00 Starter replacement 3.1 V6

[malibu00]

Has anyone tried to do replace the starter on a 3.1 V6. I always read my manual before I start repairs so that I am aware of any problems. However the hayens manual for my 00 malibu was no help on this repair. I tried for about three hours to get to the starter with no luck. has anyone done this before on there malibu? If so what did you have to remove to actualy get to the F'in thing? any help would be nice.

Thanks Kevin

[SC2ner]

How have you had no luck?
It is a rather simple repair. Though it can be a bit tricky. The car will need to be on ramps or jackstands. So, if need be and you plan to be a DIY person, you should invest in a $25 dollar set of plastic ramps or something. Yes, plastic is safe and very strong. I have both ramps and stands.

To Remove...

-Disconnect the Battery.
-Crawl under the car, disconnect the 3 wires.
-3 wires are 10mm. Note that one is Black, Red and a Little Black... the little black one is the ignition wire
-After you take off those wires there is a black plastic piece mounted to the transmission on the left side. That is an unnecessary piece. It covers a portion of the torque converter that is not needed. You can break it off. Just about all techs do, and to take it off would require a ton of work.
-There are 2 bolts. One is longer then the other. I think the long one is on the left side. They are on there tight but you don't really need to worry about breaking them. They are strong. I think they are both 14mm. Take those off and your done. You may need a pivot adapter to get off the bolt on the right side. I did, but I also had a person reaching down to hold the socket on the bolt.

To install....

-Bolt it back up
- reconnect the red battery cable and the black alternator cable to the terminal weave wire on it. You will see what I am talking about when you take it off. The one with the weave wire that is attached to the solenoid is by it's self.
-The little wire (ignition) goes back on the little terminal.
-Reconnect the battery and call it a day.

If you wire it wrong, you will kill your alternator. So make sure the big wires are on the same terminal and the little only fits on the little. So make sure nothing is on the wire that goes to the solenoid.

It's a rather simple repair, it's just hard to crack the bolts loose. So put some muscle in it, get some PB blaster if need be and have at. Let me know if you have any questions. Try to screw the battery terminals in straight. Don't keep touching the battery with the wire, try to get it in one shot. If not you run the risk of your fuel gauge flipping upside down. But I can tell you how to fix that too. lol

Oh and you can unbolt the wires up top if need be. It's a tight squeeze but you got it.

[SC2ner]

wait... I thought of something else. The bolts for the starter should be 13mm. I am pretty positive that all Gm engines use the 13mm bolts for the starter. They are just different lengths.

[malibu00]

My question wasn't how to get it out. It was what needs to be removed to get the starter out. I do thank you for your input and help but all of the removale steps I already did. The problem I was having is getting it pasted the cross member that is welded right in front of it. Plus there isn't enough room to pull out through the top.

[SC2ner]

Couldn't tell you. I had no issues pulling it out or putting it back in. If you are trying to pull it out through the top there is no way. I think I do remember just pulling it down real hard. But, I have done a ton of repairs under the car itself so I couldn't be sure. I do remember I didn't have a hard time though except with one bolt.

[ebedsilva]

did you remove the splash guard???? Mine only has two screws holding it up. Remove that and it gives you easy access to the starter.

[jyount]

sc2ner, good post except "all the techs" don't just break everything. yes, some do, but I am an ase certified tech and some gm training too. Might not be great for flat rates, but I WILL NOT do shade tree work for the labor rates being paid. I hate to see these others techs tear shit up because it gives me a bad name. Take some pride in your work.