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Let me start by saying the only starter replacement threads ive seen we're on the discovery's.
Tools I used were: 13mm gearwrench wrenches, multiple lengths were needed. This is for the 2 bolts that hold on the starter. 12mm open end wrench for the nut on the positive starter lead. 8mm wrench for a heat shield, and a 10mm for a heat shield. Also have a metric wratchet set available.
This took me about 4-5 hours but would take me less than 2 if I had to do it again.
Also let me apologize for not having pix. It was a frustrating ordeal.
Disconnect battery.
front end needs to be raised off of ground so that the suspension hangs free.
I had a forklift at work so I used that and a 6"x6" piece of wood to go across forks
Take off passenger front wheel
Reach in and gently disconnect the lever/arm that is for what I think is the sensor for the air suspension
Lay under truck and position yourself under starter. You will see a heat shield that base some metal tubes attached to it. Use the 8mm wrench to undo it. It won't move freely but gives you enough clearance to remove the lower bolt of starte. This is the.EASY one.
The upper one takes finese. Note that lower bolt faces rear of truck, upper bolt is ontop facing engine compartment. I loosened 4 bolts lol wondering why the ef is the starter still stuck,
When you are ready for the upper bolt you will need to reach in where the neg and pos leads go onto the starter. Look at the replacement starters neg lead. See how it is a disconnect style. You have to reach in blindly and disconnect the neg wire first. Then with good luck and god you will be able to unscrew the top bolt via 13mm straight gearwrench.
Go back under truck and you can pull down the starter. The pos is still screwed on. Use your 12mm to remove it.
Michael, thank you for this write up. I had to change my starter this morning, and your notes definitely made it easier. The only thing I would add is that the factory manual says to remove the heat shield right between the battery and the engine, and the three heat shields that you see right by the height sensor. This will then allow you to undo the electrical wiring first and also makes it MUCH easier to undo the top bolt on the starter.
I didn't know there was a manual.... I searched all over the Internet for lr3 starter replacement and found only for discovery ii.
Now mind you, this isn't my land rover . It is my brothers. I figureed I could replace it because Ive done some in several of my cars and family members cars. After looking back I think in reality I could now change it in about an hour...
Most importantly I'm glad my pain helped somebody else lol.
Here are the factory instructions for removing the starter on the 4.4 liter V8 engine. I'm not even sure where I got these instructions, perhaps the disco3 forums, but it was a rather large set that covers just about every aspect of repairs for the LR3.
DIY LR3 starter replacement
