PanamaZ34 Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 OK, I feel like a prize idiot asking this, but where are the bolts holding the starter motor in place (on a Lumina Z34)? I've got the car up on (cheap Chinese) axle stands on the (uneven and sloping) driveway and the starter motor is covered in a thick layer of oily crap. It is not a very comfortable, safe or clean position to be in, and instead of finding the bolts and getting the starter motor off, I'm getting filthy and nervous searching for bolts that I can't find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 If it hasn't been removed already, there is a plastic splashguard on the front side of the transmission. Remove that, and you should see the two bolts that hold the starter in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 there should be 2 15mm bolts that hold it up there, both near the transmission. you will most likely have to remove the oil filter to remove the starter as it is big and awkward if you are removing it because it is bad, replace it with one for a newer impala, like say a 03' impala with a 3400. smaller and higher torque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 if you are removing it because it is bad, replace it with one for a newer impala, like say a 03' impala with a 3400. smaller and higher torque. unfortunately, they also sound like a power wheels with a fat kid on it... on the wife's GP (3.1) there was also a brace for the a/c compressor connected to the starter, so that may cause some headache should it be on the LQ1 as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanamaZ34 Posted August 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Thanks guys. I'll take another look tomorrow. Finally got the alternator replaced and a battery into the car the other week, but attempts to start it proved fruitless. The solenoid clicks, but that's it. Thought cleaning and checking the starter motor was the logical next step ......... I'll exhaust every other possibility before admitting that I've got a seized engine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 can you turn the engine by hand? (breaker bar on the crank bolt) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 if you are removing it because it is bad, replace it with one for a newer impala, like say a 03' impala with a 3400. smaller and higher torque. unfortunately, they also sound like a power wheels with a fat kid on it... on the wife's GP (3.1) there was also a brace for the a/c compressor connected to the starter, so that may cause some headache should it be on the LQ1 as well... What? I have one, I'll take the "weird noise" for wrestling the damn huge one in and out of the car. neither of my 92s and my 93' had any brace on them. Also if you think the engine is seized try pulling all the plugs and dump a little bit of oil down in each cyl and let it sit for a week or 2 then try cranking by hand. I'm told marvel mystery oil is great for helping locked up engines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 What? I have one, I'll take the "weird noise" for wrestling the damn huge one in and out of the car. neither of my 92s and my 93' had any brace on them. Also if you think the engine is seized try pulling all the plugs and dump a little bit of oil down in each cyl and let it sit for a week or 2 then try cranking by hand. I'm told marvel mystery oil is great for helping locked up engines. i don't know if it was a 1990 3.1 only deal, but it was a major pain in the ass. and i'm sure the newer starters work better, but good god, they sound like hondas... X2 on the fogging the cylinders. WD-40 isn't strong enough, PB blaster might work as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 I've never seen said brace before. On my Z34, one of the oil cooler lines had to be moved out of the way, but then it came right out. My GP's just came out, no issue's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanamaZ34 Posted August 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 I'm trying to get the car running on a shoe-string budget (and having to buy every tool I need as well, since I didn't bring any with me from the UK). Hand cranking the engine requires removal of the spark plugs, my socket set didn't come with a spark plug socket, the first one I bought was for the wrong size wrench (3/16ths instead of 1/2 inch) and the second doesn't fit into the recesses! Oh, and I don't have a circuit tester yet. With major expenses to come (4 new tires, a new windscreen ("windshield" in American-English?) and whatever fees (and bribes) I have to pay to get a car certified as road-worthy and registered in my name when it has been off the road for 4 years), I'm trying to avoid any expenditure I possibly can at the moment! I also know that with the heat in Panama, starter motors frequently stick (brushes weld themselves to the spindle) - the wife either parks her Mazda 323 in the shade, or belts the starter motor with the tire-iron to get it started on hot days (easy for her to do, her starter motor is accessible from above)! Since the Z34 has sat for 4 years, a starter motor problem is not only something I can (hopefully) deal with at no cost, but also a very likely cause (fingers crossed). If it turns when removed from the engine, I´ll move on to trying to hand-crank the engine, but I suspect I'm going to find it is seized and needs to be stripped down (and cleaning and servicing it is something I can do indoors in front of the a/c!). Maybe not the most logical way to approach the problem, but it gives me something constructive to do on the car without having to wait for pay day to buy another spark plug socket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOT2B GM Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 if you are removing it because it is bad, replace it with one for a newer impala, like say a 03' impala with a 3400. smaller and higher torque. unfortunately, they also sound like a power wheels with a fat kid on it... on the wife's GP (3.1) there was also a brace for the a/c compressor connected to the starter, so that may cause some headache should it be on the LQ1 as well... Hey I like the weird noise My 90 TGP has that ac compressor to starter brace, must be a 3.1 thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 good to know i'm not the only one.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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