you recommend a gear reduction to replace what may be an original starter? The local auto shop has $145 hour fees for ‘Euro’ cars, and are telling me they may have to drop either the transmission or engine to get to the starter. Sound right? Seems extreme.
Sorry for late reply, but you got great answers from experienced guys.
Regard that shop, to me it sounds like:
1. They never heard of this car, seeing an unconventional layout with tight engine bay made them come up with this.
2. They don't want this project and trying to push you out. And if you insist, at least they will make good money.
Either way, it's your sign to find another shop.
I also didn't replaced it myself and my guy told me in advance that it's quite simple.

For the starter itself, well, i've never had a good working starter from the day i bought the X so can't compare, but the reasons also mentioned here pushed me to this purchase and I don't regret it, despite the large price differences.
Good luck anyway.
 
hasn't always been the most reliable

Indeed - I have one, and it's been in the car since 2012 - it needs to come out again because I think the brushes or commutator ring is dirty or bad. It won't start sometimes - kinda frustrating.

I do like it - but one thing I don't love is the high tension lead clearance to the block. I had to "clock" it a bit in order to provide more clearance. My starter has the ability to do so (three positions if I recall correctly). It does crank much faster, but it does sound more like a Honda cranking.. :)

I made a little video about my starter. Not the greatest vid, but - .. (1500cc mind you - the guys I bought it from originally sent me a 1300 starter adapter and had to get the 1500cc one. Hopefully I can get this thing rebuilt easily enough as I don't know the OE application of that starter. I highly doubt that's a real Denso unit.

 
and no! - the transmission does not need to come out - yikes... I'd RUN from this shop. Yes, it's kinda tricky because of the cooling system hoses.. but with enough finesse, you'll get it out and back in. BTW: the starter has to come out anyway for the transmission to come out (or at least pulled away from the transmission - which is already half the work to get it out!!)
 
Yea, I was probably optimistic on the time but any of us who have replaced an X starter should be able to do it in a relaxed hour. I come from 124 spiders and replacing those starters is a lot harder due to access, much worse than an X.

In regard to compatibility of the starter to the 1300 or 1500, it's based on the transaxle, not the motor. Four speeds get the "1300" starter and five speeds get the "1500" starter...unless you put a 1500 in your four speed X in which case you use the four speed/1300 starter.

As a general rule, any shop that sizes up the customer to determine the price should be avoided for sure. I would like to think that any general shop that has a proper mechanic and a shop manual for the car can replace your starter but most shops probably turn up their nose at any "classic" car.

Another option is to see if there are any fellow X owners in your area who could mentor the job for you. The virus makes this understandably difficult right now.
 
and no! - the transmission does not need to come out - yikes... I'd RUN from this shop. Yes, it's kinda tricky because of the cooling system hoses.. but with enough finesse, you'll get it out and back in. BTW: the starter has to come out anyway for the transmission to come out (or at least pulled away from the transmission - which is already half the work to get it out!!)
How many months per year can you run the X in T.O.? I may move back one day :) Are ‘classic‘ cars expensive to insure in a no-fault province?
 
How many months per year can you run the X in T.O.? I may move back one day :) Are ‘classic‘ cars expensive to insure in a no-fault province

Hi! - well, I drive my car approx 6 months out of the year. I drove it last in early November, and she's parked in my garage for the winter (and some much delinquent maintenance!). I could drive it now, but once they've salted the roads - I don't go back out any longer. I usually start driving it in April once the snow is gone.

Actually, insurance is really reasonable! I pay approx $200 CAD/year for full coverage using Hagerty - insured to $12,500 (I should probably raise that a bit - it's been like that for years). I also have a '76 Chrysler Cordoba that I pay approx $75/year, insured to $6500 or so - The premium is based on the agreed upon value. I also have "Cherished Endorsement" coverage, so if it did get written off - I get to keep the car. That costs a few dollars extra, but well worth it in my opinion.


Toronto is OK :) - wish I had a bigger garage though! (I'd have more cars, lol..)

1605886184000.png
 
Hagerty has been great - I even have their "Third Gear" roadside assistance instead of CAA (AAA).

I love my house - but yes, the garage to house ratio isn't enough - lol... but that would only mean more cars and never enough space!

My neighbour's garage is tight too - he has to keep another 6 cars in a unit that he built! lol.. I could fit quite a few X1/9s in there!

1605891401064.png
 
The local auto shop has $145 hour fees for ‘Euro’ cars, and are telling me they may have to drop either the transmission or engine to get to the starter. Sound right? Seems extreme.

Late reply, but I almost choked on my coffee reading this. lol

An experienced person can do the starter in 30 minutes. A novice can do it in 2 hours. Don't reward this shop with any business on any car for a blatant scam attempt like that.
 
Hagerty has been great - I even have their "Third Gear" roadside assistance instead of CAA (AAA).

I love my house - but yes, the garage to house ratio isn't enough - lol... but that would only mean more cars and never enough space!

My neighbour's garage is tight too - he has to keep another 6 cars in a unit that he built! lol.. I could fit quite a few X1/9s in there!

View attachment 38743
Your neighbour is just an average Torontonian, right? 🇨🇦👍😜 And that’s not CityPulse24 I see. Get that fixed, ok?
 
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You need to get a starter made for the 1300 engine / 4-speed transmission. A 1500/5-speed starter will not work.
Forgot to ask: is there a brand that folks here stick to, aka whatever Midwest-Bayless is selling? Or will any off-the-shelf-brand starter work AND fit a ‘74 1300.
 
Forgot to ask: is there a brand that folks here stick to, aka whatever Midwest-Bayless is selling?
Whatever Midwest is selling will work. Or if it doesn't, Matt will find out why and make it work. There are several other vendors in North America as well - they'll be listed in the wiki. And...
Or will any off-the-shelf-brand starter work AND fit a ‘74 1300.
A starter is a fairly basic piece of equipment - if the bolt pattern is right so that you can attach it and the gear at the end is right for the ring gear on the flywheel, it will do the job. The starter that Autozone sold me a few years back works just fine on one of my 74s.
 
Any brand, or something specific...
What Eric said - buy from MWB. They are pricey, but worth the money. The only thing to look out for is the early gear reduction starters. The early ones have probably worked their way out of the system by now, but the earliest ones had an issue with the clocking of the motor. They had a power lead that rubbed against the engine block :eek: Not a good thing! The newest ones don't have that problem. If you buy a used one, make sure it's not an early one.
 
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Auto Ricambi likely also sells them as do Vick Auto Sports. Mark Allison also sold them before he lost his building, he is now part of Auto Ricambi. I don’t know if Fiat Plus has them but you could also check there. You can also check Rock Auto for some things, you just have to be careful about ensuring the parts are correct.

Matt/Midwest Bayless is my primary go to given the variety of cars I own, but we are lucky we have a variety of excellent vendors who all need our support if we want to keep enjoying our cars.
 
Finally got a camera crammed down in there - from the looks of things, that starter could be the original! That would explain implosion...

8F123E21-DDB2-4DED-AAE9-FA13979F009D.jpeg
 
Finally got a camera crammed down in there - from the looks of things, that starter could be the original! That would explain implosion...

View attachment 38860
Looks original, clearly not a recent rebuilt. It could be rebuilt if there is a local rebuilder. There is nothing wrong with the OE one in terms of use.
 
I would check it to see if it is worth saving. There is not much to go wrong with them that usually can't be fixed inexpensively. Check for bad brushes, dirt, bad solenoid contacts.
 
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