My 2001 7.3 needs a new starter.

Looking at the O'Reilly website, I see lots of options ranging from about $150 to $1000. No flippin' way I'm spending $1K on a starter. But I figure buying the cheapest one available is likely to bite me in the butt, so I'm looking midrange.

In the $250-300 range, there are many options. Some have 2 mounting bolts, some have 3. My existing starter is a 2-bolt starter, but the truck appears to have a hole for a third bolt. Looking at some other threads here, it looks like maybe that's just a personal preference. From my point of view, it seems like 3 bolts would be better than 2, if I have the option. Is there any reason why I shouldn't buy a 3-bolt starter?

Also, I see that some starters specify "before 2/27/01", some say "after 2/27/01", and some don't mention a date. Was there a mid-year change that makes a significant difference in starters? My VIN sticker says the truck was built in 6/01. That suggests that maybe I should avoid any starter that says "before 2/27/01," but would I be safe with one that doesn't mention a date?

Also, are there any brands I should look for, or look out for? Should I shop somewhere other than O'Reilly? I really don't want to spend over $300, and I'd prefer reman over new, partly because I want to give them back the old core instead of disposing of it. I know some people here like the idea of buying a new one and having the old one rebuilt to keep for a spare, but I don't want to go that route.

 

If you have a local generator/alternator/starter rebuilder, I would go that route. I definitely wouldn't go $1,000 for a starter, $200 is pushing it for one of the Chinese ones.

Some are 2 bolt and the older ones are 3 bolt, so that must be the build date.

 

I went with this one 9 months ago. It is performing flawlessly since install, and the truck starts quicker with it.

 

You can use either starter. Rebuild your own if you can. But I would buy new if I went that way. Hate replacing things even if it has life time.

 

'04 6.0L high torque starter.

 

My experience with DB Electrical has been their starters are knock-offs made in China even if they claimed to be new. I had a gear to fail in the one I purchased, had it repaired and keep it as a spare only.
I purchased a true Denso from a local supplier and it has certainly been a fine starter.

 

I went with O'Reilly's, purchased one for 2003, had higher torque rating, for my '99.

 

i went the cheap China starter for a few years.. That being said, they would last a year and blow up... Made the change to a 03 high torq starter.. It's been great for three years now... It even sounds different.. Cranks fast and mean..

 

That seems to be correct. Looking at the website again, it appears that all the ones that say before 2/27 are 3-bolt, and all the ones that say after 2/27 are 2-bolt. Then there are both 2-bolt and 3-bolt models that don't specify a date. I thought that meant that they were "universal", but maybe it just means you should buy the bolt configuration that matches your existing starter without worrying about dates.

What was confusing me was that my truck has a third bolt-hole, currently unused with my 2-bolt starter, but the build date is 6/01, which seems to mean "new" or "2-bolt".

But taking a closer look at the location of the bolt-holes on the truck, it doesn't look like it would match up with the holes on the available "old, 3-bolt" starters. I'm not 100% sure, because I'm not good at visualizing where the pictured holes would be as the starter was rotated to fit in the truck. Since I know the existing 2-bolt starter fits, and that's what seems to be specified for my build date, regardless of that confusing third hole, I think I'd be better off to stick with a 2-bolt.

I was just curious whether anybody here had experience with starters on trucks of this vintage (I assume it would be late 01 thru 03), and had seen that third hole and knew why it was there or whether it matched the available 3-bolt starters.

 

This is the starter I went with from Oreilly.
(I also paid the $10 core and kept my old starter and have had it rebuilt. It is a spare now.)


Ultima Select - Starter

Line: USL | Part # 35154


$169.99 Each

Plus Core $10.00

Line: USL | Part # 35154
limited lifetime warranty
UPC: 631002204815
New
To 2/27/01
With 3 Mounting Bolts
Ultima Select Starter
New Or Remanufactured: New
Number Of Teeth: 12
Voltage (V): 12 Volt
KW Rating (Kw): 3.6KW
Gear Reduction Ratio: 4.2:1
Mounting Shims Included: No
Series: Wound Field Planetary Gear Reduction

 

I think you forgot the link

 

Patience grasshopper.

 

When was your truck built? That starter is a 3-bolt, before 2/27/01 starter. I decided a 2-bolt starter would be a better choice for me, since my truck was built in 6/01, the existing starter was 2-bolt, and the third hole in the truck didn't seem to match the configuration of the 3-bolt starters.

According to the O'Reilly website, my local store didn't seem to have an appropriate starter in stock, and I couldn't order one for in-store pickup. I didn't want to wait for delivery, so I went to AutoZone instead, and bought this:

Duralast Gold/Starter DLG3201S- Read1Reviews onDuralast Gold #DLG3201S

This one seems to crank my truck a lot faster than the old one did, but maybe that's just because the old one was dying.

There was a $10 core charge. I'm going to take the old one back and get my $10 instead of trying to get it rebuilt. With a "limited lifetime" warranty on the new one, what's the point of keeping a spare? Just one more thing to trip over.

Adding:
After looking at more pictures, it's possible that a 3-bolt starter would have fit my truck if I rotated the starter so that the solenoid was closer to the passenger side, instead of being closer to the drivers' side as in the original installation. That might have put the third hole where it needed to be. Not sure the cable would have reached to that location, but it probably would, since it's not a big difference. Ah well.. what I have is working, and appears to be "correct".

 

Build Date 5/01
As for fit, the two bolt and the three bolt are interchangeable.
If the clerk said it will not fit, that is likely because of what he read off the computer screen.
(Like a parts changer versus a mechanic.)
As long as you are happy with the results...

 

DUH! Your build date is in your sig .. I should have noticed that. I didn't talk to a clerk .. I made that mistake all by myself looking at the website. Maybe not really a mistake, since the one I got works, and is apparently the "right" one for my truck. Still don't understand why they made the switch. I'd be a little happier with a third bolt holding the starter in, but I guess there are millions of 2-bolt starters that aren't falling out of trucks.