87mudfinder Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 Remove the battery to make room unless you have small hands.... Well you really do not have to remove it but i did made my life easier... Im mr big hands I had a hellofatime getting the starter out of the peehole it gave me to remove! Hey 88 if you selling your old tires i will take them off you? I need some used meety tires asap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nufy Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 I actually did mine from underneath so the battery didn't come into play at all. It was a real PITA trying to get the new one all lined up by myself but I got it. But to each their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcollins Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 Here's a stupid newbie question. I pulled into my garage after work on Friday. Saturday morning I decided to go buy a new TV and the wife did'nt think she had room in her Saturn SC2 to hold it....so I drove. When trying to start the truck it just kept turning over, but did'nt start. After each try I heard the starter spinning. So, today I plan to crawl underneath and pull the starter, take it to the parts store and have them check it out. Does anybody else think that this sounds like a starter problem? I figured it was either that or something fuel related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tonkatoy Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Who actually rebuilt the Starter? Where do I look in the local phone book. Thanks Tonkatoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 Jcollins: If the starter was turning the engine over, then obviously it was working, right? Tonkatoy: I've rebuilt mine. All it takes is tearing it apart, cleaning it up and replacing the brushes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMike Posted February 23, 2005 Author Share Posted February 23, 2005 i took mine to a place near where i work. auto services? like 88 said you can rebuild them your self, just need the brushes. that and not loosing any of the parts. i just didnt have time to do mine my self Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derrik Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I bought a starter last fall at autozone for about $120, comes with a Lifetime warranty. Don't get me wrong, I don't wanna have to go through the 3-hour-royal-PITA it is to replace it, but... I am willing to take a chance on their rebuilt starter if at least I won't have to pay for parts if it breaks again. BTW- I have used their warranty service on an alternator in the past and it was smooth sailing. no troubles there. - D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Funny, it took me like 30 minutes to take mine out the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagwoodzz Posted June 12, 2007 Share Posted June 12, 2007 (edited) No start this morning, will be swapping starters from the parts car tonight. (and feed the Mosquitos). I got it to crank yesterday by bumping the starter. Hoped this would get me to the weekend. Sometimes one bump is all you get i guess? EDIT: Crap! '92 connectors on starter are different than my '87. That was a good waste of 2 hours. since I had it off, I sprayed the plug contacts with cleaner hoping maybe I got some corrosion, but no good. No start. I'll be bumming the mini-van from the fuming wife til Friday. Edited June 13, 2007 by dagwoodzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadManMike Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Funny, it took me like 30 minutes to take mine out the first time. Must be easier for you guys with lifts... currently my starter is half way out and in ... I have been working on it for an hour now and I can't seem to get it to go forward any more.. I keep getting the dumb bracket thing stuck on the transmission lines (atleast I think they are tranny lines) then I rotate it to get it unstuck from the tranny lines and now the solenoid is hitting something... arg... any advice? Guess I will go back at it.. -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Take a look through the body gap inside the wheelwell and see if you can't take off the shield. Might help, I think when mine came out it still had the shield on but I do have a body lift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeppelindrummer Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 (edited) I had the same problem. It just recently stopped randomly. I got my starter/batt/alt all checked after I changed my alt and the guy said everything seems to be good but I dont belive him since my S*** WASNT STARTING CORRECTLY! I have been told a few times that it could be my batt. My alt was overcharging apperently and the day I changed it the batt was like BLOWING up, it was expanding which was kinda scary. Ever since I changed the alt the batt hasnt done anything. I am gonna change out my batt here soon and see if everything goes well. Rami I was at Checker today, because my pathy was doing the same thing.... 3 clicks, then a start... or 20 clicks, and a start....when i asked him to check my starter, he said their little "checker machine thing" would say it is completely fine if it starts.... the starter just has a dead spot... will work sometimes, and sometimes wont... and therefor, you need to have a new one put in. eventually it will just completely die.... tons of clicks, but no turnover. Edited July 29, 2007 by zeppelindrummer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pathfinder93 Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Here is the story and what is going on. I was able to start the Pathy when I would pump the clutch for awhile. After that nothing. Battery Good/Alternator good. When I turn the key I get 1 click. On Saturday I replaced the Starter and it fired right up. Today I went home @ lunch and I am having the same problem. 1 click and then nothing. The Starter I put in was remanufactured. Bought it from Autozone. Any thoughts? Clutch switch? If so how do I verify? Bad Starter? PITA!