kyarnolds

I replaced my starter (2004 Acura TL) this morning in the parking garage at work per the video - no issues besides the usual mentioned with the difficult battery tray bolt(s). This job is very doable and easily done anywhere with the right tools - extender with articulated end helps get the under bolt closest to the firewall out.Took roughly 1:45 to do. I bought starter at AutoZone for $166 +$40 for the core (refunded when I returned old core).

redbeard1

As many have written, the most difficult part of this job is the aft bolt under the battery tray. That bolt took most of my time when removing the starter. The second time I did this (to install my starter after I rebuilt it), I used a 10.25 inch extension with swivel attachment and the bolt came out easily (see attached image).

Also, some posters above mentioned that the brushes to rebuild the starter are not sold separately. I got my brushes from ebay for less than $15 after reading another poster. They are not identical but work perfectly.
post #17
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...uy-new-974713/

Finally, I had first thought my solenoid was bad and almost skipped rebuilding my starter because the solenoid is not easily rebuilt. The following video
mentions that many times the solenoid stops working because of a bad ground. I'm pretty sure that was the problem with my unit. I've attached a picture of the back of my starter. The washer on the negative bolt had melted into the back cover and the bolt had corroded badly. That said, the brushes were also well below service manual limits (9mm versus 11mm limit and 16mm new). Or maybe the old brushes caused the bad ground. Either way, I replaced the brushes and the negative bolt and washer.