Chrysler Repair: Changing a starter, chrysler imperial, torque wrench

Question
My son inherited his grandfathers 1991 Chrysler Imperial and I am fond of the car also, however, the starter is very undependable.  I need some advice on replacing.  Is this something a fair mechanic (me) can perform?

Answer
Hi Mark,
Replacing a starter motor is not a difficult job for a fair mechanic. However, two important issues are accessibility and tools. There are 4 different engines that might have been used in that model year and so it is not possible to generalize about whether it will require contortionist skills to reach all the bolts and to thread the unit out from its location to free it for trade-in/rebuilding. I suspect that it will have to be removed from underneath so for safety you will want to have 2 jack stands to support the front end off of the ground to allow yourself access.
And the successful mechanic needs a set of sockets, extensions, ratchets and a ideally (though for this job not critical) a torque wrench to tighten the mounting bolts to specification. So I think the best thing to do would be to locate the starter and jack up the car and size up the accessibility to the mounting bolts and whether you have the tools to pull it off.
Maybe even before all of the above considerations, though, is the question of undependability of the starter. Are you sure it is the motor itself and not the associatied electrical circuit? Can you describe it what manner it is unreliable. Perhaps we can access if some other component of the circuit is the reason for undependability and obviate the need for replacing the motor at this time. So if you can describe the nature of the undependability and what if anything has been investigated as to its cause I can give you some suggestions for further evaluation.
Roland