, "what do you expect, it's a Fit It Again Toni."
Bernice
Bernice
jvandyke
True Classic
Amen. If you're going to pay someone to work on your car, don't make it this guy.
Black-Tooth
Tony Natoli
LET ME EMPHASIZE...
As Jiminy stated... disconnect the NEGATIVE battery cable FIRST.
Next drop the starter... and THEN disconnect the wiring.
With most other electrical devices and on most other cars, one tends to disconnect the wiring first.
In this case... do it afterwards... and when reinstalling a starter... connect the wiring first, then push the starter back up. Much easier!
This is why it is IMPERATIVE to disconnect the NEGATIVE battery cable before attempting any of this!
As Jiminy stated... disconnect the NEGATIVE battery cable FIRST.
Next drop the starter... and THEN disconnect the wiring.
With most other electrical devices and on most other cars, one tends to disconnect the wiring first.
In this case... do it afterwards... and when reinstalling a starter... connect the wiring first, then push the starter back up. Much easier!
This is why it is IMPERATIVE to disconnect the NEGATIVE battery cable before attempting any of this!
I would add...
Starter r&r is a fairly straightforward affair. I would strongly encourage you to take it on yourself. Get a Haynes or similar manual and some basic metric tools and you will be very happy. I would also suggest some strong (metal if you can find them) drive-on ramps for working on your X.
Starter r&r is a fairly straightforward affair. I would strongly encourage you to take it on yourself. Get a Haynes or similar manual and some basic metric tools and you will be very happy. I would also suggest some strong (metal if you can find them) drive-on ramps for working on your X.
jvandyke
True Classic
Pulling/rebuilding/reinstalling a starter was the first job I did on my X. Not easy but not too hard either. From the bottom, I don't think the wires were long enough to allow hook up before reattach but I don't really remember. I'm sure I wrote about it here. I just cleaned up the starter and put it back in, that was the "rebuild". Working pretty good yet.