Technical Starter Motor replacement on 2012 Fiat 500 0.9 TwinAir

[Bugbloke]

Hi all,

I'm attempting to replace the starter motor on my 2012 Fiat 500 0.9 TwinAir and have encountered an issue. I've successfully removed the two bolts accessible from underneath the car. However, the top bolt's head is on the starter motor side, making it inaccessible from above. I also noticed that the bolts are Torx head screws, not the 13mm bolts commonly shown in tutorials.

Has anyone dealt with this configuration before? Is there a recommended method to access and remove this top bolt? Do I need to remove additional components like the alternator to gain better access?

Any guidance or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

 

[Bugbloke]

I've now done the job and here's how because eLEARN doesn't list the 0.9 twinair at all.

1. Disconnect battery, no need to remove battery tray
2. Lift car, remove OSF wheel and wheel arch liner. You should have a straight shot the the starter from here to do the next steps.
3. Disconnect two large positive cables, spacer and smaller ignition cable from the terminal stud (15mm socket, and 13mm deep socket)
4. Using T50 on a long extension, remove the two visible rear screws. Be careful to not round out the T50s
5. Using a 13mm socket on long 1/4inch extensions, with universal joint or similar to get around the alternator, remove hidden front screw
   • It's difficult to see the 13mm screw, but you can feel for it reaching above the starter from below. You just need to guide your socket onto it by feel
6. Starter drops out from below

Before removing the starter, check the problem you have isn't just caused by the starters positive cable contacts not fully secured to the stud. Try cleaning up the contacts, refitting and retesting before going to the trouble of removing the starter.