Starter Options

[Sinister.]

My starter is going out. It keeps jamming and is just being a royal pain. My question is, what should I use to replace it? I've heard of people using modern starters with no problem. Are any modifications to put a starter from a 98ish Dodge Ram/Dakota on my 318/727 combo with headers? How do they compare to regular old starters, or after market mini starters? What are the pros/cons? I want to go new or remanufactured just to avoid having to pull the headers or linkage more than I have to.

What do you think?

 

[pettybludart]

I pulled a mini starter(brand new used)from a Dakota at the wreckers for $40,works fine with room to spare.

 

[RDJ]

The mini starters from Dakotas, full size trucks and vans are great, half the draw and twice the power. You may miss the Dodge starter "whine" sound though.

I've pulled a couple from the Pick-N-Pull and are only about $25, the vans and trucks take about 5 minutes to pull, the Dakota starters are much harder to remove. The last one I got from there didn't work, and on closer inspection was a rebuilt one. Stay away from the rebuilt and chinese knock offs.

The last one I got was from this ebay guy
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0363192822&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT

It was $45 (free shipping) and it was an original "Chrysler Corp Denso" starter made in Japan. Works great. and the extra $20 I paid (over what I would pay at the junk yard) was worth my time to go there, pull a starter, and clean the inch of grime and grease off one I pulled myself, plus it is already tested.

Make sure you get one with the nose cone.

 

[RDJ]

If you are not sure what I mean by "nose cone", here is a pic of a starter with the nose cone

 

[Sinister.]

Well apparently the problem wasn't the starter, but the battery cable. Upon removing the starter I found that the cable was very crusty and gross. Hooked the starter up via jumper cables, works fine.

I think I'm just going to reuse the one I have, since it works, and just get a new cable.