cheapest way to replace starter

[chriscisme]

my starter recently died in my cadillac and i dont have that much money to replace so i was wondering if i could get some suggestions on how to replace it cheaply

[BodybyFisher]

You have a Northstar in your Concours. The starter is located under the intake manifold. While that sounds like a big job and a daunting task, I understand from a reputable source that its not a bad job at all, so don't be told otherwise by mechanics that could exaggerate the task.

I don't have a service manual for your car, maybe someone else does, but I do have a photo of what the engine looks like with the intake off, I will post the photo later its on my other computer.

[Cadillac Jim]

I torogughly agree with BodybyFisher, this is a good weekend project for a decent DIY mechanic. The key is making sure that you get a good exchange remanufactured starter. The Northstar starter is designed to last the life of the car, not 80,000 or 100,000 miles like you will find in other engines. Make sure that it comes with a warranty that reflects this.

You might check the starter solenoid before you change the starter itself. Do you have the OBD II diagnotic codes? They might tell you something, like a mis-adjusted PRND321 switch, that will give ou a whole new outlook.

[BodybyFisher]

Here is the picture I promised:

[mmarinov]

Here is the picture I promised:

Thanks for posting the picture, BBF! I haven't torn my N* down that much but the procedure for replacing the starter (upon reading it) was of interest to me. Yikes, that's a little scary for an old big block guy

MM

[BodybyFisher]

We are all old big block guys so I know what you mean

[Cadillac Jim]

I've had two 427's and a 454 in my time. But my most fun car was a fully tricked-out 327 in a sleeper.

Of course, you can look at my atavar and signature and see that my baby is a Cadillac. For a nice picture, look at my profile.

[Catch Me]

Hello,

New guy here, Nice site you folks have here.

I just wanted to say that if the 94 you have is the same as my 94 Northstar you only need to remove 4 bolts to remove the intake itself. Mine has many other bolts on the top of the intake that newer ones do not have. Not knowing any better I removed all the bolts.

This made the job a bit harder to say the least but since the injector seals were bad as well it worked out ok.

So I guess what I am saying is if you just want to remove the intake in one piece only remove the 4 bolts the hold the intake in place.

The 4 bolts you need to remove sit down lower in the intake cover. If you only have 4 bolts like the later models then of course this is not a concern.

Hope this helps and again nice site.