Not enough room for starter to drop out - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

ReadyToRumble · 01-29-2007, 15:52

Hello all,

I own an '80 Tbird 2 door hardtop that has an 8 cyl 255 engine. Everything under the hood is really cramped together it seems. The starter's "nose cone?" broke at the bolt eye holes and the starter seperated from engine the other morning as I was starting it. That was pretty weird. I had never heard of that.

When I tried to remove it I found that there isn't enough room for the starter to drop out. There are two steel lines that go back to the top side of the trannsmission,. the oilpan, etc, in the way.

I don't know the proper procedure to extract it. I was searching for a free online manual that might lay it out when I found the ford forum.

Can anyone offer me some advice, please?

**tbird100636** · 01-30-2007, 09:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReadyToRumble

Hello all,

I own an '80 Tbird 2 door hardtop that has an 8 cyl 255 engine. Everything under the hood is really cramped together it seems. The starter's "nose cone?" broke at the bolt eye holes and the starter seperated from engine the other morning as I was starting it. That was pretty weird. I had never heard of that.

When I tried to remove it I found that there isn't enough room for the starter to drop out. There are two steel lines that go back to the top side of the trannsmission,. the oilpan, etc, in the way.

I don't know the proper procedure to extract it. I was searching for a free online manual that might lay it out when I found the ford forum.

Can anyone offer me some advice, please?

Just a guess, but you may have to unbolt the motor mounts from the crossmember and lift the engine using a jack with a block of wood under the oil pan. See where the trans. cooler lines attach to the engine, there should be a bracket that wraps around the lines and bolts to the engine. Remove the bolt and move the lines over. If they dont move that far loosening the fitting on the trans. should help.