Step by step replacing a starter on a 86 944 NA?

[uvachief]

Can anyone give me step by step instructions for replacing a starter on a 86 944 na? I cannot find my workshop for dummies manual.

[grendiers]

Stuff like changing the oil, replacing a battery, replacing a flat tire, etc., are intuitive processes if one is mechanically inclined. So goes the starter. Put the car up on four jack stands, grab a flashlight, get under there and take a look. Not that hard of a job.

[campbelljj]

Remove ground cable from battery, make sure car is secured with suitable stands, transmission in neutral, under car take a pic of wire connections, remove nuts and remove wires, socket and Allen socket to remove two mounting bolts, remove starter from bell housing. Install reverse of above steps. I think that covers it. The Allen head bolt was especially tight on mine and others. Don't strip. Use penetrant and heat if necessary.

[v2rocket_aka944]

It is one of the easiest jobs there is on the 944.

Lift up the front of the car pretty high, the starter is almost in the middle of the car so you need to really get under there.

There are 2 wires to unhook from the starter, I want to say one is a 13mm nut and the other is an 8 or 10mm.

There are two bolts holding the starter on to the bellhousing, I have seen a few combinations of hardware before. Sometimes it is two hex-heads, sometimes one is an allen bolt, sometimes one is a torx bolt, sometimes the long bolt has a nut as well.

[grendiers]

You guys.

[mytrplseven]

Don't bother looking for torque values for the two mounting bolts. Just us a long handled wrench (as appropriate for the bolt) and pull like hell. Good luck.

[fiat22turbo]

Starter Removal and Installation

[pfarah]

As stated before, please disconnect the battery prior to starter removal, You could end up with a wrench welded on to your car if not careful!

[944tothefloor]

Remember to disconnect the battery! You can get lethally electrocuted under the car...starters are very dangerous if you forget to disconnect the battery.

[matthewb]

You can't get lethally electrocuted doing this job. You may get a welded wrench and a ruined battery and still get hurt but electrocution will not be the cause.

[944tothefloor]

Originally Posted by matthewb

You can't get lethally electrocuted doing this job. You may get a welded wrench and a ruined battery and still get hurt but electrocution will not be the cause.

I've heard bad stories.

[fiat22turbo]

Just having the starter turning and trying to start the car is bad enough. It isn't like the battery cable is hard to disconnect before you climb under the car.

[tstark]

Couple Tips

Be sure to jack the car up high enough to get leverage on the bolts. I'd say somewhere between 16"-18" minimum.

Treat the bolts with PB Blaster and leave them for a few hours.

Make sure you have a small breaker bar for extra leverage.

There's a couple different housing styles. The sleeker style is much easier to remove from the flywheel. The stouter version is heavier and requires some jiggling.

Easy job (this coming from a guy with basic mechanical skills). Good luck!

[pfarah]

After lifting the car, it took me less than 10 minutes including battery disconnect.

[uvachief]

Only took a week to get the bolts loosened! Two hex bolts. Felt like I was going to die every time I applied torque. I need a lift. Anyone know the exact size of the two hex bolts that hold it to the bell housing? I think I stripped both of them.

[rhett]

Hi, here's the info from the PET. If you need to get them from the local hardware store, always take them with you to ensure you get the right pitch thread as metric can be course or fine..not sure what these bolts are.

[uvachief]

What a pain in the ass job! Done though. Look ma! She starts immediately!