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.

Now go in exact reverse to install new unit.

I hope this helps somebody


Michael.

 

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.

Michael.

 

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.

 

Awesome, thanks..

Please sticky thread


Michael

 

Just what I needed, thanks Champ

 

You're very welcome. Sorry for not having pix. I get frustrated easy and taking pix was the last thing on my mind.

Michael.

 

I did this a few weeks ago on my '07 LR3 V8. The only thing different was I didn't remove the upper ball joint. I did put a jack on the rotor and raised it up a bit to give me an opening through to the upper bolt in the starter. Which by the way took about .5 hours to remove, 1/8 of a twist at a time. I also left the wiring on it until I dropped it down enough to get at.

 

Just finished a starter replacement. Total time was about 2 hours thanks to the tips above. I went with a reman unit (Pure energy) through Rock Auto. Total cost was $35 + $55 core. LR wanted $400+

I removed:

negative battery terminal
skid plates
passenger (right side front wheel)
suspension sensor rod
the three small heat shields behind the upper A arm

I did not have to remove (listed as remove in shop manual)

ball joint
sway bar link
brake hoses from upper a arm


Upper bolt was quite easy for me once heat shields removed. I was able to loosen with 13mm box end wrench then have a 3/8 swivel socket and about 18" worth of extensions. Just enough angle to rotate out.

Lower bolt straightforward.


I removed the + wire (nut) and the wire clip before dropping starter.

Tips:

- Have a lot of socket extensions and swivel and you can rotate the upper bolt our quick (1 minute)

- If working on the ground and jackstands are holding front end then a jack and move the A arm up for better access. Be aware if this jack fails and your arm is in reaching at starter bits then it could get nasty. Use a smaller jackstand as a backup.

- a 10mm and 13mm gear wrench (stubby) are useful.

- remember or take picture on the heat shield orientations.

That is it.

Eric

 

Just did this job too ('05 V8 LR3). Pulled the starter out the bottom - did not need to disconnect the ball-joint, or prop up the knuckle. My advise, from experience; pay attention to wiring layout. Big wire goes over the little one. Also, make sure, when you put it back on, the big wire doesn't obstruct access to the "top bolt". As others have said - loosen and move (up) the heat shield to gain access to the top bolt and wiring. Might have to undo the big wire to get the starter out - it first moves forward, and then drops, tail-first, out the bottom. With the big wire on, I could not move it far enough forward to drop the gear down. There is a bracket that secures the wiring under the starter - just take the 8 (or is it 6?) mm bolt out, to get the bracket/wires freely moving. When re-assembling, get the bottom bolt started first (don't tighten it). It will hold the starter in place while you put the wiring back on, and then you can pivot on it to get the top bolt started (starting the top bolt just has to be done by feel).