# change out starter 1997 buick le sabre



## Thurman (Feb 9, 2009)

Not enough space on this forum to explain. Not to be a smarty either, but: Most auto parts stores sell either "Chilton" or "Haynes" manuals which are invaluable to auto owners for doing their own repairs. David


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## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

Thurman said:


> Not enough space on this forum to explain. Not to be a smarty either, but: Most auto parts stores sell either "Chilton" or "Haynes" manuals which are invaluable to auto owners for doing their own repairs. David


AutoData and such are online for free from AutoZone. I hope this is not one of those cases where you have to jack up the engine after loosening a motor mount.


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

Changing that starter is not extremely difficult. The hard part for the novice is measuring to see how many shims you need. Too few or too many can do some major damage. It can be tricky to get the bolts started, too. If you can afford it, take it to a pro. I have a Buick with a 3800 V6 and have changed the starter. But if I had to do it again, not sure that I would.


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## cowboy dan (Apr 11, 2010)

the best way for a beginner is to remove the starter and remember the order in which they removed it. some starters are a pain and some require a specific order to follow. take starter and have it rebuilt at a starter shop. it usually can be done while you wait, an hr or so. and it will cost around 100 bucks. if it requires shims, the shims will be there when you remove the starter. if you get a new one and it has more or less shims, then there is a good chance you got the wrong one. rebuilding the current one is a safe bet


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

If you use the same starter, you are right it should take the same number of shims. But if it takes more or less it is not necessarily the wrong starter. On GM products, the way they are milled can change the number of shims required. That is why there are instructions in the box how to measure for the number of shims. These starters can be difficult because, the wires can't be accessed until the starter is dropped, but they are not long enough for it to come all the way out with wires attached. You have to hold the starter with one hand while attaching or unattaching the wires. When you put the bolts back, it can be extremey difficult to line up the holes to start them. After you put in the back bolt, the shims go in from the top. This is why I suggested a pro if they weren't a very good DIYer.


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