Starter replacement on 71 Buick Skylark

[Tony Ortega]

I just replaced the starter on my 71 Buick Skylark last night. Its just a base 2 door post sedan with original 350.

The starter has 2 bolts holding it to the block and one hidden bolt on top of the starter. If I didn’t have small hands I wouldn’t have been able to get to that top bolt. Needless to say when I replaced it with a re-manufactured starter I could not get that hidden bolt to go into the replacement starter. I was unable to see what I was doing and had to contort my hand in the funkiest ways possible just to get a wrench in there to remove the bolt.

My question is, is this top bolt truly necessary? Its just a short 1/2″ bolt. The other two cinch the starter up very well and the car started and fired up for me last night and this morning with no issues but I dont know if that bolt will screw me in the long run by not having put it back in.

Thanks!

Topic

[Tony Ortega]

I’ve circled the bolt in question. Its a small threaded hole on top of the starter. There is a small 1/2″ long 1/2″ bolt that goes through a small engine mounted bracket and to the starter. I don’t see much purpose in this other than to make it a pain to remove the starter.

Does anyone have information on this? Perhaps it was just to hold the starter in place so it doesn’t completely fall on your face when you remove the other two bolts?

Attachments:

• Starter.jpg

[Tom Rech]

No, it’s not mandatory that it be installed. It’s a value-added kind of thing. I ran just the two long bolts in my Chevy starters for years without any problems. If memory serves, I don’t think they even had the third bolt.

I would just check them periodically to make sure they’re tight. At every oil change is a good time to check them.

[Tom Rech]

My theory is that it’s there to keep the motor case from flexing too much while cranking the engine. Nice to have, but not imperative. The more important thing is to make sure you are shimmed correctly to the flexplate.

[Richard Ostrowski]

You really should attach that bolt to the starter. The bracket that it attaches to is called a nose support. GM had a lot of problems with engine block breakage at the two rear mounting bolt holes. Their solution was to add this nose support. The bracket also keeps the starter from tilting which results in the infamous GM starter whine.

[Tony Ortega]

thanks for the advice guys. I will probably try to put that bolt back in this weekend. I just said screw it at the time because it was already late and I was tired, sore, and frustrated. Its one of those things you just have to walk away from and deal with later.

That bolt was also the reason I never removed the starter a few months back when it first started to show signs it was going out. I removed the wires and the two bolts and couldn’t figure out why the starter was just dangling there in the air. It wasn’t until I managed to track down an online version of the service manual in one little side note about the hidden bolt.

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