How do you remove the top starter bolt on a 1992 Pontiac sunbird?

Answer 1

Access from the topside of the engine compartment drivers side under the intake manifold next to the main wiring harness loom.You'll need a 17mm socket short and a 3inch wobbly extension on a 3/8 ratchet.Next and this is the really fun part.Bend your wrist a bit to snake through the maze of lines and hose and wire looms to find the bolt.Once your there its a matter of slow turns a little at a time till its out.Its also a good idea to have either a jack ready to support the weight of the starter or a friend holding onto it from the bottom if your doing the top last.Otherwise you have to do the top first and then hold onto the starter as you remove the bottom bolt last which is a major pain considering the angle which is really awkward.Don't forget to remove the ground from the battery first and the small wires before releasing the starter from the last bolt.One other important note is to double check the threads on the bolts before installing the new starter because many times theyre really nasty or rusted up pretty bad.Give them a good cleaning or replace them with the exact same part preferribly stainless steel.Also double check the threads on the top bolt to make sure the thread pitch is correct.I got mine from Napa and the thread pitch was wrong.It was standard when it should have been metric.So I had to re-thread the starter bolt hole in order to use my original bolt which was O.E.

Hope this helps