How do you remove a starter from a 1995 Nissan Pickup?

Answer 1

I just went through hell putting one in. There are two bolts that have to come out. The bottom bolt is basically easy. However, I found that if you can reach it, you can go over the top of the bell housing on (manual transmissions anyway) to get to the top bolt.

To elaborate on this explanation, the removal of the starter in a 1995 Nissan Pickup, 2WD or 4WD, is very doable; just takes time and patience. I am certainly an amateur mechanic, but I managed to do it all, plus a few other things, on a Saturday.

To replace the starter, I first had to find it. Finally figured out it was on the passenger side of the truck, just behind the top of the passenger wheel. Chiltons recommends removing the wheel for only the 2wd model, but even with the lift from a 4wd, I would recommend taking off the wheel, because it is one tight fit in there even if you were only like 5'2" and 120. I am bigger then that, hence I took the wheel off - make sure to jack it up safely though, don't want the disc brakes crashing down on your knees as you kneel there.

The starter is located directly beneath the oil filter (lord knows why they chose that as a location, it was covered in oil), just behind the interior wheel well frame. You have to remove the rock guard to see inside, but that is just a snap removal system. Once you have access, remove the oil filter, and the oil sensor gauge (a cord to the left of the oil filter with a long maroon colored collar in my truck), as well as the exhaust pipe heat shield insulator. This was the hardest part in my opinion. The bolts for the heat shield over the exhaust pipe were so corroded from salt in Eastern Washington roads, they just snapped right off. Also, taking off the lower portion of the heat shield was so tight, i finally just bent it out of the way and chucked it - i decided i would insulate with a fiberglass wrap instead, because there was no way I was forcing that thing back in, let along drilling new holes for bolts.

Once all that stuff is off, your ready to remove the starter. My recommendation is to remove all the electrical gear, including the brass housing covering the positive terminal connection from the battery. Then comes the best part; there are two bolts to remove, both of which connect from the back side of the engineer compartment, forward in to the starter housing. The top one is fairly easy to reach from underneath if you have the heat insulator shield removed - the bottom those has two fuel lines in the way and I had to use a breaker bar at an angle to crank it off slowly. Both bolts are slow to remove, but once they are free the rapidly become finger capable, as they are only 2.5 to 3 inches long. Once those bad boys are out, jump back up in to the wheel well, juggle the starter out the side towards your chest (some people have advocated up through the engineer or to the front but i think their crazy) and then presto, you got the SOBTR out. Now just do everything in reverse order, make sure to refill your oil, jack it down and start it up. Make sure to check the flywheel teeth while you have the starter off for wear though - if that beast is going out though, I would definitely recommend a shop, not a fun job to replace the flywheel.