Starter Replacement

Starter removal is easy. (Sorry Nick - I remember your trials last winter). I find it is easiest from below.

1. Disconnect battery.
2. Disconnect starter harness (very thick cable) from dash bulkhead electrical stud, just inboard of the battery.
3. Disconnect the starter wire from the starter relay, located on the bulkhead relay bracket. Read a wiring diagram to see which wire it is. It will be combined in the same harness as the heavy cable you just disconnected. I think it is red/white.
4. Raise vehicle on jack stands.
5. From below the vehicle and behind the right front tire, remove the wiring harness attachment to the solenoid.
6. Remove the nut holding the heavy cable to the solenoid.
7. Remove the two small spade connectors from the solenoid.
8. Remove the now-freed starter harness from the vehicle.
9. Remove the two hex head bolts which secure the starter to the transmission bell housing. To do this, use a very long socket extension (or combination of extensions), about 30 inches long or more, with a swivel joint at the socket end. Insert the long assembly from the midpoint of the transmission and feed it forward until you get the socket on the bolt head. You will be manipulating the socket wrench from the midpoint of the transmission and angled downward and outward, due to the swivel joint.

   Support the starter with your hand as you get the bolts out with your fingers. It's heavy and you don't want it crashing on your head, hand or other parts of the engine.

   You know how the saying goes....fitment is the reverse of removal!

I did this procedure successfully on my LHD '82 XJ6 without removing any other items, such as oil pressure sender or oil filters, etc. Took about 30 minutes total.

Be very careful of the oil pressure sender; dropping the motor on it from a height can damage it, and they're unreasonably expensive.

Both times I've removed the starter motor, I had a lot of trouble finding the orientation that gets it around the gearbox breather pipe. It can be worth removing it (be careful not to break the plastic fitment at the gearbox end). I also had a big problem clearing the pipe ends connecting to the power sterring pinion. Life was MUCH easier after I loosened the connections so I could rotate the pipe out of the way.