My truck had a starting problem Saturday when I was way north in Collin County. Ruined my whole day fretting about it. Turns out, it starts as long as the starter isn’t hot from a long trip. The web says it’s the starter, so I got a refurb one from O’Reilly. AutoZone was marginally cheaper, but they were all generic starters. I paid around $242 for it and a starter solenoid. I probably don’t need that, but it can live onboard in case I do. I’ll get $40 back when I return the core. Even though the truck starts whenever I’ve needed it in the beginning of the week, I know that the starter’s days are numbered. I don’t want that number to hit me by surprise.
I was dreading this. The old one doesn’t appear rusted. But the bolts have the look of the type that snaps off. The starter is bolted onto the transmission bell housing, not the motor and it’s aluminum. The bolts are steel, no doubt. I hoped to hell that it was installed with anti-seize. But I got things to do this week. It can’t wait.
Monday, it was hot and I was wasted from biking and working out. The sun was setting and the dogs wanted dinner. So I blew it off and did it Tuesday.
I jacked up the right front and put it on a stand, and put my executive creeper under the truck:
Getting to the starter wasn’t hard, and the wires came off easy enough:
There are two easily accessed bolts on the left, and one tough to get at on the top, right under the edge of the engine. That one had to be done by feel. Push comes to shove, I’d have to remove the wheel and inner fender to see it and get to it. I got tools and skills, so it wasn’t that hard to remove.
Lucky for me I had a tube of Permatex anti-seize, so I coated the bolts. This was a smart move, not only to make them easier to come off if I have to play this game again, but they worked as a lube and made it easy to screw them in with my hands. I took the time to clean the contacts with steel wool before connecting them.
Not too tough, as it turned out. Two wrenches and a 10mm socket with an extension.
I hit the key and it cranked right up. It has a cool, high tech whine compared to the old one. I cleaned things up. Only took an hour or so. Didn’t even have time to lose my 10mm socket.
I don’t know why I was dragging my feet. I’ve changed dozens of these things. This was one of the easier ones.
Still, it’s annoying. Every American car I’ve had – GM, Ford, Mopar, I’ve replaced starters, alternators, and water pumps. Every damn one, regardless of make. I’ve changed none of them ever on any Jap car I’ve owned. I’ve only replaced water pumps with a timing belt as a preventative maintenance thing, since it was accessible.
I think I need a spare set of wheels if I’m going to drive a 26 year old truck. We’ll see how things shake out in a couple months. I have my eye on a 2010 Jetta TDI. Sure, diesel is spendy, but it’s MPG is worth it. Those are pre-emissions models that have a reputation for extreme durability.
Besides, it’s cheap. I’ve been seeing it on my searches for months. I’ll tell him he’ll die with that thing if I don’t buy it from him for 500 less.
Inspected By Pat 