5.7 starter swap

[4.whoa]

I was suprised no-one's done this yet. I checked my haynes manual and it said "remove right front wheel and splash shield"............the starter is on the LEFT side http://serve.mysmiley.net/mad/mad0130.gif (http://www.mysmiley.net/freesmiley.php?smiley=mad/mad0130.gif) So.....

Well be ready to spend some time, and a helper is...helpfull :p.
1st, raise the truck and put it on some sturdy jackstands all the way around. Then remove the front left wheel, and inner fender. I used a pliers to brake the plastic rivets along the fender.

It is a very tight fit, I could barely get my hands up there, so I pulled the front driveshaft out. the bolts are 15mm @ the axle flange
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/4pointwhoa/WK%201/IMAG0348.jpg
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/4pointwhoa/WK%201/IMAG0347.jpg

the cv style joint where it connects to the transfer case has 6- 5/16" bolts that I started to remove with a gearwrench but the center is flared and your wrench will get trapped :mad: so once its broken loose, use an open end
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/4pointwhoa/WK%201/IMAG0354.jpg
when you have all of those out & marked the joint for realignment ,pry it apart with a screwdriver
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/4pointwhoa/WK%201/IMAG0355.jpg

the next thing to do is remove the heat shield.
one bolt from the bottom
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/4pointwhoa/WK%201/IMAG0352.jpg

and one from the top...sorta.if you use a long enough socket- 10mm by the way,you can get it from the wheel well.you can get to it from the bottom, however there isnt much room to move the wrench,so after cramping my arm I went over the top :D
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/4pointwhoa/WK%201/IMAG0359.jpg

the bolts for the starter itself are also 15mm. I used a gear wrench from the wheel well to get the top one out and just a socket for the lower one
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/4pointwhoa/WK%201/IMAG0353.jpg

I unhooked the wires after pulling the starter down -13mm
my spade connector (small wire) had some tar or something on it and I wasn't able to remove it with out braking it :mad:. I replaced it with a new one,and heat shrinked it for protection. It was all i could do to get to it to strip and crimp as the wires aren't very long

http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/4pointwhoa/WK%201/IMAG0356.jpg

When i put it back in I started the nut for the big wire 1st and then bolted the starter in so i could tighten it(the wire) then plugged in the small wire ( I used a spade connector with the little dent in it so it wouldnt come off without help)
I put the heatshield in AFTER it was hooked up, but the top bolt was impossible to line up, so I cut the shield with a pair of dykes and slid it on after the bolt was started,worked like a charm :D

http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/4pointwhoa/WK%201/IMAG0357.jpg

then ,of course the drive shaft has to be put back in. i bolted up the TC side 1st and finished with the axle end, all lined up nice and tight (blue locktite FTW) :thumbsup:

I need to get some plastic rivets for the inner fender, but i want to wash it before i put it in anyways.
Hope that helps :wavey:

[UnaTIENable]

Thanks for the writeup. My starter just went this morning I believe. The jeep won't start and its not the battery. Starter just makes a single click when I turn the key, and this is a week after my water pump failing. This thing only has 50k on it too. Going to try and do this myself tomorrow but I'm not the most mechanically inclined so wish me luck!

[4.whoa]

Thats what mine did, one click. Got new 1@ autozone . Starts better/ quicker then ever.

[brentwoodkris]

Thats what mine did, one click.

In my experience, that one click isn't really due to a bad starter. The WK has really sensitive electronics componenets and it's usually due to a slightly low charged battery. That being said, I had my battery replaced under warranty and it fixed that problem (the batt. wasn't charging correctly and had slightly low V output). The issue was only in the winter in the cold and so when I had my block heater installed, they cleaned the connections on the starter. Never had the issue since.

That being said, since a lot of us do end up changing out the starter, useful write up and thanks! Repp'd!

[4.whoa]

^ thanks bro! I was hoping it would be the batt on mine,but no such luck for me :(

[brentwoodkris]

^ thanks bro! I was hoping it would be the batt on mine,but no such luck for me :(

yeah, my dad's WK is exactly the same way, going to try and pull the starter and hope it's just a loose lead, like others have experienced, but if they're on tight, just going to swap it...I have one on hand just in case...

I'm in law school and can't afford to miss a class, so I have a portable battery/car starter in the back rated for 1200A at all times just in case. :thumbsup: