Starter on 1997 QX4

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TurboDogV8
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Starter on 1997 QX4

Postby TurboDogV8 » Wed Aug 22, 2018 5:00 pm

Hi,

My starter went out on my 97 QX4 and the shop is quoting me $450 for the part!! I think I can get one on Ebay for much cheaper. However, I need to know how easy it is to replace. From what I've read it isn't that hard.

Also, they quoted me $969 for the positive battery cable/wiring harness. I don't know that part number, but does anybody know what part that would be and where I could get it cheaper? eBay again?

Thanks!


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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Fri Aug 24, 2018 11:51 am

As far as the starter, cost depends on what you want as far as quality, although is a bit high just for the part! You could always shop around for a better deal. In my experience as a Nissan Tech, the best quality starters are the genuine Nissan/Infiniti remans. In your case, it would be Nissan P/N: 2330M-0W011RW and they sell for around $300. A lot cheaper would be aftermarket alternatives, but often the quality is not as good and the part may last a long time or you may be replacing it again in a year or less. Rockauto.com has a number of new and reman options. If the "new" options, I would probably go for the Bosch ($115+shipping). I've used a TYC starter on a Taurus once and it lasted about two years before it failed, again. When ordering from Rockauto and dealing with reman starters, you have to send back the old part to get back the core charge. The make it fairly simple in that you can print out a discounted shipping label from their site under your account and they will deduct the shipping cost from the core charge owed to you, if you want. Usually the shipping charge on a starter is around $10. Of the reman options, I would go with the $82 (+shipping, +core) REMY starter, which I've had good luck with, or the $135 (+shipping, +core) Denso. The REMY and Bosch have limited lifetime warranties; the Denso warranty is 12 months. REMY is the same company that was once known as "Delco-Remy" and part of GM for many years until they separated and know is owned by Borg-Warner. Denso was once part of Toyota until they separated and now is the one of the largest automotive part suppliers in the world.

As far as how hard the starter is to replace, that depends on your mechanical capabilities. The starter is on the right side of the engine and bolted to the transmission bell house by two bolts (I think they are 14mm heads on the bolts). There should be a 12mm nut holding the battery cable to the starter solenoid and a harness connector in which you need to depress a tab and pull the connector out. Always disconnect the negative battery cable before attempting to replace the starter. If my memory is correct, you need to remove the skid plate and get it from under the vehicle, pulling it through to the front of the engine, but don't quote me. Autozone.com should have the procedure listed in their free repair guides at their site and I would think there is probably one or more YouTube vids demonstrating the procedure (you may have more luck searching "Pathfinder" than "Infiniti QX4."

The positive battery cable is part of the engine subharness and runs about $330 from the dealer and about $100 less from online dealers. I'm not sure if the Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti subharnesses are the same; most likely they are, but I'm just not sure. There is no aftermarket option for it. The question is do you really need it? What's wrong with it? If it's just the terminal end that is bad, the are cheap, aftermarket repair options that may work. If the internal cable is corroded badly, replacement of the subharness may be necessary. Without seeing it in person, I cannot say.

TurboDogV8
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Postby TurboDogV8 » Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:26 pm

Thanks for the reply!! I really appreciate the insight. I'm pretty handy, and I think I can replace the starter myself. Doesn't look that hard. I may even go to the junkyard and practice. :)

Regarding the subharness, the end of the battery connector (terminal end) is broken. The shop said they need to order the entire subharness since it's a part of it. I called BS as I can't imagine that one cannot just replace the terminal end. That looks easy as well.

Speaking of the subharness, how hard is that to replace, and where might I find a DIY guide?

P.S. Shop quoted me $450 for the starter and $969 for the subharness. Not doing that.

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Fri Aug 24, 2018 12:55 pm

Most of the time the original cable end can be cut off and replaced with some type of universal cable end. A picture of what you have would be helpful. Those with the wire-type, fuse links can, in cases required, cut the end by the battery and install eyelet connections, which can be attached to a universal cable end. You might want to take a trip to your local auto parts store and see what they have available.

There is no manual that shows how to replace the subharness. Essentially, it's disconnect the battery and maybe remove it for ease of access, unplug all of the harness connectors and try not to break any on the main engine harness, remove items as needed to be able to remove the harness from the engine compartment. It's not rocket science but some connectors can be difficult to get apart now that time has passed and sand has gotten under the tabs and the location of some connectors may be difficult to get at. I would look for an aftermarket solution for your cable end, first; it's rare that the entire battery cable subharness has to be replaced.

TurboDogV8
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Postby TurboDogV8 » Fri Aug 24, 2018 1:48 pm

Yeah, I'm at work right now. I'll take a pic when I get home and send it to you. I really appreciate your help. The father of one of the scouts in our Boy Scout troop is a mechanic, and he said he would come over if I got stuck. :)

TurboDogV8
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Postby TurboDogV8 » Fri Aug 24, 2018 4:15 pm

Does this look pretty accurate?

http://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/diy-proj ... inder.html

Well, sorta. That's a 2002 Pathfinder, which has the VQ35DE engine instead of the VG33E engine, and it looks like 2WD, which has a lot more room that a 4x4 Pathfinder.

TurboDogV8
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Postby TurboDogV8 » Fri Aug 24, 2018 4:50 pm

Image


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