97 Q45 Needs a starter how much and is it worth it?

[BigP]

It's in good shape otherwise. 170k. Been well taken care of. There is also a power sterring problem.

Private value blue book is about $3,000.

Is it worth it? How much to have a new starter put in?

Currently it's been sitting for a month.

Any advice appreciated.

[lamsv]

Starter cost me about $250 or so. Not too hard to put in, not to easy either. Getting to the top mounting bolt took some trickery.

Power steering is probably an easy fix. High pressure house is usually the culprit. I think the hose is $100-150?? Not to hard to replace either. Hardest part is probably bleeding the power steering system.

Is it worth it? I think so, if you can do the work yourself. If you have to pay a mechanic? Might not be.

[Skibane]

Private value blue book is about $3,000.

Is that the value with a bum starter and power steering, or with these items working normally?

"Book Value" doesn't mean anything unless you sell the car. If you keep it, it doesn't matter what the rest of the world is paying for cars like yours - The only "value" that matters is how much it costs to keep the vehicle running, versus how much enjoyment you get out of owning and driving it.

[BadQ45t]

Skibane is right, with those parts not working your car is worth $500 bucks. So the question is would it be worthwhile to repair those issues and continue to use the car? If the overall condition of the car is good, you still like it, and the big IF you have kept up with the usual stuff along the way (fluids, tune-ups etc) then for sure it is worth it. If you cannot remember the last time you changed the transmission fluid, the plugs are the original ones or only changed once, than it might be time to take the car out to pasture. But your not getting 3k for it with those issues.

Report back on what the overall status is and we can advise you. Also, if you not an experience DIY'er than the 97' Q is not for a beginner. I personally have zero mechanic ability so I have fixed exactly nothing myself. If yoru experienced than you can do it...but just to get to stuff there are alot of parts (plastics) you need to remove just to get in there.

[Q45tech]

T3 is replacing a 98Q45 engine as I type obviously the owner thinks more of his vehicle than book value.

[yodawill2000]

Welcome back SIR !!!

[Q451990]

T3 is replacing a 98Q45 engine as I type obviously the owner thinks more of his vehicle than book value.

It's good to see you back on here! I missed your "I'm back" post in April, so this is the first I've seen from you since last year. How's the Q doing post-overheat?

Heath

[kstreet08]

try autozone for a starter or an aftermarket store. i think my 94 q45 is going to need a started pretty soon. when i start it up, it;ll fire right up but theres like a little......mouse sound like a squeeking after is starts up like my starter is slowing down. every part for these cars are xpensive anyway. but maybe autozone is cheap or oreillys. thats just about all you can get at those places starters break pads everything i have to get online for cheaper b/c the dealers charges both arms and legs. hope this helps.

[Skibane]

try autozone for a starter or an aftermarket store.

The Auto Zone "Duralast lifetime guarantee" starter I installed in my Japanese pickup 5 months ago is already on its death bed - Only spins the engine every 2nd or 3rd turn of the key. When it finally dies altogether, I'm pulling it, taking it back to the store, and demanding my money back.

Life is too short to spend yanking crappy electrical parts - especially on a cramped, hard-to-work-on vehicle like the Q45.

OTOH, if you want decent stuff from a local supplier, you might take a look at Car Quest - Install their stuff once, and forget about it.

[maxnix]

Surely there is a good HItachi or Denso or Mitsubishi starter motor we can use out there?

[Q451990]

I would try a local rebuilder before going with something from AutoZone... or even a part out of a salvage yard in this case. Starters aren't particularly common failure items. Have you eliminated the starter relay as the cause of your problem?

Heath