How to Replace the Starter in a 1997 Jeep Wrangler

The Jeep Wrangler is designed for off-road use but many people have them simply because they are reliable in snowy weather and because they think they look great. At some point in time you'll need to replace the starter as with most other moving parts on your vehicle. The good thing is that the starter is easily accessible and the repair will only take about 1.5 hours to complete in your own driveway or garage, which means you can save a lot of money on labor charges.

Things You'll Need

  • Marker
  • Masking tape
  • Metric socket set
  • Metric wrench set
  • Disconnect the negative battery terminal using a wrench to loosen the nut.

  • Crawl under the jeep on the driver's side and locate the starter. Tag the wires using the marker and masking tape as to their proper locations. Disconnect the wires by removing the nuts with a wrench.

  • Remove the mounting bolts from the starter using a socket and ratchet and remove it from the engine. Take note to hold onto the starter when you are removing the last bolt so that it doesn't simply drop off the engine.

  • Put the new starter on the engine and tighten the bolts with the socket and ratchet. Reconnect the wires according to how you tagged them and tighten the nuts with a wrench.

  • Reconnect the battery terminal and start the Jeep to test the installation.