starter remove/replace

[andy blackmon]

I need to replace my 30 year old starter. What all must I remove to do this? Just looking at it --I would guess the oil filter must be removed and since I have the stage 11 exhaust the header may have to go, am I right? O.K after the starter is off, should i go back with what came on it or go with the Eagle up grade? I really need some step by step instruction on how to remove this.

[deloumis]

I need to replace my 30 year old starter. What all must I remove to do this? Just looking at it --I would guess the oil filter must be removed and since I have the stage 11 exhaust the header may have to go, am I right? O.K after the starter is off, should i go back with what came on it or go with the Eagle up grade? I really need some step by step instruction on how to remove this.

It's really not that hard. I have DPI's exhaust and with it I do have to remove the header, so I am assuming it is the same for your set up. Don't forget to disconnect the battery before doing anything. For me I believe the hardest part was connecting the power cables and wires again to the starter and having them tightened up good. Just take it easy it's pretty straight forward. Like I said do not forget to disconnect the battery you don't to have live fire while your doing it.

[82DMC12]

Probably want to replace the exhaust manifold gasket when you remove the header too. Don't reuse it.

Andy

[Chris 16409]

When I did mine, I chose a time when the car was ready for an oil change. I also had a set of exhaust manifold gaskets on hand.

[Rich]

I need to replace my 30 year old starter. ....O.K after the starter is off, should i go back with what came on it or go with the Eagle up grade? I really need some step by step instruction on how to remove this.

Removal is pretty easy. What you don't want to do is lose any parts. In particular, there is a bushing called a centering ring that fits into a recess in the bell housing and a matching recess in the starter chassis. It is on just one of the 3 mounting bolts. Oh, and take a photo of the wires before you disconnect them all....

When the starter comes out be sure that ring is accounted for and you know which recess it fits back into in case it falls out. It keeps the gears where they belong when the starter goes back in.

As far as what to put back in, a rebuilt OEM Rhone is fine. Others seem to have luck with Autozone stuff.

In my case the problem with my then-25-year-old starter was not the starter motor, it was the solenoid, which you can change out yourself. The symptom with the aging and wearing of the solenoid is that it takes more and more key-starts to engage the starter. You hear a click but no action. After a few goes with the key it spins up fine. After perhaps a few months of this it eventually won't go at all. In such cases the starter motor is just fine - the solenoid isn't pulling in due to burned internal contacts so the starter can't do its job. A solenoid replacement still calls for the starter to come out.

My 31 year old Rhone with a 5 year old solenoid does the job every single time.

Putting it back together is simple. Compared to some starters this one's pretty easy to get at.

[cdrusn]

I just replaced mine after a no engage of the bendix into the ring gear so the solenoid was not working. DMC does have some solenoids and run about $65 but I opted for the rebuilt unit from special T for $189 exchange. The reason being is that yes, it is a 30+ year electrical piece of equipment that has brushes, windings and bearings. Additionally, it is in one of the most severe operating conditions in the entire engine. It is immediately next to the exhaust manifold, actually only 3/8s of an inch from that manifold. So the heat, particularly the soaking heat when the engine shuts down, constantly is affecting this unit. The replacement starter from DMC is a chinese made unit of a quality substandard to the original Rhone unit IMO. Removal is quite easy, the 3 bolts holding it onto the bellhousing are 13mm easily accessed from the transmission side of the engine. There is a small section of soft heat shield that is shoved between the solenoid and the exhaust manifold.

[andy blackmon]

I ended up replacing my starter with the '91 Eagle starter that some of you recommended. This worked out great. I have the stage 11 installed on my car so of course my exhaust system was with the headers. This is how I replaced the starter, first off after unbolting the old starter, I reached up between the headers and motor and took the old starter apart, thus I was able to remove the starter without removing the exhaust I did not have to remove the oil fiter or anything. With the old starter taken apart it came out , the new Eagle starter is much lighter and smaller . This was a little time consuming and not really easy but I think it was still better than removing the header and oil filter. Once the old starter was out i took it to a shop and had it rebuilt . I like the new starter, if you need a starter Auto Zone sells the '91 Eagle and it fits and work just fine.