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Why must taking out the starter be such a PITA

T

Tourige

CEG's Resident Jackass
Joined
May 25, 2004
Messages
3,484
Location
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
So im removing the starter on my brothers contour. Easy peasy right? Wrong. got everything out of the way, removed the firewall side bolt no problem. Go to the front one which i have to say.... is the most idiotic design ever (thanks again ford...) Anyways, i removed the battery to get more room, removed the coolant lines and the T-stat to get more room. Tried heat, tried PB blaster, No matter how much torque i put on that stupid bolt... it wont come off. I tried using a gear wrench, didnt work. Tried using an open ended wrench and stripped one side of the damn bolt. Now i really have no idea what to do. I think i can heat it up either one more time (remember... this is beside the open fuel rails and fuel lines...) or just giving up and taking it somewhere.

Anyone got any advice on tools to use?

Also, is the bolt 1/2 or 13mm? Seems to work with both.
 
It is 13mm. As you have discovered, the two sizes are very close. 13mm is ever so slightly smaller.

It sounds like the bolt is rusted/corroded and will not turn. There is no easy answer for that. Here are some things that MIGHT help: Soak with penetrating oil (PB Blaster), tap (or a little harder) the top of the bolt to try to loosen the corrosion, use a hand impact tool (these are common as a motorcycle tool) (it looks like a large screwdriver handle with a 3/8" socket end) (attach a 13mm socket, set the tool for loosen, and pound the top of it with a hammer, which exerts down force and a twisting force at the same time), if you get really desperate, cut or grind off the top of the bolt (you will probably still have to pry the starter off and you will need to deal with removing the cut bolt stem and finding a replacement bolt).

I think some engineer had his head stuck somewhere that the light doesn't shine when he came up with mounting the starter. Certainly it would have been easy to have made the retaining bolts easier to access. Someone may have thought that the starter would be so reliable that there would never be a need to remove it.
 
breaker bar?

I have never had issues with that bolt, I slide my 13 mm wrench on it using the closed end, get my breaker bar, little tug, comes loose. Done it 5 times before.
 
Big Jim said:
It is 13mm. As you have discovered, the two sizes are very close. 13mm is ever so slightly smaller.

It sounds like the bolt is rusted/corroded and will not turn. There is no easy answer for that. Here are some things that MIGHT help: Soak with penetrating oil (PB Blaster), tap (or a little harder) the top of the bolt to try to loosen the corrosion, use a hand impact tool (these are common as a motorcycle tool) (it looks like a large screwdriver handle with a 3/8" socket end) (attach a 13mm socket, set the tool for loosen, and pound the top of it with a hammer, which exerts down force and a twisting force at the same time), if you get really desperate, cut or grind off the top of the bolt (you will probably still have to pry the starter off and you will need to deal with removing the cut bolt stem and finding a replacement bolt).

I think some engineer had his head stuck somewhere that the light doesn't shine when he came up with mounting the starter. Certainly it would have been easy to have made the retaining bolts easier to access. Someone may have thought that the starter would be so reliable that there would never be a need to remove it.
Click to expand...


Thanks, i grabbed a flare nut wrench and that didnt work at all.

Im thinking of just cutting the top of the bolt off. seriously though, who designed this crap..

Ill try tapping the top to break the :censored::censored::censored::censored: loose.
 
Damn man - that is a crappy feeling when you look like an idiot in front of people that know you know a :censored::censored::censored::censored: load about contours and you can't even get one of it's bolts loose. Get pissed and bash that mo fo!
 
Heh, When I dropped by engine into my Cougar I put never seize on those bolts and put them down to torque specs. Still took me a damn hour to get the bolts out just because there is no room. I did it by only removing the intake though. I worked around all the crap that's there.

Good luck though.
 
blu_fuz said:
Damn man - that is a crappy feeling when you look like an idiot in front of people that know you know a :censored::censored::censored::censored: load about contours and you can't even get one of it's bolts loose. Get pissed and bash that mo fo!
Click to expand...

The annoying thing is the motor was out of the car like 2 weeks before the starter went... Made me want to drive into a brick wall.

Anyways, i tried everything... its effed... im gonna try a nut splitter as a last resort, cause honestly i dont think its coming out. I honestly hate this car though, its such a lemon. I hope my brother sells it and buys something reliable soon.
 
I PB Blastered the crap out of mine, then waited like 5 minutes and put an ratchet wrench on it and tapped the wrench with a hammer a few times and it came loose, was a pain, just dont give up on it.
 
Anyways. we tried heating it up. my brother lit the fuel line on fire. Luckily i was there with an extingisher and got it out fast. No damage.

Took it to a shop, they cut the bolt off or welded a nut on it or something, new starter is in. Car runs good.

Bloody contours...
 
And why are you pulling out the starter motor?

And why are you pulling out the starter motor?

Why are you pulling the starter motor?
 
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