Hey everyone, I've got a weird problem. The past couple of days my starter motor hasn't been engaging, today I had a chance to jack it up and get underneath it and I realised that the top bolt was missing and the starter was sort of hanging off so it couldn't engage the flywheel.

Anyway, I thought no dramas and went to my mates place to rip a bolt out of an XC with a 250 xflow. The thread is exactly the same as the bottom starter motor bolt, the XC one is just a bit longer. I got home and went to put it in the ute and the top starter motor bolt hole in the bell housing has no thread in it.

Are these supposed to be held with a nut at the back of the bell housing? The only way I can think of fixing it is getting a really long bolt with a nut and doing it up on each side.

I know that I have the right hole too (lol, no pun intended) because the bottom bolt is in and the starter only goes in one way.

Any suggestions?

Cheers!

sounds like the thread is completely stripped, easiest fix is to use a longer bolt with a nut on the otherside of the bellhousing.....

You could drill tap and helicoil it. Or Drill and Re Tap a larger diamater. Im uncomfortable with the nut job ... The back surface isnt flush is it. Its just a little bodgey. I dont like being a poo poo er. Its up to you. Regards Daz. P.S How accesible is it, Witout the starter motor should be room to tap.

I've never used a helicoil and if the starter motor is out of the way, the manifold is still in the way. I'm just going to get a long bolt and put a nut on it with a spring washer or somehing similar.

Thanks guys.

or a medium loctite to stop it rattling off.

I've got some blue loctite that I was intending on putting on it

Cheers.

You can use the spacer tube from seat belt pillar bolt & cut it on an angle and use it on the sloping side of the bell housing to keep the bolt straight ,personally i would take off the manifold & use a fixa thread they are easy to use & stronger than a helicoil ,ps the manifold only takes about 20 min to get off ,then you have tons of room