Yes the truck has about 150 160k on it. I was hoping it was the battery but that did not fix the situation. It still clicks and if I choose to keep cranking on the key several times sometimes it starts and sometimes it doesn't. So with the clicking I figure its the starter. And I am at the point of having the 1 bolt off of the top and the 1 nut off of the bottom of the starter and I cannot get the starter to budge.

 

Well I beat and yanked on it some more to no avail. Anyone with suggestions?

 

I know on my 99 it has only 2 bolts. Not sure about earlier models. Are you sure there isn't a bolt from the back side?

Usually a starter will just die. Why not double check the grounds, especially the one by the power steering pump. Make sure it is clean and tight. A loose ground will cause intermittant operation.

Never had a starter that would not "let go!"

 

My starter use to do the same, I just rebuilt the silenoid (sp) with a kit from ebay. Kit was ten bucks and the starter motor it self works like before.

With mine the whole bottom stud came out with the nut.

 

The Denso starters used on our engines are known for that click-click-click failure mode. On the up side, replacing the contacts fixes them almost every time. The kit is about ten bucks on fleabay, twenty or so at normal retail.

I've never had one hang up as the OP reports. It's got me wondering if maybe one of the two fasteners removed wasn't one that holds the starter in place. Even with the starter nose gear engaged with the drive plate the starter should come away relatively easily.

 

this will sound stupid, but make sure you removed the correct bolt at the top. i think? there is a bellhousing bolt right next to that starter bolt.

 

I actually removed both bolts on top the one for the starter and bell housing just to be thorough and so I couldn't say well there is one still up there.

If I get a solenoid kit is that still something that the whole starter needs to be removed for or not?

Shoc how did you manage to get the whole thing to come out on the bottom?

 

UuU can replace the contacts without removing the entire assembly. Its tricky, but I did it when I tried cleaning my contacts. I ended up replacing the entire starter since that didn't solve my problem.

Mine was 15 years old n came off easy, which is y I can't help but think u have a stud or bolt still holding yours on. Maybe that lock washer is still stuck to the bolt?

Get a mirror and see if there's still a bolt on there (my 97 only had 2). Like gdstock said, maybe there is one on the back side????

Maybe some penetrating oil and/or heat and/or some more taps with the hammer.

 

hmmm,
if without a doubt all bolts and nuts are removed,
and the starter is not working anyway,

--id place a piece of 2x2 or 2x4 against it out on the end and smack it with increasingly large BFH. be prepared for it to come flying out. AND its heavy !!

try hard not to break the housing, as that would disqualify it's core value.

 

Like dhv said if all the bolts are out for sure then go at it. When I unbolted the bottom the stud just came out and its been like that ever since. Make sure though that the cables are unbolted because once loose it will hang. It really sounds like there's still the top left. I know from the botton I can't see the top bolt I have to feel around for it to get the socket on it.