zjrog

I have to replace the starter on my daughter's XJ. And, I have to drive 4 hours to get to it. Only question I have is... Is it going to have some funky Torx headed bolts or just standard metric that I can slip a regular socket on?

I have to ask since I got a surprise when I replaced the brakes and found the 8mm 12 point bolts...

BuckB91XJ

The starter has 2 regular old bolts that hold it on. It also has 1 wire connection held on with a regular nut and 1 that's a clip on. Just bring your Metric socket set and Metric combination wrench set with you and you are golden.

zjrog

Perfect! Thanks! My son is actually going to do it for me. He is free Saturday and I really have more stuff to do here (finish the Explorer transmission install, brakes for my F150 and steering box swap for my ZJ...

mike37

yep 10 minutes
have here hose it off real well to get any loose dirt and grease off

zjrog

My son only lives 90 minutes form her, I bought the starter at my local Autostoned and he picked it up at his. He went and installed it Friday. But had power issues. So, I had to do a pad replacement Friday night on my Supercrew. Left home with tools and electrical stuffz about 9 AM. Picked up a friend and his trailer along the way. Got to where my daughter is about 1:30 PM... Good voltages, good grounds, WTFO? Started right up too. Shut it off, looked at all the battery/ground connections and decided to clean everything up. Didn't have baking soda, so I sacrificed some of my Mt Dew to help clean cables and ends. Made things clean and shiny...

Took my frined and his trailer home, went back and had dinner with my daughter drove home and got in about 12:30 in the morning...

My daughter is happy, but she won't be in two weeks when she comes home for my wife's birthday. I do not trust that Jeep at this point. So I will let her drive my Neon till I do..

solderjunkie

I'd rather drive my rusted-out been-on-fire leaky XJ than a brand new Neon.

Remember, this advice is from a MOPAR tech.

SJ

5-90

That's because a Neon is actually a Mitsubishi, not a Dodge...

NB: I've run across XJ starters that have one ISO and one SAE screw - so check the markings on the heads and note which one went where.

@Buck - the later ones have some variety of QD "spade" connector, and the earlier ones use a threaded stud and nut. Both versions are interchangeable, but changing from one to the other does require reterminating the solenoid lead (the small one.) The threaded stud actually seems to be a bit more common.

zjrog

I don't think the Neon is Mitsubishi, built in Normal, Illinois... And the newest Neon is a couple years old now as the Caliber took its place. I don't know about most folks, but I've had nearly 80,000 miles use of the Neon with little trouble. I've hammered on it, and my son has driven it the last 2 1/2 years. Oil changes, plug and wire changes and three sets of tires... Need to do the triming belt soon... I digress from the discussion.

5-90 my XJ has the stud terminal.

SolderJunkie, its not her choice what she drives at this point. I own the vehicles and she is 4 hours away, without cell coverage. As a PARENT, I'm not comfortable with the truck I can't trust for my daughter to drive that far away without any way for her to easily get help if she needs it. My son is closer than I am and so are a couple friends. But I'd rather she be in something that I do trust for now. And, nothing personal, but I don't generally trust dealer techs... You could help that by answering a simple question. 1994 Chrysler Concorde, 3.5L V6. Stumbles, misifres, back fires and has NO performance... But idles smooth. AND is NOT a fuel delivery issue. Best opinion on cause? (I'll detail what a dealer did to me over this and the real cause, later...)

ol"blue

I'm no dealer tech but I like guessing games, so here's my guess. Obstructed exhaust system.

zjrog

That was the first thought they had, cost me $1000 in three new catalytics... Next?

ol"blue

Wow. Strike one. How about a broken/loose engine ground strap?

5-90

If the exhaust plumbing is double-walled, you could have a crimp in the inside wall that won't show up externally. An exhaust backpressure test series may be indicated (check backpressure at various locations, look for a spike downwards. That would be the spot after the crimp, if present.)

zjrog

So sorry, strike two! Turns out there was a TSB out for the problem.

So it wasn't fuel delivery, wasn't the exhaust system at all, and it wasn't a loose/missing ground. I'm not going to drag this out too long, maybe tomorrow. Don't want folks to lose interest.

ol"blue

I love it!

mycherokee1989

How much was the total damage for the fix?