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Folks,
So, my solenoid died and I'm trying to replace my starter motor. The short version is that I'm able to get at and remove the (allegedly) two bolts holding the original starter on.
My Haynes manual says to "Remove the starter motor mounting bolts (see illustration) and remove the starter motor" :
..and here's mine..
I can't seem to get that starter to come out to save my life. The picture here shows the top bolt still attached; it's removed on my car.
Does anybody have hints, tips, tricks, etc. or know of anything that I'm missing?
Wes
Last edited by wesdean78; Aug 6, 2011 at 12:52 PM.
Here's what alldata has...
1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. Remove the starter solenoid BAT terminal nut (3) and remove the positive battery cable (2) from the starter motor.
3. Remove the engine harness terminal (4) from the starter motor.
4. Disconnect the starter motor electrical connector (1).
5. Remove the air cleaner assembly.
6. Remove the starter motor bolts and starter motor.
There are dowel pins also to line the starter up correctly. You will have to pry the starter away from the trans. It will be nice and tight from corrosion of metal and hundreds of heat cycles....
I had to replace mine as well. It was fairly easy..just remove the two bolts and whack it with a hard plastic tipped hammer a few times from the side. It will pop out after rocking back and forth to release the starter gear from the flywheel.
It came out. I wound up putting a crow bar behind it and pushing on the starter until it started to budge... the rest was easy.
I bought my replacement from Advance online so that I could take advantage of their "save 15% and get $50 off of a future order" offer. It came last night.
Unfortunately, if you'll see from the gears on each one of the new starters, none of them are the same as the one on our starters. The unit I purchased, in particular, was listed as:
"ProForm High Torque Starter�Chevy�V6, S/B & B/B V8 Engines 12 V 14 Kw Motor, 11:1 Comp"
I'm like, "yeah, I have a Chevy v6 or sbc/bbc engine" which made sense considering I had told Advance that I had a 2006 Chevy Impala SS. When comparing the two, you'll see that they're not even close..
So, I talked to the folks from Advance on the phone and they told me to bring it to a local store and the local store will be able to do the exchange for something that works on my car.
Thanks for the advice guys. Hopefully I'll be able to get this buttoned back up tomorrow (it's started to rain here and I'm working on the car outside).
Wes
Last edited by wesdean78; Aug 6, 2011 at 12:53 PM.
The LS4 starter is quite unique in that it is a reverse rotation setup with a rather large pinion gear, so none of the cheapo mini starters will work.
Being so unique, the starter is also far from cheap. Autozone lists it for $175.99 including core charge. Rock Auto wants 227.99 + $70 core
I went to an Advance store and the kid behind the counter was very non-subtle in his position that I didn't know what I was doing and ordered the wrong part. He further informed me that the correct part was $377 with a $60 core charge. It's expected to be in today (Friday, August 5th).
Immediately after leaving Advance, I went two doors down to a Pep Boys where the guy pulled up the starters for our cars and they looked exactly like the one I had just returned to Advance and that he didn't have a compatible part for me, but he did know of a guy who rebuilds starters and alternators and that he could rebuild it quickly and cheaply. That guy is out of town until Monday... so, if I go there on Monday and it takes him a few days to get it done, I might be rolling a week from now.
Any idea how to get the dowel pin out of the transaxle?
I have one (toward the intake manifold) stuck right now and I can't figure it out.
I figured u have access to a welder you could tack a bolt to it and use a dowel puller. Or some penetrating oil , let it soak and use vise grips.
Do u need it out ?
Any idea how to get the dowel pin out of the transaxle?
I have one (toward the intake manifold) stuck right now and I can't figure it out.
If u have access to a welder you could tack a bolt to it and use a dowel puller. Or some penetrating oil , let it soak and use vise grips.
Do u need it out ?
If u have access to a welder you could tack a bolt to it and use a dowel puller. Or some penetrating oil , let it soak and use vise grips.
Do u need it out ?
Thanks.
Yes I'm changing the starter and one of the dowel pins stayed in the transaxle and another on the starter. Of course, the new starter has the dowel pins located in the starter.
I could reuse the old starter for now but eventually I want to get this swapped again.
EDIT: Penetrating oil and vice grips have been a no go. I even went out and purchased new needle nose vice grips and they can't get a good grip on the dowel.
Can you get some heat to it? Even a dose of propane which doesn't get overly hot from a small torch to the transmission case might help as its aluminum. Whats up with this car? Did you get your transmission rebuilt?
U could also try drilling it on centre. They're soft inside and can be tapped once you break thru the surface. Drill it and tap to 1/4 NC or something like that and use a puller to get it out.
Also maybe leaving the oil in there over night will help loosen it.
What about removing the corresponding dowel in the new starter. Shouldn't be as tight as the one in the tranny.
Can you get some heat to it? Even a dose of propane which doesn't get overly hot from a small torch to the transmission case might help as its aluminum. Whats up with this car? Did you get your transmission rebuilt?
I'll try this suggestion when I get at it this weekend or the next. I just simply reused the old starter that makes the random starting noises.
The transmission has not been rebuilt. The car doesn't get used much. That same day, I replaced the air conditioning hose in the front since it leaked last year some time.
It's just that the G8 is such a much more fun car to drive really. But I do plan on getting the Grand Prix fixed.
U could also try drilling it on centre. They're soft inside and can be tapped once you break thru the surface. Drill it and tap to 1/4 NC or something like that and use a puller to get it out.
Also maybe leaving the oil in there over night will help loosen it.
What about removing the corresponding dowel in the new starter. Shouldn't be as tight as the one in the tranny.
I attempted to remove the dowel from the new starter as well. I'll try a fixed vice clamp next time.
I'll try this suggestion when I get at it this weekend or the next. I just simply reused the old starter that makes the random starting noises.
The transmission has not been rebuilt. The car doesn't get used much. That same day, I replaced the air conditioning hose in the front since it leaked last year some time.
It's just that the G8 is such a much more fun car to drive really. But I do plan on getting the Grand Prix fixed.
That G8 GXP is an awesome machine, can see the GP getting much less use as well with that in your stable. Good luck on the fix, and with both cars.
Resurrecting this old thread instead of starting a new one. I just replaced the starter in my 08, original 130k. The steps to remove is simple enough, but like others have mentioned these are still stuck after removing the bolts. Hearing about crack transmission cases or broken dowel pins I already decided I wasn't going to use alot of force, patience which isn't my thing had to happen. Soaking the area with PB blaster and Kroil oil helped some. Pry bar in micro increments is what finally freed it up. Factory dowl pins were stuck, so I just removed the pins from the new unit. I used this unit from Rockauto, reviewing the specs looks like this has more cranking power, for sure the car spins faster then it ever has so it just might have more power. Only turns into a **** job once things are stuck, if yours has been replaced before it might be much easier. Glad that jobs done, on to the next.
Once you get it moving. Just rock it back and forth until it comes out.
As for the stuck dowels. Mine was once left in. One came out. Now your best option is to have your original starter rebuilt. Then reinstall with the existing dowels.
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May 18, 2016, 06:02 PM
starter motor removal / replacement 
