Well…the job is definitely doable. Took me about 8 hours, and that’s doing the job twice unfortunately (see notes below about rubber o-ring on the water bypass tube). Otherwise, it would have been a 6 hour job.
If you don’t have the service manual, pay the annual subscription to AllDataDIY (http://www.alldatadiy.com/) and download the instructions on how to R/R the starter. Well worth the $24.95/year fee.
I purchased a rebuilt Bosch starter from The Parts Bin (http://www.thepartsbin.com/) for $145. Good group of people to work with.
The most valuable tools you’ll need:
• A Camcorder to record the incredible detail of countless wireless and vacuum lines you’ll need to disconnect. You may need to refer to the tape as you try to put Humpty-Dumpty back together again.
• A set of magnetic socket inserts. There are way too many bolts that are impossible to get out/in without them.
• A flexible magnetic pickup tool for the countless bolts you’ll drop none-the-less.
Some notes that are not in the AllData spec sheets on the starter R/R.
• The R/R details for the starter only give you a generalized instruction on “removing the intake manifold”. This is by far the most difficult task. Look up removing the cylinder head and you’ll get a better description of how to remove the intake manifold.
• Drop the coolant level to below the water pump line to avoid it spilling all over the engine block.
• There is a rather innocent o-ring on an aluminum water bypass tube that runs underneath the intake manifold. You have to remove the tube in order to get at the starter. REPLACE THE O-RING WITH A NEW ONE!!!! Doesn’t matter how good it looks. IT WILL LEAK WHEN YOU START THE CAR AGAIN. A $0.45 part is well worth the expense to avoid doing the job twice like I had to do. I must admit, it only took me 40 minutes to yank the intake manifold the second time. And 30 minutes to put it back in.
• Put liquid soap on the O-ring to keep it from binding in the pressure fit hole on the back side of the water pump.
• I did not need to replace the manifold gaskets – they were in fine shape.
• I did not need to replace the gaskets on the coolant bridge that links the two sides of the block together.
Every quote I obtained was between $800 to $950. Most all quoted the book rate of 5.5 hours. However, they all wanted to sell me the rebuilt starter at full list of $450.
So I’m sitting here fat and happy with an extra $800 in my pocket now. Life is good.