Toms mini srarter is amazing.

[rjrobin2002]

I had been wanting to replace my starter for the past year or so due to it being too loud and sounding like some bearings were worn. I decided last week that I was going to replace it before OCBR cause it would suck to have my starter fail on the trail. I ordered the starter last week and it came in Saturday, starter died Sunday. I was off today and had that on the schedule for this morning. Last night I went to friends for some BBQ and football and when I went to leave, "click, click" was all I got whein I turned the key. My friend only lives right down the road, so I walked home smiling last night cause I could not think of a more perfect time for the starter to bite the dust. "8 hours before I was going to replace it" LOL. I left my house at 11:20 and am back home by 12:10. Replacement went great and holy crap this thing starts the Bronco so fast and is twice as quiet. And to all of you sissys that complain about that top bolt, this was my first Bronco starter replacement and it was easy to remove "like 5 seconds" with a 12" extension and a swivel joint on the end. Just wanted to brag about a perfect scenario break down.

 

[Tasty Geezer]

very cool...will be embarking on that in the near future

 

[74fiberglass]

Got one sittin on the bench waitin for the motor to go back in. This is good to know

 

[airbur]

Very cool....been thinking about that upgrade myself lately. Great to hear the install isn't that bad.

 

[DirtDonk]

Yeah, put one in a friend's Bronco a couple of months ago. Nice little unit and not a bad price either. I can get the stock Ford gear reduction starters at prices close to that, but many of them have core charges too, so that changes the equation.

Did you wire it through the stock fender mounted relay? Or did you bypass it completely?
Just curious.

Paul

 

[rjrobin2002]

I went through the relay like the instructions said to. If that relay failed I would just bypass it and wire the it straight to the ignition switch. I read that the stock ignition switch can not handle that much volts without a relay for long periods of time. It is working great.

 

[matt w]

ya know I also put one in mine about 3 weeks ago and you are so right it is amazing!;D

...ps I am one of the sissy's!

 

[airbur]

Just bought the same one thanks to this thread...arrived yesterday...will be installing soon

 

[Justafordguy]

I installed one when I switched from manual to auto. It is a nice unit and way easier to remove/install that the stock starter. It would really be easier on an EB with headers.

 

[Offroadchick]

Nice to hear! Since my bronco eats starters like candy, I'll probably get one next time. Oh, and I'm a 95 lb. girl. Did my first starter install a month ago and must say....yeah, a guy would have to be a sissy to not be able to "do" that top bolt . Though, truthfully...my back did feel as if it were thrown out for a day or two (those suckers are heavy!). And...it does take a bit of torsion ability approaching circus performers to do it, but next time should be a breeze. Nice to be here, btw...thanks for all the good advice I've been reading!

 

[emac]

Good info, I'm looking at mini starter options right now and want to buy the part I want the first time for once!

 

[airbur]

I've had it installed for a little while now and it's working great. Very quite to.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Bought my mini from the starter / alternator rebuild shop right up the street. He even accepted the old style starter as an equal core for the new one.
Went in easy , starts easy ......

 

[av bronco]

I wish I had bought one from toms, got a toshiba or hatichi(cannot remember witch one) from local speed shop, more expensive and dosent sound smooth as stock when starting.

 

[chuckinphx]

anybody know if theres a junkyard vehicle to get these off of.. mine original style works but i like treasure huntin...

 

[Ethansdad73]

i think the starter from a 5.0 mustang should work.... if i remember right

http://www.azbronco.org/tech02.htm

 

[DirtDonk]

Probably so. The Exploders, Pickups and Broncos with 5.0/5.8 engines from about '92 to '97 should bolt right up. You just have to make sure you source one for either an automatic or manual transmission. Depending on what you have.
The nose cones are different on each, but within the same tranny type, the part numbers for the starters are the same for all those other vehicles.
I'll look up the Mustang and car units and be right back...

Paul

 

[DirtDonk]

Yep, big cars and even the Vans used the same part number. I'm sure most (if not all) the cars and vans were using the automatic version, but if that's what you need, there you go.
The Crown Vics got them from about mid-90 to about '93, or whenever they changed over to the 4.6 motor.

The factory replacement types are a bit different looking from the one Tom's sells. Should work the same, but I'd say that Tom's is just a tiny bit "tidier" looking than the more plain-jane Ford unit.
Might be a Hitachi or something like that then, but it's certainly not the higher priced ones. Tom's basic price is pretty good it seems to me. But you should be able to get a factory replacement style new, at your local parts store, for maybe a few bucks more.
Assuming no core-charge of course.

Paul
Paul

 

[Bronco_69]

anybody know if theres a junkyard vehicle to get these off of.. mine original style works but i like treasure huntin...

any v8 ford 95 or newer 5.0 or 5.8l

 

[DirtDonk]

To my knowledge _69, that's incorrect. First off, it has to be for a 5.0 or 5.8 Windsor family motor I would think. And except for the Explorer, '96 was the last year they used it in the Bronco/F150 trucks, and '97 for the F250/350. Anything after that was a Mod-Motor 4.6/5.4 and shouldn't work.
I can't say from personal experience that they don't fit between the engines, because I've never tried. I can only tell you from my end, that the part numbers are different between those years. So if you want to experiment, or if you know they fit, that's some good info for us.

Paul