USMC_DS1

Added to the DIY Sticky... +997 Devil Boy!

Lvt19672

Awesome job DB, oreilly's here I come when it's time for a starter

crazycarlitos

great write up and thx for posting it !

did u also replace the alternator to the starter cable (loom cable?) to the thicker 997.2 cable ?

I get a slow crank when the car (997.1) has been running for a while and I try to restart it.
From my understanding, the thicker cable will fix that.

Devil Boy

I had replaced that cable first along with a new battery and it did not help at all. I actually already had an upgraded cable thanks to the previous owner. I wished I had just gone with the starter replacement first because changing out that cable is a huge PITA and in the end it netted me zero improvement, other than becoming intimately more familiar with my engine bay. Live and learn.

Z00mie

Awesome write up ! Mine is slow cranking when hot but never seems to completely NOT crank. New battery but no cable replacement. I dread tackling that. I'd almost do the starter first now that I've seen this primo DIY w/photos and price of parts via O'Reilleys. Thank you, thank you...

Aolszowy

Tremendous help with the detail and photos! The starter replacement is my first real DIY repair on my '05 997S and the write up was a huge help! I pulled everything apart in about an hour and a half and hope to finish the project tomorrow night. The only slight issue I had was with the small vacuum tube on the back of the plenum, I couldnt disconnect it but was able to move the plenum out of the way with the line in place.

Thanks again for your work on this post!

Devil Boy

Glad it helped!

Psymon

Excellent write up! Thank you Devil Boy.

I've been experiencing slow cranking for a while and was about to send the car in to replace the starter cable. But now I surely try the DIY starter replacement first.

Aolszowy, look forward to hear how it went for you and if it improved the problem.

Thanks again guys.

fjasione997

First, thank you for this. I just completed the DIY with a Bosch starter. I have a 997.1 with 78k miles. I had replaced the battery about 6 months ago due to sluggish warm startup (Florida heat and battery was early 5 y/o). This did not remedy the problem so I moved on to the next best option, the starter. After driving with about 5 warm start ups its still slow to start but not as bad,(sounds like the knocking with lower octane gas at start up). After extensive reading I believe I will go after the alternator cable. Just an FYI and thanks again Devilboy.

Aolszowy

The repair was relatively painless. Prior to replacement I had slow cranking and the starter would get hung up and squeal a bit after start-up. I did also replace the battery proactively at time of starter replacement and I can confirm that I have zero issue with slow cranking and obviously the squeal of the starter has gone away. I opted for a starter from Autozone (Bosch internals). This was my first DIY and the step by step instructions took the edge off of the job! While working on these items I also replaced the cabin and engine air filters.

niner niner seven

This thread was a huge help. Here was my issue:

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...-start-up.html


With a new starter, starts right up and no screeching (knock on wood)

A HUGE thanks to the OP.

One suggestion: an inspection camera was helpful in locating the lower bolt holding in the starter. It is really tough going in between the alternator and the oil tube sight unseen. Good luck to all.

PelicanParts.com

Very detailed write up. Thanks for sharing.

-Luccia

Ynot

Good stuff, will come in handy when I need to replace mine.

Devil Boy

Yeah that bottom bolt can be a booger. I had to use a mirror to find it. It can be done though.

Psymon

Really want to thank the OP again! With this great DIY write up and detailed photos, I went ahead to replace the starter this weekend.

The first attempt I underestimated the length of the wrench extension needed so I couldn't get to the the lower bolt. So I put everything back together and went to buy a 20 inch, extension which was really hard to find.

Once I had the right tools, I restarted the job and was done in about 2.5 hours. I didn't have to remove the tuning pipe (tried but was really tight), but I was lucky that I had small hands so I could still slide my hand to underneath the starter and guide the wrench extension to unlock the bolt, as well as removing the bolt withOUT dropping it!!!

It's still early to say if this has fixed the problem yet. But the initial tests at warm start seemed to be better:

- before : Chee--e--Chee---e--Che---Che--Che-Start!
- after: Che---Che--Che-Start!

My battery is 3.5 years old now, so I will get replaced anyway and see if I can get it to:
- Che-Che-Start.

This was probably the boldest DIY on this 997 for me so far. Thanks to OP again for this excellent write up