Guys-- I went through the old archive threads but wasn't able to find much on this. My 97 Maxima wouldn't start after dinner last night so I had to toll it home. AAA said it was the starter-- well 11 years later it served me well.

Two questions for those who have changed their starters- I would appreciate all feedback and comments:

1. how much did it cost to get a new starter and labor? I called around and the prices have gone from $450 (parts+ labor) to $675

2. For those who have changed their starters-- is it a difficult job? and how long does it take? I am given an estimate for 2hrs of labor which I think seems a bit high!!

thanks

 

I don't know that much about the labor costs on this job. I guess the "book" would say 2 hours and thats what they will charge you for for unless they run into problems..

I changed the starter myself on my 97 Maxima SE. Took about 1 Hour to do and was very straight foward. Probably one of the easier things to change on this car. Just remove air intake duct (including MAF sensor) up to the TB. Also take out the lower portion of the air box (4 screws). The starter is below the TB. Remove electrical connections and unbolt the starter from engine. Its attached with 2 17MM Bolts. The one in the back may need a breaker bar to loosen. Then it comes right out. Reinstall in reverse order and your done.

I bought mine at autovone for $142 plus core charge. I'm not convinced about autozone quality though, There hit and miss on there parts. My new starter would shurt off once after I started the car. I even shut the car of and pulled the key out and the starter kept running. A few seconds later it stopped and its been fine ever since (two weeks).

 

1. I dont know as I did it myself so any price higher than what I paid for the starter motor which I think was like $200 for one with a lifetime warranty.

2. It is actually a pretty simple job took myself and my dad approximately 1/2 hour the only reason we had two people is because I am new too working on cars and my dad knows a lot so he guides me but I do the work so its good .

If I remeber correctly ll you have to do is remove the air intake assembly all the way to the throttle body, then there will be two bolts holding the starter motor in place. Then there is either one or two wires on the starter motor which will be neccesary to remove and replace on the new one. You have to make sure that you either disconnect the battery or just be extremely careful in making sure the big wire doesnt touch metal otherwise you could short your electronics. It would probably be easier just to remove the battery cables and then you dont have to worry about the wires. I didnt because I was in the middle of making my system ready for inspection, and if I removed the battery I would have to restart.

Hope this helps.

Stephen

 

Damn I got beat to it, I wasnt really focused too many things at once lol.

 

like ppl said changing started is really easy and no reason to pay $400 for it. The only thing i would suggest to do is the check ur neutral positioning switch(if its auto) by pushing the shifter up on P and see if it starts. i thought my starter was bad and it turn out to be that so just something to check.

 

No 400 is too much, hell i got lucky and found a starter off a 96 maxima for 100 and paid a friend of mine 70 dollars for labor..


but its simple, yet still kind of a touch job. make sure u disconnect the battery.. remove the intake.. and remove the wire that connects the starter *small black wire.. make sure u reconnect it, just like u would speaker wire* and the two screws/bolts. the only problem is that second blot, its a tough one and its really long, but if you have someone thats somewhat of a handy mechanic then its a job you and a buddy can do. it only took maybe 20 mins for my guy to get it off and put it back on, hell you can even take of the intake yourself to help.

but i guess 450 is 200 for the starter, and 125 an hr for labor eh?

 

thanks guys for the quick feedback. The car has served me well for a long time. Kind of sad one night to need to abandon on the street to go home cause it was late. But I love it!! i was looking into getting a 03 max but just couldn't find anything I liked.

The dealer wanted $550/600 and the shop i go to wants $200 for labor for the 2hrs but I just found a new starter online for $100 shipped-- which isn't too bad...only issue with the DIY is that I am kind of crunched for time unless I wait 2 months

Another thought-- before your starter died-- were there any signs or noises? just so going forward I know or can pay abit of attention to it.

 

I'm no mechanic but it took me about 30 mins or less to get my starter out and put a new one in. I got it from autozone for about $170 with a lifetime warranty. I died this year and I got a new one for free.

 

Please go back and laugh at those guys! Even if you're pressed for time with limited experience working on cars, this will take you one hour, at the most. The starter is only held in by two bolts. If you decide to DIY, you can follow the instructions for removal on this site and ignore everything else. Installation is the reverse of removal:
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/516

My starter gave signs that it was about to die - sometimes I would go to start the car and I'd get nothing but a click from under the hood. It'd usually start after a few tries, but eventually it stopped starting altogether.

