mj starter

1987mj/4cyl,5spd manual, d30,d35, 4.10 gears

The starter is trying to engage, but just clicking away. I can fell the solenoid switch moving on the starter just no go. My question is how do you get the starter off with it so close to the bellhousing and the other bolt seems to be ontop of the exhaust pipe? ANy help would be appreciated. I have not had a 4cyl jeep before. The starter on my 98xj was really cut and dry.
Thanks,
chuck

Gotta ask: Battery is fully charged and has been load tested? If the battery is weak your solenoid will fail to engage. Have you inspected the battery cables, cleaned the cable ends and renewed all the grounds? Does your starter look like The Creature from the Tar Pits?

battery tested good. Cables are ok, and creature from the tar pits is a pretty good example.

How are doing with this?

Still nothing. AM pretty sure it is the starter, but I am unsure of the removal process. The manual says remove bolts, but there is no way to get a socket on it. It is too damn close to the edge of the belhousing.

I'm trying to remember how the the starter on my 4-cyl YJ mounted. I thought it was two torx head bolts straight up from the bottom. Anyway, I had problems with that starter getting mud in the solenoid and not fully engaging. I had to pull it off a few times, clean the mud out of the solenoid, polish up the copper contacts, and lightly grease the bore. Once the starter is off, it was two big phillips head screws that held the solenoid on.

You tried banging on it while someone hits the ignition for you?

yeah we tried that too. there are not torx bolts that I see, rather standard bolts. I have no clu how they got them on there because there is no room for a wrench.

two bolts, from underneath, straight up thru the starter and into the block. The exhaust crossover is directly in the way of one of them (the one closest to the block IIRC), but you can get a socket on it with a short extension.

Or else pull the intermediate exhaust pipe.....

Jeff