Starter Explosion

[dbesade]

Short Story,

Was on my way to work, stopped at 7/11 to pick up some smokes, came out to start the Jeep.. Boom rattle rattle.

Fast Forward 3 hours later, I have a new starter, its dark, I can barely see my tools. I manage to get the old starter out and I see 10 large chunks of metal stuffed in my TC inspection area, so I pull the cover plate, I find the Starter Gear from the old starter... in about 15 pieces...

IN the end got it all out and the new one in. But I don't want to do that in the 7/11 parking lot ever again.

Pics coming soon.

-Dave

[jeepsr4ever]

Geez Dave how long did it take .781 of a Big gulp?

[tufcj]

I got so good at changing starters in my CJ that I could do it in under 5 minutes. I couldn't get the darn things to last. They did live longer when I sealed all the seams with silicone, leaving the weep hole on the bottom open, and painted the entire starter with epoxy paint.

There are 2 "flavors" of AMC starters. The "standard duty" ones have a bolt that comes out of the side just behind the bendix cover. The "heavy duty" ones have a tab with a threaded hole at the rear edge. Generally, parts places don't differentiate, so if they have more than one on the shelf, you may find a HD unit by opening a few boxes.

I finally went to a mini starter, haven't had a problem since.

Bob
tufcj

[dbesade]

Well that starter has lasted around 5 or 6 years now so its no big deal. The hard part is I have Fenderwell Headers and my driveshaft falls right under the starter so I have to get the starter out by going over my headers and out the fender.. OR I have to drop my front driveshaft.


Geez Dave how long did it take .781 of a Big gulp?

No I was in work clothes (Read: Polo shirt and nice pants) I had to get a ride from a friend, run to the parts store to get the part and grab my tools from the house... 3 hours later I was able to finally get started :p.

-Dave

[jeep_man_401]

Ahh yes...I remember way back when changing a starter in a parking lot. It was in my old Hornet, with headers. I had to be somewhere to pick rock for the weekend.

I stopped at a Pamida for something(this is back when Pamida sold starters and the old Thrush muffers :lo1l: ) And my starter quit. Being the resourceful young kid I was I had all my tools with but not much money. So I exchanged my bad starter for "good" rebuilt Pamida on. The problem is the Pamida manager wanted my core before leaving the store with the rebuilt one. So about 3 hours later (I had no jack :smile: :(: ) all covered in dirt and crap I was ready to leave with my new starter on the car. Wouldn't you know it the damn thing didn't even turn the motor over with-out someone jumping the car!!

Did the rock picking for the weekend and then bought a "Arrow rebuilt" starter from National Bushing. It's been in there ever since!

Might be why Pamida dosn't sell starters any more. :mrgreen:

[mrtazwrench]

might be why there are none, or nearly no pamidas anymore, the one in Brainerd closed while I lived there, and they turned it into my wife's employers new cube farm, the last place she worked 7 years ago.