 

it cost me 200 for the part and with power tools it took aprox 30 min from start to finish. it's pretty easy to do your self. good luck

 

Yeah the only sign i had was soem hesitation starts and them sometimes no start at all..

 

i payed $160 for the starter and the labor was freeee i did it my self in 2 hours

 

119$ @ Pepboys :P

 

I think I payed $150.00 for the starter with a lifetime warr, and I payed $30.00 in labor to my mechanic. He is a great mechanic, with low prices!

Zack

 

My friends starter went out on his Max as soon as he bought it. $65 for a rebuilt model and 30 minutes to install by myself without even looking at the FSM. Definitely one of the easier repair items..don't pay someone else.

 

Definitely do it yourself!! I bought mine from autozone for around $130 and replaced my starter (at college) with the crappiest tools in less than 1 hour.

Isn't it safe to disconnect the battery? I was always told to at least remove the negative (black) when working with electric stuff...

 

yes always disconnect it when working on electrical and becareful, the starter still might hold a charge, just like computers do even after they are unplugged, the job is easy, i changed mines at a junk yard and got it for free

good luck

 

You guys are the best -- let me not forget that. I did take a look at the Motorvate website but the pictures were not very good in terms of the number of screws to take out the throttle body. I looked at his throttle body cleaning session to make out the number of bolts to take-- so take out the starter-- does it "plug in" and then hold in by 2 17mm bolts? trying to get a better look.

alright-- who's willing to help an "old timer" like me here out and give me the step by step instructions-- bolt for bolt, screw for screw? you guys who did it so easily? anyone in NYC?

 

Hope this helps http://www.vqpower.com/v2/infusions/...?article_id=94.
One bolt is 14mm and the other on the starter is 17mm.

 

just so you know, the throttle body do not need to be removed, just your intake cuz it will make it alot easier to get underneath and work.

just like the write up is, it's really that simple. after you do it, your going to laugh for thinking this was a 400 dollar job

 

dude 400 bucks is outragous..... i got my starter rebuilt from a junkyard for 60 bucks. put that bish in in like 25 mins. i did it so fast cause it was like -10f out in front of my work and i have done it previously. but in all honesty it is a real easy job. almost as easy as a battery or a oil change once you get the hang of it .

 

The job is the really easy... Its just in such a good easy to get location... but there is only one really hard part... The starter happens to share a transmission bell housing bolt and it is on like a mother... so ur just gonna need a really big bar to get in there.

 

2 bolts, that's it. I've changed mine and re-oiled it after 2 years due to noise.
Do it yourself, spend your money on other goodies for your car, not Mechanics.

 

re oiled your starter?

where? did it stop the squeeling?

 

it did, stopped the noise, like the shrieking noise. I followed this guide. Still got it in bookmark.

 

I unplugged/bolted the intake system, took out the old starter, and put in a new one in 20 mins. Takes longer to do an oil change. The starter will run you about 80 bucks on ebay + shipping, which isn't bad. May have just been your solenoid, thats only about 40 bucks and 2 seconds to replace off your starter.

 

You may also want to consider replacing the Inhibit Relay (starter relay) when you replace the starter. The relay contact may have worn out after a decade of use. This is a dealer part and cost about $30. It's located in the relay box between the battery and the headlight. No need to pay for a new starter, a re-built one is good enough. I replaced mine about a week ago with a unit purchased from Novastarparts.com. Their products (also got an alternator from them about a year ago) seem to work fine and the prices are reasonable.

 

why don't you post up in the regional area and tell them that you'd pay them $50-$70 to change it for you. I know i would. But then you're going to hit yourself after you see how east it is..heh....I think after i had to re-change my starter about 3 times due to bad ones from pepboys, the last one i had from napa took me about an hour. Which included the 15 min drive there and 15 min back and the 10 min in the store purchasing it. The guy was suprised how fast i came back to get my core money back..

 

lmao someone above said 1/2 hour with power tools lol..wat did u use the power tools on, there are only two bolts holding the starter..i replaced mine 2 weeks ago on the side of the road in about 10 minutes, but i do have a short ram intake which takes alot of the hassles away

 

sure you can't get any power tools in there..lol...an extension on a ratchet on the 17mm bolt barely fits down there

 

after having re greased my starter a couple times. when it came time to replace it ,. 20 mins start to finish

 

I need help with a starter and putting it in

 

1. You did not post your location.

2. This is an easy job for anyone who has basic tools and can read all the posts on this forum.

3. Just do it.

4. Alternative is paying 300 more than it should.