Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Starter Bolt Trick
Went to start the other cold morning, rurra-rrurra-rumppa, snort, whine, rumble, rumba, rumph. Oh-Oh!! After 160k miles on my ‘95, I knew what was coming. Gotta replace the #$%@# starter contacts. I did my homework, researched the TDR archives. Everyone basically says the same thing, and they’re NOT NICE words. For those that have never removed their starter, here’s some thoughts Have at least 1 spare bolt, (Cummins p/n 1-3903834, $3 cheap) so’s you know what yer dealin’ with while standin, insteadda layin’ on yer back, with the snott drainnin backdown yer throat, wishin’ ya had an extra elbow joint and more muscle.
My homework told me that the starter bolts were 10mm 12 POINT, torqued to an AMAZING 45 ft/lbs. I learned long time ago, 12 point sockets just round-off yer stuck-tite bolt corners. All my sockets are 6-points, metric or inchers. So I go shoppin’ fer a 10mm 12-pointer 3/8's drive, not common on Saturday afternoon. Advice is un-do the topp’un first, then the others will be piece o’cake. WRONG, no cake.
Couldn’t keep the socket on the capscrew. Must be some angle that isn’t allowing me to seat the socket. By itself, socket looked like it fits just fine, it’s the extension jambin’ some angle somewheres. But it looks straight. Well, button it up ‘till can gitt a GOOD 10mm 12-point FLEX socket from a well known brand-name $$$. Guess what? That expensive flex knuckle wouldn’t stay straight-on either. After further study, with a “replacement” bolt in hand, decided the socket must be too shallow ‘cuz its rounding the corners of that tuffer’n’he11 starter bolt. So I finally found a 10mm 12-point DEEP 3/8's drive socket.
By now the upper starter bolthead had some really roundy corners, so here’s the TRICK..... SUPER-GLUE..... that new socket onto the chewed up bolthead. A 6" extension on a deep socket, allowed me to “pull” with my klicker torque wrench from below with some shoulder muscle. It klicked at 50 FOOT-POUNDS!!!!! But it moved it enuff in 1-pull, that I could finger un-loosen the top-bolt the rest of the way. You do know acetone is an effective solvent for super-glue, don’t you?
OK, the pieces o’cake. The bolts you can see and gittchur fingers on. I still couldn’t get my first shorty 10mm socket to loosen either lower starterbolt It kept slippin’ off and rounding the corners. So I got out my 10mm boxwrench. I didn’t seem to have enuff strength in my fore-arms to loosen either’um. I finally found a 12" length of 3/4" electrical conduit that I could put over the handle of my 10mm box wrench for additional leverage. And that moved ‘em.
PAY ATTENTION GUYS... ... . besides having a BAD NEW 10mm socket; I also found out my battery clamps weren’t CLAMPING. Seems the battery studs on my replacement batteries are slightly smaller in diameter than the OEM Dodge battery terminal. And even though the battery clamp bolts were pulled down so tight that there was NO GAP in the clamp, the clamps were NOT TIGHT. I spread the clamps and FILED for a bigger gap so I can now tighten the battery clamps for certain contact. And no more rurru-rurru. Oh yeah, my starter solenoid contacts were paper thin. Thanks to Larry B for his “Super-Contacts. ”... ... ... ..... Dell (WA)
Went to start the other cold morning, rurra-rrurra-rumppa, snort, whine, rumble, rumba, rumph. Oh-Oh!! After 160k miles on my ‘95, I knew what was coming. Gotta replace the #$%@# starter contacts. I did my homework, researched the TDR archives. Everyone basically says the same thing, and they’re NOT NICE words. For those that have never removed their starter, here’s some thoughts Have at least 1 spare bolt, (Cummins p/n 1-3903834, $3 cheap) so’s you know what yer dealin’ with while standin, insteadda layin’ on yer back, with the snott drainnin backdown yer throat, wishin’ ya had an extra elbow joint and more muscle.
My homework told me that the starter bolts were 10mm 12 POINT, torqued to an AMAZING 45 ft/lbs. I learned long time ago, 12 point sockets just round-off yer stuck-tite bolt corners. All my sockets are 6-points, metric or inchers. So I go shoppin’ fer a 10mm 12-pointer 3/8's drive, not common on Saturday afternoon. Advice is un-do the topp’un first, then the others will be piece o’cake. WRONG, no cake.
Couldn’t keep the socket on the capscrew. Must be some angle that isn’t allowing me to seat the socket. By itself, socket looked like it fits just fine, it’s the extension jambin’ some angle somewheres. But it looks straight. Well, button it up ‘till can gitt a GOOD 10mm 12-point FLEX socket from a well known brand-name $$$. Guess what? That expensive flex knuckle wouldn’t stay straight-on either. After further study, with a “replacement” bolt in hand, decided the socket must be too shallow ‘cuz its rounding the corners of that tuffer’n’he11 starter bolt. So I finally found a 10mm 12-point DEEP 3/8's drive socket.
By now the upper starter bolthead had some really roundy corners, so here’s the TRICK..... SUPER-GLUE..... that new socket onto the chewed up bolthead. A 6" extension on a deep socket, allowed me to “pull” with my klicker torque wrench from below with some shoulder muscle. It klicked at 50 FOOT-POUNDS!!!!! But it moved it enuff in 1-pull, that I could finger un-loosen the top-bolt the rest of the way. You do know acetone is an effective solvent for super-glue, don’t you?
OK, the pieces o’cake. The bolts you can see and gittchur fingers on. I still couldn’t get my first shorty 10mm socket to loosen either lower starterbolt It kept slippin’ off and rounding the corners. So I got out my 10mm boxwrench. I didn’t seem to have enuff strength in my fore-arms to loosen either’um. I finally found a 12" length of 3/4" electrical conduit that I could put over the handle of my 10mm box wrench for additional leverage. And that moved ‘em.
PAY ATTENTION GUYS... ... . besides having a BAD NEW 10mm socket; I also found out my battery clamps weren’t CLAMPING. Seems the battery studs on my replacement batteries are slightly smaller in diameter than the OEM Dodge battery terminal. And even though the battery clamp bolts were pulled down so tight that there was NO GAP in the clamp, the clamps were NOT TIGHT. I spread the clamps and FILED for a bigger gap so I can now tighten the battery clamps for certain contact. And no more rurru-rurru. Oh yeah, my starter solenoid contacts were paper thin. Thanks to Larry B for his “Super-Contacts. ”... ... ... ..... Dell (WA)
