As some of you may have read, I am replacing my starter. A person pointed out that a 99 maxima has the same part number for the starter for a 2000 maxima (on napaonline.com). I checked this out and found that years 96 through 99 have the same number. So please correct me if i am wrong, but does that mean they are all the same? And if so, does that mean I can rip one off a junkyard 4th gen maxima then? Thanks.

BTW, how can i tell if the starter is still good on a junkyard max without trying it on my car? Is there a visual way I can look at it?

 

You should verify the part numbers with a Napa store. You can bench test the started before you install it on the car. You need some jumper cables and a 12 volt battery. Connect the positive cable to the power terminal on the solenoid. The ground cable should be placed on an unpainted part of the starter. Jump from the positive terminal to the switch terminal on the solenoid. Hold the starter down with your foot or get somebody to hold it down so that the torque from it spinning won't make it twist away from you. Smoetimes you are better off getting a starter from a parts store because they will have some kind of warranty. The junkyards sometimes charge just a little less than the parts stores for the same parts.