OK, so my beloved 97 discovery matilda refused to start last night, plenty of battery juice and no ignition noises whatsoever. I'm guessing its the starter. At the time it was kind of late at night and about to start pissing rain, so since there was another car there I just left it and came back home.

I am guesing its the starter, and I'm thinking that maybe if I give it a good knock it will start, but I am not sure where it is on the engine, and where I am living right now (in the middle of nowhere in the desert an hour and a half from a 200 person town) doesn't have good enough internet to look up an engine diagram, and I would like to find out where it is before I head back out to matilda.

I actually have a mechanics repair manual in matilda but was too damn stupid to remember to grab it when we left.


Also, in case a good hit doesnt get it started, how hard is it to access the started to change it? I've changed one on a subaru and I know they're easy if you can get to them. Oh and its the 4.0 liter v8.

 

Just crawl under the truck and look.
One thing you will find, the more you try and help your self first the better the chance we can then help you as you rule things out.

 

It is on the passenger side of the truck, tucked up under there pretty good. Follow the plus wire from the battery. It will come out, but it works best if you get at the bolts from ahead of the axle, with several extensions. Take some spray brake cleaner and wash out the heads of the allen head bolts. There is also a heat shield held in place by a small bolt into the metal part of the engine mount (?).

When you get to where you can access the internet, like a library, etc., you can download the service manual set called the RAVE, and save it on a USB drive.