Mini Starter options?

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Sublime69

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So my starter took a crap on me and its time to get a new one. What options do i have? Its a 318 with TTI long tube step headers. I seen some on ebay for $50 shipped... but I dont know if they're any good.

Thanks
 
A friend bought a 96 dakota starter to put on his 75 dart with cheapo headers and it fit good.They are smaller and has the bendix rotated around so it clears everything.Around $100 bucks but they are factory starters so they should last.
 
The one you need comes from any '89-'01 rear-wheel drive Mopar 3.9 V6, 5.2, or 5.9 V8 engine. That mostly means Dodge trucks (Dakota + Ram) and Dodge full-size vans (not minivans). The '01 stop year is because later starters do not have an enclosed nose cone that fits in the round recess in the bellhousing. Using an open-top (no nose cone) starter on an earlier application causes misalignment and early starter death.

Be sure and get a genuine starter with a Chrysler, Denso, or Nippondenso nameplate on it. The Chinese copycats flooding the market (advertised at parts stores as "100% new!") are junk. A used genuine starter from a wrecking yard is preferable to a new fake/Chinese or "remanufactured" starter.

Depending on the configuration of your engine, there may be interference or insufficient space for the cables to attach to the mini starter. There are different terminal adaptors available for it to address this issue; see here.
 
agree with all above

get one from your local wrecker for a few bucks, i paid 35 for mine out of a 98 dakota v6 and fit no prob to my 70 318, all i needed to do was add a terminal (and shrink tubing to weatherproof the connection) to my wiring harness and it was easy to clear my headers
 
5.2/5.9 Jeeps also have the same mini starter- they fit everything but the Hemi if I recall even the slant 6 (I have one that was on my slant and now going to use it with TTI step headers on my 360)
 
5.2/5.9 Jeeps also have the same mini starter- they fit everything but the Hemi if I recall even the slant 6 (I have one that was on my slant and now going to use it with TTI step headers on my 360)

they all use the same starter from the 60 slant to a gen 2 hemi, and LA/mag small blocks...
 
805MoparKid, ya done stepped in it.

You said "they all use the same starter from the 60 slant to a gen 2 hemi, and LA/mag small blocks."

That's wrong. The '60-'61 slant-6s will not accept the '62-'88 Chrysler or '88-'01 Denso starter unless you change to a '62-up flywheel or torque converter. Neither will '63-'66 Canadian slant-6s, for the same reason. Neither will slant-6 truck, van, and heavy-duty car applications of any year with the 11" clutch. All these won't-fit applications need a starter with a 9-tooth, 25mm drive pinion. The Chrysler and Denso gear reduction starters have a 10-tooth, 33mm drive pinion.

And the Jeeps, even with 5.2 and 5.9 engines—Magnum and non-Magnum alike—use a totally different and non-interchangeable starter.

And yes, the Magnum small blocks existed past '01; see here for example.

And no, there are no starters for Gen2 Hemi engines that will also fit slant-6s, 318s, 5.2s, 3.9s, 5.9s, etc.

Acknowledge it and learn the lesson it brings: when you give advice without knowing what you're talking about, someone who does know what you're talking about is probably going to come along and correct you. If you don't like being corrected, make sure your advice is solid before you give it.
 
I got mine from the junkyard out of a mid 80's dodge van, works great.
 
got mine off ebay, company is dbelectrical out of indiana
no issues so far, 60 bucks brand new

oh ya, thats a NICE looking Dart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
The starter on my 273 is from a Dodge V-8 truck w/ magnum engine. I used the starter cable too, plus the alternator output cable, and the power steering cooler. The starter cable was a bit long, but worked. The problem is PickNPull pries it off the battery so the terminal was a bit stretched, but vise grips fixed that.
 
I bought a delco on ebay for 75 shipped had it 3 years now no problems.
 
we just used a 1980's dodge diplomat mini starter on my 1974 swinger with headmen short tubes and a 360, the only problem with the starter we ran into, was some of the nose housing had to be grind down, but with being able to walk into the local parts store and pick one up it was great. Also with the little bit of grinding needed its barly noticble so if you had to return it for a warenty the yahoos at the local parts store would never know.
 
we just used a 1980's dodge diplomat mini starter on my 1974 swinger with headmen short tubes and a 360, the only problem with the starter we ran into, was some of the nose housing had to be grind down, but with being able to walk into the local parts store and pick one up it was great. Also with the little bit of grinding needed its barly noticble so if you had to return it for a warenty the yahoos at the local parts store would never know.


dodge diplomat starter is not a mini starter, and also should be a direct bolt on to any late 60's early 70's dodge product thats v8, no grinding nessasary
 
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