Starter Removal

[drquasievil]

OK, I figure I read all I could about removing a starter so I attemped it on my 95 Legacy LS. No sweat, removed all terminals, loosen the top nut. I said hell, this is great. Well not really. I could hardly feel the bottom nut. I could not even put the socket to the bottom nut. I was even questionning if the bottom nut was different from the top. Finally, I gave up. I mean, this is not rocket science. Is the bottom nut accessble from the top? is there a special way to handle it. I was even afraid that if I did take it off, that I could not put it back.

 

Thanks,

[deiscient]

I just replaced the starter on my '93 L a few months ago so I can actually sympathize.

 

The thing to realize is that the top eyelet of the mounting bracket is held in place by a 6" bolt that screws inside the flywheel bell housing. The lower eyelet, however, attaches to a bolt protrusion from the housing and is secured by a nut. While I could easily reach the top bolt with a box-end wrench the lower nut required a bit more gymnastics and an array of socket wrench extensions (4, 6 and 8-inch). It is there, though, even though it is pretty much out of any available line of sight when working from above. You might be able to see it from below if you have jackstands or ramps (I do not so can't be of much help here:-p ). Also, the nut will require a bigger socket than the bolt. I think they are 17mm and 15mm, respectively but my memory could be a little off.

 

You might want to try detaching and removing the fuel filter and hoses to give some more room (make sure to relieve the fuel line pressure or let the car sit cold for 24 hours before detaching those lines!). I scratched my hand royally on those hose-clamp screws when I did this job. You can then use your left hand to guide the socket onto the nut while you crank with your right.

 

Make sure you torque them right when you put the starter back.

 

Good luck and HTH.

[Olnick]

Yeah, you definitely have to attack the bottom nut (or bolt, I don't remember) from underneath the car. But it's really quite easy to locate.

 

The first time we did it I worked from the top and my son did the bottom. A few weeks later, when I had received the new contacts, my son was back in college so I did both--took about 10 minutes!

[lmdew]

17mm wrench from the top will work fine. Just put the box end on it and push like crazy.

[deiscient]

Yeah, you definitely have to attack the bottom nut (or bolt, I don't remember) from underneath the car. But it's really quite easy to locate.

I was able to get at it from above by using a socket extension slightly longer than the starter body. I then attached my ratchet, swinging it parallel to the firewall. Again, I had to do this mostly by feel and got a few scrapes to show for it.

 

Admittedly, I took the easy way out and just replaced the whole unit with a Bosch reman. Did not care for the "adventure" of replacing the solenoid contacts even though that would have probably done the job (3-4 clicks before turning over ~ bad contact).

[Tiny Clark]

My vote's for getting it lying down on my back... so to speak.

[95LEGOBW]

R & R'd the starter on my 95 Legacy a couple weeks ago. I struggled with the bottom bolt, too. Yes, it is a nut, as a previous post says. I got to it from the TOP with a short curved wrench. It was very hard to get to with a socket, but a curved wrench from Sears did the trick. If you have large arms, it might be easier from the bottom, but it actually wasn't bad from the top once the wrench was on the nut.

[Olnick]

Uh oh! This is the first real schism I've sensed on this board--those of us who prefer to do it while lying on our backs vs. a bunch of weirdos who try to do it from the top. Hmmmm!

[SuBrat84]

If you have large arms, it might be easier from the bottom, but it actually wasn't bad from the top once the wrench was on the nut.

--those of us who prefer to do it while lying on our backs vs. a bunch of weirdos who try to do it from the top. Hmmmm!

ROTFLMAO... This thread is great.. I personnaly enjoy the ease of doing it from the bottom.. but when I'm feelin frisky I don't mind getting at from the top!

[drquasievil]

Thanks all for your help. I paid Peop boys to install a Bosch Starter. 1 hour labor for 80.00 and the starter was 85.00.

 

A man must know his limitations. Mine is that I do not have long fingers.

[Gnuman]

Also, the nut will require a bigger socket than the bolt. I think they are 17mm and 15mm, respectively but my memory could be a little off.

 

OK, if they are different, it is likely that the nut has been replaced with an aftermarket one. The top bolt is a 14mm, and the bottom will be either a 14mm nut (as it should be), or a 17mm nut. You should not have to use more than a deep socket and a 6" or 8" extension. I pull these off often, and I'll tell you, compared to some cars the Subaru is bone simple. . . .