Ok i've got a 94 6.5 with 228k miles I keep having trouble with the starter sheering off bolts. The first one was the original and when pulling out the second of the two original bolts it broke from the impact wrench so i know they were old and weak. Now this is a 2 month old set of bolts that the dealership installed (and now won't waranty). I got a peice of a bolt that my mechanic couldn't get out and a problem with the starter breaking bolts. The dealership looked at everything and said it looked normall so i can't think of what else could be causing it. Also any idea's how to get it out. There is a hole drilled into the screw that i was told it is offset and not dead center and he couldn't get it out.

Sounds to me like you're missing the starter mounting bracket that fastens the back of the starter housing (opposite end from the abendix) to the frame (or block... can't recall what it bolts to). It's about an 1/8th inch thick, 3/4inches wide, and 3 inches long, bent a little in the middle.

Check for this bracket. If it isn't there, they can be had from the dealer for a couple of bucks. That should get rid of your bolt snapping problem.

Sounds to me like your mechanic is lazy.

that bracket is still there. It's a ***** to get to but it's on there. I'm gonna take it to a better mechanic and leave it for the week while i'm on vacation.

Just thought about it and realized it'd be a pretty stupid design to brace the starter to the frame, so I'd guess that bracket connects to the engine block.

Makes no difference anyways, since you said it's on there. So the missing bracket isn't your problem.

How are your motor mounts? Maybe excessive engine shaking/vibrations caused by worn motor mounts is snapping the bolts off? I dunno. Maybe somebody here has a better idea.

actually thats not to bad an idea. I'll check those out next.

whats the starter condition. Maybe a dragging starter might be a problem. BUT Everytime I have seen and help other replace those broken bolts the back support was not in use. I have had that bracket come lose often also and used locktite to help that problem out. I alway start the 2 main bolts but leave them lose and then install the back bracket with me holding the starter in place to make sure that it supports some of the starter's weight. Then I tighten the other two bolts up tight.

Have you ever put in a helicoil?

instead of going helicoil i just drilled out the holes and re tapped them for some 1/2" grade 8 bolts because i had so much trouble getting the broken ones out. i did also have to drill the holes in the starter out to make them fit. less than two months later i sheared off the 1/2" grade 8 bolts, now thats some torque. those i was able to extract and replace. the second time i found the mystery bracket bent but present and hooked it up with grade 8's also. been almost a year now i think.

I'm gonna have my mechanic in okc try to drill it out and re-thread it. The only thing i can think of is the back bracket on the starter side is a lil loose, just enough that you can move it into place but not rattle loose. lupey you might also try getting some 9.5 or 10.8 (i think those are the numbers) they are alot stronger then grade 8's.

the grade 8s are much stronger than the stock bolts and they lasted for over 200k i'm convinced that the shearing incident was because the bracket was left out or not seen the first time.