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbcaper Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 (edited) Take the small wire off the starter(the solenoid wire) Put your volt meter on Vdc...black to ground somewhere on the truck and the red lead on that wire. Put your clutch in to see if there is a signal(12V) to the starter. If there is a signal then the solenoid is bad. If there is no signal. Then you have to find the starting/interlock relay under the dash. Pull that out and test it. I should show you on the relay how the contact are wired up. 2 for the coil and 2 for the N.O. contacts. Put 12V on the Coil side and test for continuity with an OHM meter. If that tests ok then your clutch switch is bad. If you can get at the clutch switch. Pull the wire off of that and put an ohm meter between the contact and ground. Operate the pedal and check for continuity to ground. There should be 0ohms. If there are two wires on the switch then put the meter between both of the contacts on the switch and test for continuity that way. This doesn't have to be done in this order.... Edited October 18, 2007 by cbcaper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaturaTek Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 88path, you said you 'rebuilt your own' starter, you cleaned it up and replaced brushes. Where do you get the 'brushes' for it?? Would you recommend in rebuilding or buying a new one? Oh, does anyone know how long a starter lasts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 Basically, you need to disassemble the whole thing, take the electric motor apart and replace the brushes. I ordered brushes from a local auto parts place, took a couple of days but they were able to order them fine. Cost me around $7 IIRC. If you've never done any electric motor work, I wouldn't really recommend it but hey, if you're in it to win it it couldn't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaturaTek Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 So I was googling for rebuilding pathfinder starter, and what do I find... ..a photo of YOURS you posted somewhere else, lol..dang bro, you are famous Which part in that photo is the 'brush'. Also if you rebuild starter, do you get a new solenoid or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 Second part from the left is the armature with the brushes in it. Brushes are small blocks of carbon with copper wire embedded that transfer electrical power from the battery to the commutator and back out of the starter. They are spring-loaded to keep in solid contact with the surface of the commutator. When the brushes wear out(carbon is very soft), they no longer transfer electricity smoothly and you end up with the starter losing the ability to start the vehicle reliably because power can't transfer from the brushes through the commutator. You have to thoroughly clean the whole thing and solder the brush wiring back into the armature. Not an easy task with all the oil that gets in there... The solenoid usually doesn't fail, so I left mine alone. The solenoid is where all the battery cables hook up and the wiring plug is, the part to the far right at top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NaturaTek Posted December 23, 2007 Share Posted December 23, 2007 One last final question before you hit me with a tierod, is it normal electrical soldering? Like my deskbench Weller soldering tool is suffice? Or Soldering with power, like propane torch? I'm sure spraying something like Spray9 and wiping it will eventually get the oil out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 24, 2007 Share Posted December 24, 2007 Regular 60/40 should work fine, that's what I used. I used a small propane torch to preheat the armature bits and brush wire ends carefully, then fluxed both sides lightly, then I used a soldering iron to melt the solder in and make sure it stuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
number1guitarguy Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Starter was a kick in the nuts for me, im convinced midgets or fairies put these vehicle together. i found once i removed the sheild for the electrical conection it was clear sailing (took about 3 hours to find that one out) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainsae Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 (edited) Strange - I just unbolted my starter and got it up between the fender well and the exhaust manifold. Didn't drain the oil or remove any other parts! It was a PITA though. You need to have socket extensions and universal joints. The worst part was - The POS starter I got from Advance auto parts was bad and I had to do the whole job all over again the next day. I just got my money back and bought a remanufactured one from the dealer. Edited August 26, 2008 by captainsae Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 woot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Its always fun. I had to replace mine a couple years ago, then I got a defective reman'd unit, which ended up with 3 or so installs. Swapped it again, then a year ago or so, it died. Pulled it, tested fine, replaced. And again... Wouldn't you know, the wiring between the ignition and starter had fried. After lots of cussing and a few adult beverages until I figured that out, I bypassed and rewired with a relay now in the circuit. As I figure, I've had it out 5 or 6 times, and can report: 1) no weird extentions or joints are required, just 1 long extension and a few tries 2) just drop the front splash/skid plate, the starter really will barely slide out with the right amount of twists and turns. It took me forever on the way out to get it right, but eventually with practice you can almost curse it into place. With practice, it was about a 10-15min exercise in wrenching and linguistics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 ah you have a 5-speed so it's a little easier for you. Us suckers with auto trannies have to spend some extra time bending the tranny cooler lines out of the way before you can slide the starter out the front end. FYI, i have a calmini steering and i had to turn the wheel all the way to one side before i had enough room to get it out. They recommend you replace the inhibitor relay at the same time you do the starter, but i never bothered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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