How to Replace a Car's Starter Motor---Part 3

1. Yes, there's a Mitsubishi starter motor hiding up there. On most front-engined vehicles like this Suburban, it's well and truly buried under and behind the engine and next to the transmission.


2. Prepare to get dirty and uncomfortable getting it out. Front-wheel-drive cars with sideways-mounted engines may have the motor mounted above the trans, where you can reach it from above.

3. If you have ramps, they should provide enough clearance. If you need to jack up the car, use jackstands and chock the wheels. Stuck off-road? Dig a trench under the vehicle to crawl into, which is actually not horrible if it's dry.

Is Your Starter Motor Really Bad?
Before you get all greasy under the car, here are some tips for diagnosing a bad starter:

If you twist the key and the dash lights come on dimly, the solenoid buzzes or clicks, or nothing at all happens, it may well be the battery or the cables, not the starter motor. Charge the battery. Your voltmeter should read at least 12.6 volts with no electrical drain on the battery and the charger disconnected for an hour.

2. Check the battery capacity. I use a resistance-type battery load tester. A good, charged-up battery should deliver 150 amps for 15 seconds without dropping below 10.5 volts, and should recover nearly to the aforementioned 12.6 volts within a minute.

3. If the battery checks out okay, look for poor electrical connections to the starter or solenoid, as well as the battery and chassis connections. Accept no more than a 0.5-volt voltage drop between the battery post and the starter hot post. Ditto between the battery negative post and the engine block.