# replacing starter in a car **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2002, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111 "2002-06-26T21:58:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2002, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111/1 "2002-06-26T21:58:11Z")
It’s a 1991 Subaru Justy. 3 cylinders, 1.2L, manual trans. I have the starter. But I just need to know how to do it? Anyone have any idea? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2002, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111/2 "2002-06-26T22:15:46Z")
1.) Buy a Haynes book as its got pictures that come in handy 2.) Disconnect the battery 3.) Locate the starter on the car 4.) Figure out the best way to reach starter 5.) Take socket set, wrench set, use same to remove wires to starter 6.) Remove bolts/nuts holding starter in place 7.) Make sure buddy is standing by so that if you drop old starter onself and do greiveous bodily harm (some of those things are _heavy_) buddy can call 911 8.) Gently remove old starter 9.) Gently insert new starter (some have to be positioned exactly during the installation) 10.) Tighten nuts and bolts on new starter 11.) Hook up wires to new starter 12.) Reconnect battery 13.) Start car How easy a job it is depends upon where the starter’s located and how heavy it is. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2002, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111/3 "2002-06-27T00:06:39Z")
“1.) Buy a Haynes book as its got pictures that come in handy” Now, thats a book I would like to see 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2002, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111/4 "2002-06-27T00:33:46Z")
Step 4A.) Purchase metric tools ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2002, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111/5 "2002-06-27T00:58:12Z")
GET THE “DISCONNECT THE BATTERY” part RIGHT - Those pupopies draw enought current to fry you - disconnect BOTH terminals!!! To find the starter - find the battery, and follow the big mother cable from the positive terminal - it terminates on the starter. ---
**Author:** ![ski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@ski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ski)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2002, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111/6 "2002-06-27T04:23:30Z")
I hope your Haynes manual is better than the one for the Ford Ranger - mine is basically worthless. Relying too much on generic procedure descriptions without detail for the model you’re interested in. “Every book based on a complete teardown and rebuild” I think is their motto - yeah right. I guess that should have been a Pit rant. As for the OP, yes, definitely get a service manual of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![Tedster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@Tedster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tedster)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2002, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111/7 "2002-06-27T04:27:10Z")
Replacement of Starter is in reverse order of disassembly, hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111/8 "2002-07-02T05:20:42Z")
Well 2 things. The starter was fine to begin with (I still replaced it). The motor had seized b/c the crankcase was bone dry. I added 2 quarts to the massive 1.2 liter 3 cylinder motor and grabbed the pulley and freed the crankshaft just enough to let the starter grab the flywheel and get everything moving. It was quite a day. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111/9 "2002-07-02T16:52:10Z")
??? GAH! You’re not going to “unseize” a motor by turning the pulley… let alone get it running again. More likely than not you had a spot on the flywheel minus a tooth or two, or the starter was mis-aligned somehow or the started drive/bendix (if yours has one) was shot. Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111/10 "2002-07-04T04:28:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bernse \* > \*\*??? > > GAH! > > You’re not going to “unseize” a motor by turning the pulley… let alone get it running again. More likely than not you had a spot on the flywheel minus a tooth or two, or the starter was mis-aligned somehow or the started drive/bendix (if yours has one) was shot. > > Have fun. \*\* No dude, it was seized. SEIZED! No missing teeth, nothing mis-aligned–just brute force and got a couple fingers stuck between the pulley and belt. ---
**Author:** ![SlickRoenick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@SlickRoenick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlickRoenick)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2002, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-starter-in-a-car/116111/11 "2002-07-04T04:29:07Z")
Regardless, the job is over and done with. If I could close my own threads, I would.