I need a starter for my 97 Maxima. Called dealerships who said Nissan doenst actually make any brand new starters and only has 1 yr warranty. The cost is 246.00 for only the starter. I saw online at nissanpartstore.com for 220.00. Is there any way to get one cheaper than this?? Parts guy said, your're better off finding a non-nissan one or from anyone else cause its the same thing and is cheaper. Esp cause Nissan only offers rebuilds which they claim as new. Also is it really difficult to replace it yourself? I got haynes and it doesnt seem that bad? Thanks!
You can pick one up a Beck/Arnley rebuilt starter at Autozone for $150 (after core return) or a dirt cheap Duralast one for about $95 (once again, after core return). But I'd go with the rebuilt OEM starter. I think pretty much all of them are rebuilt these days (at least they are on older vehicles). BTW, I don't believe Nissan claims their starters are new, although people may assume that. In fact, if you check the online catalogs that many Nissan dealerships now have (such as the one I use, Jerry Rome Nissan
I got mine a couple of months ago from Pinnacle Nissan/Infiniti in Arizona, 888-998-9800, snipped-for-privacy@vtaig.com. You pay the $60 core charge, and the return shipping, and they send it with a return address label. Very easy, just box up the old starter, put on the label, and drop off at a UPS store or call for pickup.
Nets out to $190 when all is said and done. Just be sure to identify yourself as a Maxima.org or SE-R group member, and ask specifically for the Internet discount. If the first guy you talk to doesn't know anything about it, ask him to check or talk with someone else.
You'll have a rebuilt to OEM standards, which Autozone and the rest are NOT. (Nissan doesn't claim it is new, but it looks new because it is so well done. There is a small label on it that identifies it as a rebuilt. It is almost impossible to obtain a brand new one, and you wouldn't want to pay the price anyway.) You can rely on Nissan's rebuilt to last as long as the original. The rest will quite possibly poop out in a year or two.
They are not hard to replace overall. The duct work and battery tray will need to come out, which isn't too hard. (Some people will tell you the tray does not need to come out; but it helps you to see what you're doing down there at least the first time.) Several electrical connectors need to come off for easy access, and it was my experience that you have to be pretty aggressive. You probably will not be able to get the starter bolts loose without a breaker bar or improvised "torque enhancer" of some sort. They had to be at least 50-60 ft.lbs.
I don't know if the bolts go directly into aluminum threads in the block, or into some sort of reinforcing sleave embedded in the block, so I took some comfort in loosening them and torquing them back up when the engine was completely cold just like you would with spark plugs.
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