Well, the starter finally gave up. I'd like to get it removed before heading to AutoZone and save the back and forth for the core charge.
I'm replacing it this weekend but need a little cheat sheet before I slide my 64 year old body underneath.
I have ramps to elevate the front end and a hydraulic jack to support the starter.
I may use the jack to raise the right side and slide the ramp under the wheel if I can't get one more start out of it.
First off is to disconnect the negative battery cable.
Any help on socket sizes would be greatly appreciated so I'm prepared with the correct tools the first time under.
My tool selection should be adequate with both metric and standard.
Thanks all for any assistance!

 

There's only 2 bolts holding the starter to the bellhousing. You'll need 15mm, 13mm, and 10mm short and deep sockets and 3" and 6" extension. It weighs about 8 pounds, that doesn't seem like much until you are bench pressing it. Note if there are any shims between the starter and bellhousing.

(If you've never done a mopar starter before, they bolt to the transmission, not the engine)

 

THANKS, magnethead. Yeah, bench press with 1 hand!
I have all the tools, now just a day of decent weather and I'm set.

 

If you are lucky, the stud will stay in the bellhousing and only the nut will come off (I forget if top or bottom).

OH, there is also a bushing in one of the starter holes. Keep it, don't return with the core.

If the starter has been previously done, the stud may have been swapped for a bolt, or the bolt for a stud. I think top is stud and bottom is bolt, I could be backwards. It's been a while since i did a stock starter. Also, the bellhousing threads are probably english, but the bolts seemed metric to me. On my SFI bell they are english (5/16-18 or 3/8-16 I think?) so I put new grade 8 bolts in and called it good.

 

Thanks for the additional info.
The service manual shows the top bolt coming out from the rear and the bottom bolt coming out to the front.
Hoping for some sunshine in the morning to help warm up the cement driveway!!

 

I hadn't realized that the 2.5 is different until you said that. Even looks like it's on the passenger side instead of driver side?

Either way, it's not a hard piece to change.

 

When I pulled the engine all I remember was two bolts that bolt up into the block and they were in extremely hard.

Revers torex bolts very special size bolts large head so if you damage them bad news it took an electric gun with a socket hammered on it to remove it a hammer on socket.

 

I had to hammer one of these on the bolt head the torex socket couldn't grip it all it did was spin and round it.
No shims on these starters just bolt and go.

 

You do have a different trans in a 2000 but the starter should be the same my 98 has the AX-15 trans the starter bolts to the block.

OK JUST IGNORE my info just looked at starters for a 2000 2.5 very different the starter must bolt to an adapter plate or directly to the NV-1500 trans.

What do ya know

The 2-nd gen Dakotas went through constant modifications from 98 to 2004 every year things changed.