I am replacing my old, heavyweight OEM starter with a smaller, gear reduction starter. I did a lot of searching about starter removal and found lots of different opinions about how to do it and what needed to come out first or what didn't need to come out and whether you take it from the driver side wheel well or the passenger side wheel well etc. After piecing together info from my searches, I began the adventure. I also thought it would be a good idea to document my procedure for any interested person's future reference. I am pleased to report that you do not have to take anything out except the starter. It is not easy, but with a few twists and turns and a little help from a second person (more on that later), the starter comes out from the bottom/out the driver side wheel well. Here is how I did it: First, I jack up the car and remove the driver side rear wheel and fender liner to access the three bolts that are holding the starter in place. The first picture is an overview of the driver side of the engine/bell housing. The second picture show a close up of the area. As you can see, I have already taken the three, easily accessible bolts out. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Next, I got under the car and pushed the starter out from the flywheel. Then, I went underneath the car, this time from the passenger side, to access the wires that are attached to the other end of the starter: In this first picture, you can see ultimately where the starter is going to come out. that is, through the hole framed by the header on the left, the engine mount on the bottom and the clutch spring thingy on the right. The second picture is of the other end of the starter. Once you get a wrench on the nut, the wires come off easily and I just left them hanging out of the way. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Next, I tried various ways to get the starter through the aforementioned hole. After spinning the starter around what seemed like a million different ways (there is a surprising amount of room up there in that cocoon framed by the engine and exhaust headers), I concluded that the starter would just not fit through the hole. The first photo give you an idea of how much room you have to move the starter around. the second gives you an idea of the frustration at finding that the starter is just a little too big to fit through the hole. The solution? I called my wife and asked her to sit in the car and depress the clutch pedal and hold it down. When she did that, the spring lever thing you see in picture 2 moved out of the way just enough for me to wrestle the behemoth out. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Et Voila! The tools I used were simplicity itself, just select metric socket wrenches. Installing the much smaller gear reduction starter should be a snap as it is just a straight swap. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thank you very much for posting such good pictures illustrating how this is done. I've seen the advertisements for the reduction gear starters available for these cars. Most vendors seem to be asking quite a lot for them, considering the same starter in an also modified format can be had for other cars for 1/2 the cost. Is it the Ferrari discount at work again? Rick
Nice pics/explanation. Was the old starter defective and requiring replacement or did you just do this "for the fun of it?"
Nice and simple...good work! I liked the cltuch assisst to. Please post pics of the new starter with part sources. Also, it's a good idea to replace the cables as well.
Here is a picture of the new starter. My old one started to make funny noises and after checking various things, namely the power to the starter, it became apparent that further diagnosis meant that the starter had to come out. I had heard good things about the new starters so I decided to replace the old one regardless of what, if anything, is wrong with it. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I fitted a reduction starter because my original was a bit of a lottery as to whether it would start the car. The reduction model works great and was a bargain compared to even getting the original rebuilt. It goes in sooooo much easier. One bit of advise would be to place the starter in the general area where it will belong, attach the wires without tightening the nut right down. THEN put it in place and bolt it up. After it is in place tighten the nut securing the wires. Vonny can vouch for me swearing a lot because I tried to bolt the starter in first and then attach the wires.
I got it from Classic Car Performance. Here is their ebay ad: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230572744466&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT
.....'Hi kdf398, I too, appreciate your efforts and input on what to expect encountering possible starter problems. I'll just keep my fingers crossed in my case on mine. I recall a few years ago the starter went out on my Maserati Merak. I took it to a local shop named "Star Armature." Not only did he put new brushes and bearings in my original starter but, he also completely rebuilt the armature to new specs (w/ solid copper) all for $100. My option was approx. $325 from MRE in Seattle. I never told him what type of car the starter was from. I did the same thing at a clutch company a few years later. They completely relined my clutch disc for $30. A new one was over $200 from the No. American dealer in Baltimore. But, one of my favorite potential night-mares was on my Jag XJ-12. One day, the starter "went out." I jacked it up, got underneath and.......could not even SEE the starter! Luckily, one of my friends was a sharp mechanic and he suggested it was one of the relays up on the pass. side fender well. And that's exactly what it was! 'Got lucky.
That seller on ebay often lists the same starter numerous times at different prices. Some w/shipping, some without, some higher price, some lower price. Do a search selecting 'completed auctions' to get a read on recent pricing, then wait until there's a selection of starters listed so'z you get a decent price.
His prices for anything for Ferrari seem to be climbing ........ can we get historical data ....... I'll let you know what mine cost when my laptop comes back to life.
Great pictures and I've logged this thread for when I might need it I've been thinking of a reduction starter ever since I put one in my 50's VW camper - it really does turn the motor over and actually sounds like a modern vehicle when doing so. Tip, disconnect the batter before you start, starter removal - I assume you did Lee
On the 80 GTSi the starter is a piece of cake to remove and install. Unbolt it first. Let it drop down a bit till it rests between the exhaust and frame. Then unbolt the power connectors. Starter comes out of the left wheel well (with splash guard removed) nicely. Reassembly is reverse. As mentioned elsewhere, reattach power cables before moving back into position and final bolting. Hardest part of changing the starter? Finding a dang replacement. Try rockauto. Out.
Nice screen name - it sort of rolls off your tongue if you pronounce it the Italian way. I've been practicing all my life. You mentioned you had a clutch disc resurfaced. Where did you get it done? I've been searching the net for local shops that do this (Reno area) but can't find any. I've got a clutch I replaced on my GT4 about 20 years ago that I'd like to get rebuilt.
When your's goes, like mine, send it for repair. I had mine refurbed for about $130, icluding tax. Fully refurbished, replaced armature, bushings, solenoide, etc. BTW, our starters already have gear reduction. See pictures of mine while being reconstructed: http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=337424
...'Mike, the place has long ago gone out of business. 'With all that asbestos dust floating around in the air, the EPA ran them out of town. If the disc in my 328 went out, I haven't even thought of what direction I'd go. I know the door key on my 328 is identical to my FIAT Spider 2000 trunk key (identical blank). Common sense says that so much of this stuff can be generic that it seems foolish not to at least attempt to evade the pirates.
So is it the pre injection cars where starter removal is difficult? I have a QV and assume the starter removeal would be more like the 80 than the carb.
I agree that this is a good thread on the removal of the original starter. And nice move with the clutch to make room to squeeze it out. Now, the trick with all of this is getting the heavy white cable that runs from the battery (I hope you disconnected the battery before you started all of this) attached to the new starter. On my '78 308, when I changed from the stock to the hi-torq starter, that white cable was just a tad too short. When Tony put the car together, he cut that cable just long enough to reach the lug on the end of the stock starter. On the new one, that stud is up on the top. After much pulling, stretching, yanking and forcing, we finally got it to the stud. If you come up short, it is possible to rotate the starter motor on the adapter plate and bring the connection stud closer to the battery cable. Have fun, and do post some pics of the completed installation, if you can.
