Starter How to

[JohnC]

If you have the rear support bracket in place the bolts will be loaded in tension and there will (should) be no problems. A little blue Loctite will solve any torque issues.

Without the bracket the pressure from the starter gear tries to push the nose of the starter away from the ring gear and puts a bending moment on the bolts and the threads in the block. bolts break or blocks crack and nothing good comes of that....

[warlord79]

If you have the rear support bracket in place the bolts will be loaded in tension and there will (should) be no problems. A little blue Loctite will solve any torque issues.

Without the bracket the pressure from the starter gear tries to push the nose of the starter away from the ring gear and puts a bending moment on the bolts and the threads in the block. bolts break or blocks crack and nothing good comes of that....

do you have a part # for that part? I have broke like 12 starter bolts

[flomulgator]

I just did this and I'll relate my experience and give some advice.
Well I don't know about "easy to get to"; it certainly was easier than doing nothing but access to the front portion was still difficult and was done lying down, not sitting. My starter is hidden perfectly by the frame rail, FWIW. One thing I learned the hard way, don't jack up the axle, jack up the frame of the truck. This way the axle descends as much as possible "out of the way" (although the front differential is still very much in the way). If you have a 2WD this job will be easy from the get go though. As for jacking, I have 33" tires on stock suspension, even with a fancy full-size floor jack it required creative jacking and supporting. I lifted off the front spring shackle.

In retrospect, the best procedure for placing the starter back in is:
1. Screw tailhook into block and heatshield, loosely (there is adjustment room)
2. Heft starter up on to front drive shaft. While resting here, attach accessible wires*
3. Slide starter up, resting holding bolt on starter into tailhook. Insert and tighten factory starter bolts.
4. screw nut onto starter/tailhook
5. Tighten tailhook to block final bit.

* DO NOT overtighten the nut on the very small ring terminal. This is a steel nut on some sort of copper alloy thin, tiny stud. I went through the trouble of refurbishing my old starter, then overtorqued the nut on the soft metal and snapped the stud right off. Non-replaceable part, had to buy a new starter

Overall, I agree that removing the front right tire and jacking it up is a good idea, it greatly improves access. Hopefully my experience will save someone some time and knuckle skin.

[Yukon6.2]

Hi
The stud you snapped of can be replaced on both types of of starters by changing the solinoid on the starter.
If you are really into fixing you can replace the stud in the soilnoid on the direct drive,havn't tried to take apart the solinoid on the reduction type yet.
Thomas

[CleviteKid]

The big, heavy 27MT direct drive starter on my 1984 also has a forward support bracket that is a MUST for reliable attachment of the starter. If you monkey with the starter bolts for any reason, you should be periodically checking the torque on them - 40 ft-lbs. if I remember correctly. Every time I change oil I put the torque wrench on those bolts, until they stop moving, then I let well enough alone !!