I just had to leave my car at a gas station at lunch. How hard is it to replace my starter? I don't want to have to pay for towing or a service charge.

 

It's very easy. Take out the battery and remove the intake tubing. The starter is right there. Just disconnect the connections from the solenoid portion and remove the two bolts holding the starter on. Repeat the above in reverse order and you're done.

I believe, if memory serves, you need 12mm, 14mm and 17mm sockets for the starter and a 10mm socket/wrench for the battery tie down and intake box.

 

Make sure it's your starter that's bad. This procedure could easily take place in the parking lot. It's located under the intake plumbing, so just take out the entire intake system, except the manifold of course, and you'll see it, its nestled in a little cave-like aread, and is easy to get to once the intake is removed.

Good Luck.

 

Thanks for the help guys. But....

Guess what, it ended up being the battery. My Red Top Optima actually died! Who would have thought. Just got a Deep Cycle Yellow Top to replace it.

Thanks Again!

 

It may be the easiest repair you can do on a Maxima, if you have already removed the stock intake piping for a CAI. I replaced mine in a dark parking lot at 11 pm in about 30 minutes a couple of weeks ago. Couldn't stand the thought of letting my baby spend the night away from home.

 

Try This: Your Max Wont start> Get that there tire wrench.
< Hit the s.o.b. < Hit it Again , maybe Again, go start that sh*t.
Worked for 2 Months.

 

when mine was stuck in a parking lot i hit mine with a screwdriver and it started right up i replaced it the next day though to play it safe

 

Just curious, but how much does a new starter run for? Does it make a difference if my car had the cold weather package?

I'm going to try to tackle the install tomorrow - another question, what exactly does the starter look like?

Thanks.
-Brian.

 

http://vbxmaxima.8m.com/starter.html