Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Wow, what a difference a new starter makes! Mine was grinding and had worn teeth (see photo below), so clearly needed a new one, but even better and more importantly, the performance of the new gear-reduction starter is amazing…it cranks so much easier and faster and seems to draw much less battery power. I wish I had done this long ago!

The new style starter is available here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Datsun-Roadster ... 0735747756" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;"

With the great advice on this forum, I was able to get the old one out in about an hour. It's not easy. The top bolt was the hardest part, no room to turn a wrench, even if you can get it on the bolt head. The second photo below is a picture looking down from the top… that is where you have to fit your hand or a very long handled wrench. (I had to use a small handled wrench and a bar extension to get the bolt cracked, then use a small, ratchet drive wrench to get the bolt out. My sockets didn't work, even with extensions and u-joints, etc. Forty five minutes of frustration and a trip to the tool store didn't really help.

The top picture shows the new starter in place from the side. That is an easy access point to get the lower bolt, and all connections. Note to anyone who performs this R&R: to get the old one out, you have to move the unit around so that the gear housing faces out through the frame opening, get that part out and free of the frame, then twist it to get the solenoid out. Yeah, it took me 10 minutes to get it right. But I'm a little slow on the uptake…

Finally, the install of the new one really needs a second pair of hands. Because it doesn't have the gear housing, it just sits flush with the bell housing it attaches to…so the unit only stays in place if you hold it. I placed it in line with the bolt holes, then used a long handled bar to hold it up from below while I reached over the top to thread the top bolt (I found it nearly impossible to start with the bottom bolt…to hold the unit, hold the bolt, and thread it in that small space is hard). I finally had my wife come out ("I'm not going to get greasy, am I?") and hold the support bar from below so I could get to the top easier and align the holes to start the top bolt.

In the end, a terrific upgrade for a small cost.

And they said it couldnt be done.

Rich

just tried to take my srl starter out. two exhaust pipes are butted up against the back of the starter, and i cant back it up enough to clear the housing. do i have a normal exhaust with two exhaust pipes one inside and one outside behind the starter

The stock exhaust manifold looks like this:
The pipes are oriented forward quite noticeably to provide clearance to remove the starter.
If your manifold doesn't resemble this type of construction it is highly likely an after market piece

The original 1600 starter is much longer than the 2000 and frequently requires the removal of the manifold to get it out. I’m assuming you are working on an original starter based on your statement.