Went out this morning, cranked the engine, heard a pop - pretty hard sounding pop - bump almost. Engine wont turn - sounds like a drill under the hood when cranked again.

I'm assuming it's the starter.. has anyone ever changed one themselves on a 03 TL?

If it is the starter, should I try and change it myself? Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

Wife called and said that it started.. I thought for sure it was the starter.. Not sure what it is now.. any ideas??

 

Id say starter may be having issues. Have the battery load tested to take that out of the equation. If that comes back fine, keep an eye on it. If it happens again id say the starter is in need of replacement.

 

do what fsttyms says- he is the Master Guru of gen2 around here
If the battery is 3-4 years old expect it to fail at any moment
Winter loads put the last strain on many batteries- at the shop we kept extra during this time of year,,headlights and seat heater plus car heater are huge load

the car runs off the battery- then the alternator recharges/replaces whats been used

Parts stores will do a series of test on the battery, charging system, starter load draw and battery abilty to recover from a load,,all for FREE

May be due for new battery cables too

Do you have a lot of keys on the ring when its in the ignition? that messes up the contacts inside of the switch

 

If it is the starter it is super-easy to replace. Remove the battery and plastic shroud. Then disconnect the power lead and the wire going to the solenoid on the starter. Then there are two 14mm bolts one on top and one on the bottom that hold the starter into the bell housing. Remove those and the starter lifts right out. All from the top. Simple enough to do in the driveway- at night- in the cold- 'cause thats how i did it!