starter frusturations!!!!!!!!!!!

[dmoo21]

hi,
so, it is the weekend to do a new starter on my 93. i got the nut off of the right side (looking at the front of the engine) its the one at the top that holds the large black ground wire, i have managed to strip the lower bolt on the lower part of the motor, and now is there another bolt or stud that has to be taken off of the top side of the starter behind that one i already took off?

and how do i even attempt to get that striped bolt out? and any other tips to get this thing out of my car?

sorry if this is confusing, i am frusturated so i have come in and am warming up and i am done for the night.

thanks
- Dan

one more q, is everyone doing this with air tools?

 

[mlatten]

That's a heck no on impact tools! Good ole' socket and wrenches here. As per the stripped bolt: either hammer on the next metric size down (increments are smaller) or pick up the $14.99 Damaged Bolt Set from Sears.

As for that third son of a bolt, I don't recall exactly...Sorry I thought I only remember the one that holds the negative. I'd go and look, but it's snowing!

Best of luck,
Matt

 

[seraphiem]

Should just be two bolts holding the starter on.

First one is a 13 mm.

Second one has a 15 mm nut to strap the ground cable down. Pull that off and remove the remaining stud with a 13 mm socket.

 

[dmoo21]

ive now had a total of three people try to get out the 13mm bolt, ive sprayed it with blaster, and wd 40 and i have the bolt out set to get off stripped bolts, ive used smaller sockets, broken my universal joint, tried so many different things to get this thing out. any more suggestions would be much appericated

-Dan

and no am not takeing it to a mechanic, now it is the princepal of getting this out

 

[SHOZ123]

Cut off the head and then the leftovers should come out once the starter is off. This is the stand alone bolt and not the ground stud correct?

 

[dstig1]

Go ahead and use an impact wrench if you can get it on there. A couple of long extensions will help a lot to get you access without the need for a univ joint, IIRC. Clearly you will be needing a new bolt in any case, so carefully cut it off if that doesn't work.

 

[dmoo21]

update: impact wrench didnt work, another 3 inches of snow and one frusturated SHO owner

so how do i go about cutting this off?????????
thanks
-Dan

 

[dmoo21]

Im gonna go at it with a Dremel tool and a cut off wheel
Wish me luck
-Dan

 

[dstig1]

Wow. I've never had any real trouble getting the starter bolts out (other than they are a bit hard to get a socket on like practically everything on the car...), even the first time way back when. They aren't in a high-corrosion area like a lot of suspension parts, so they shouldn't seize-up that easily from rust.

Small cut-off wheel is about your only option it seems.

I see you are local - I hope you aren't working outside with all this snow!

 

[dmoo21]

ok so i have cut the head and ground it almost flush.
that didnt solve the problem!! i think that it is threaded in that little part between the starter and the head of the bolt, making it not pull right outable. so that leaves me with a flush head of a bolt with some material (threaded or not i do not know) between that and the starter itself. any other suggestions besides pulling the engine and drilling this out? Again sorry if this is confusing, written out of frusturation
thanks
-Dan

 

[SHOZ123]

It is not treaded into the starter housing. Heat and hammers.

 

[dstig1]

If the other bolt is out (and electrical connections should be disconnected), it should fall out of the car now. As SHOZ123 said, hammers & heat, and perhaps a punch to drive the bolt through the hole. It threads into the starter only, not the tranny housing.

If you have an air hammer, it may also help here to vibrate it out.

I'm dying to hear what the heck the problem was once you get this out.

 

[dmoo21]

is everyone sure that the housing part is NOT threaded. cause there has been alot of hammering and little movement and i am still worried that it is threaded.

i will update again tomorrow
thanks
-Dan

 

[Shoaz]

The threads are only in the starter, there are no threads in the tranny portion. Perhaps somebody put an oversize bolt in there or something? The bolts for the top and bottom of the starter should be the same, and there are only two.

A pic might help if that's possible.

 

[Ishodu]

Cutting it off almost flush wont do if you are trying to pull it though you are going to have to get it completely flush with the aluminum. Good luck, and just remember antiseze is your Friend!

 

[dmoo21]

so the 13 millimeter bolt is ground COMPLETLY flush and i can see it moving around just a little bit, is there somplace that i can use a prybar or something to get the actual starter to move and pop out? because ther is no movement in the motor itself.
-Dan

note: still hoping to drive this back to duluth today, key word Hope

 

[dstig1]

When the 2 bolts are out, the starter falls out (except, unfortunately, in your case). There is a dowel pin where Ford once thought about putting a 3rd bolt (the manual shows 3 bolts, but there are only 2 plus the pin). It doesn't really hang up on the pin - just orients it. You should be able to pry against anything and the starter body and try to get it to "flip down". The engine block or oil pan would be possible locations, but the oil pan is only cast alum, so I'd aim for the block or even subframe.

I still get the feeling that something really isn't right here. It's not a major corrosion zone on the car and the starter falls right out when the bolts are out - I usually have to watch I don't get clunked by it falling out.

 

[dmoo21]

SO COMPLETLY FRUSTURATED BY THIS CAR!!!!!!
i have the lower 13mm bolt ground out and i can see that it is loose that gave me a little light at the end of the tunnel. until, now i have found another bolt. it is on the stud on the top of the starter. it looks like the grounding wire was sandwitched on with 2 nuts and the second nut is now stuck. im worried about stripping this one out because there is no way eaisly to cut it off. honestly thinking about taking it somewhere now.

-Dan

 

[SHOZ123]

Pictures please.

 

[dmoo21]

Pictures please.

i dont know how to post pics