anyone know from the top of their head what size wrench I would need to turn engine over tomorrow morning after walking home tonight :-) ?
I plan on trying to turn it over a bit and see if i can't drive it to dealer myself to have starter checked. it made some weird clanking and grinding noise the last couple of starts, so i knew it was coming.

Maybe i can turn it enough tomorrow morning to at least get it to dealer and park it there overnight. If it is the solenoid i will try the BFH tool and see if that will bring it to life once more.

How big of a deal is changing the starter ?
If I could find one tomorrow could I do that myself in a couple of hours ? I will have no chance during the week and it has to be back running by the weekend.

Tips would be appreciated, hell maybe someone has a starter laying around at home or can tell me an aftermarket one I should replace it with .... ?

Hell Advance is open tomorrow and it looks like for a change they could be useful :
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=ATR&MfrPartNumber=A8402S&PartType=123&PTSet=A
http://www.partsamerica.com/product_images/img/atr/a8402s.jpg

* Remanufactured to exceed O.E. specifications
* 100% New voltage regulators, rotors, rectifier bridges, diodes, stators, fans, and pulleys
* 100% New solenoids, commutator, drive gear, armature, field coil, and brush assembles
* 100% Factory load tested to meet or exceed OE specifications for input voltage and amperage
* 24 Hour a day 24 Month Roadside Service Program

how does that sound ?

could i swing that tomorrow if i finally get to bed now ???

they have a couple online so I should be able to find one somewhere ...

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductList.aspx?PartType=123&PTSet=A&SearchFor=Starter
rgds

Disconnect the batteries first! (But you already know that)
Not too big a deal to change - Mine would work on the bench, but not on the truck, so I got to R&R it like 4 times before giving up and buying a new one - Got it down to about 15 minutes.
The bracket from the starter to the block missing is a starter motor killer! Make sure it's there - mine wasn't. The big bolts are also special -- they have knruled shoulders.
The hardest part of installing it was getting the first bolt started while holding the starter up in a fairly confined space. I took a piece of an old O-ring and wedged it between one bolt and the hole in the starter to hold it in place till I got the bolt started into the block. Next most fun part was getting the bracket to the block tight.

In my dad's case, the hardest part was to take it out. The stud to the bracket is a PITA to remove. One of the recommendation is to remove the wheel well. He ended up not changing it because it turns out to be the OPS that controls LP that causes the starting issue.

If you have a local starter/alternator shop, get it from there. You are in MI, you should have a lot of those there. I heard this part store starter is not as reliable. But that just what I heard, I have not have personal experience with them.

Wheel well removal is a huge help, also transmission lines run right under the badboy, so that can be a problem if yiours are ready to break.. (Which means they should be replaced anyhow.)

hmmm sounds as if the stealer is getting some work, anyone have any idea how much i will be getting raped for ? I will just call and see if advance has one in stock and then i might take a look at it.

Advance has a Reman from a brand called "worldwide" for $260 and a brandnew "Remy" for $280 in stock 4 miles from me.... hmmmm.

anyone have an answer to that wrench size so i could get it home into the garage ?
checked the shop manuals and it says it is one bolt holding the starter on the block and a little bracket that is also
held by a bolt and a nut, so i guess i just have to get the thing home....

Thank you gentlemen for the replies.

rgds

If you can find a local diesel shop instead of stealer, may be better for you.

The bolt and nut sizes are here somewhere, just have to search "starter".

15mm nut and ratchet will let you turn it through the harmonic balancer use of one bolt.
(and with loss of a little flesh of one inside forearm if you are as behemoth as I am :-) )

Then it started up one more time loosing the rest of its teeth.
so i just drove it to dealer, local diesel shop is not easy, you would think you could not trow a rock without hitting one, but that is not so.....

rgds

did ya have a look at it yet? you said it made a grinding noise, I'd almost bet the starter bolts are snapped off or the starter is loose!
maybe your starter is still good

hmm i will see what dealer says, but thanks for the hint, i will make sure to point it out.

rgds

HOLY SHIAT !!!!

they just called me - claiming the nosecone / drive shaft on the starter is broken and the teeth on flywheel "chewed" out - did not take the starter off but merely opened an inspection cover - now hold on ....

estimating -> $1750 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

$553.77 for the starter incl core since old one is shot !!!
$225 for the flywheel
and over 9 hours for the labor !!!!

da_mn !

Don't know about the flywheel, but I do know that $550+ is outrageous for the starter!!!
I'd find another shop FAST...
Changing the starter is easy - Flywheel is a whole different game.

my job carries the a remanufactured "prostart" starter for around $220 and i thought that was bad. don't take it to the stealer. the dealers around here seem to take advantage of people. when i had my job look at my truck(before i worked there) the mastertech told me come out and see this and let me know if you want it replaced. he'd show me the new part and show me what the one on the truck looked like. needless to say he knew it all needed to be replaced but he asked me before just doing it.

HOLY SHIAT !!!!



estimating -> $1750 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



da_mn !

Cant you buy a whole suburban for that???

You want me to pull my 93's flywheel and starter for ya??? tranny is coming out anyway as it is new and not going with the body to the scrapper......

Flywheel is a serious piece of work, Doing it myself lying on the ground with a lousy rented trans jack did take 9 hours, but a good shop with proper equipment should be able to cut that way down. Since I usually keep my vehicles for years, I have started to buy new over reman as I don't like to redo things a year or two later. Often, new isn't a lot more than reman, and I have had a few Reman parts like alternators and water pumps that only last a year or so.

well, i went and checked, starter is cracked !!!
looks like it broke in half and there is at least 2 teeth missing
on the flywheel and some mushed - I told them to go ahead and pushed the price down
to $1550, needless to say that is like being raped by a gorilla instead of an elephant.

But i just do not have the time to mess with it and it will be all new.
Hell the truck is worth it, it will last to 500k miles.

However I might be ready for that Kodiak now or something else,
they just tainted it for me and that is hard to believe cause the thing is just....
Well i will post some pics.

i am just torn, you would think that every morning someone would offer me a newspaper and a cup of coffee for a job or to offer me their service, however it is almost impossible to find good work anywhere around here.

thanks for all the input though.

$553.77 for the starter incl core since old one is shot !!!

Normally when you have to supply a core you are getting a rebuilt starter (or whatever).
A NEW starter shouldn't require a core or core charge... At least that's how it works down here.

i have a $98 dollar starter off ebay and it has been working great for me

read my post!!! change it yourself I did it on the garage floor in 3hrs

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=113100

on top of all my problems with my truck the starter went today and its at my girlfriends house i have no tools other than my hand tools and a ratchet set......as my cube van died on me this morning the fuel pump is bad on that and is in the shop so i have no tools.....

so other than a basic craftsman ratchet set and hand tools like chanellocks screw drivers and what not is there any thing speacial i need i have no off set ratchest or knuckles.....

i will be replacing it on a ashphalt drive way and its supposed to be 90+ degrees tommorow and the closest store is 20 min away

BTW i cheaped out and bought a 140 dollar reman starter from murrays auto parts.... lupo should know who they are.......would of bought a new one but im already paying enough for my cube van to be fixed right now.....