I've seen it mentioned on the forum a few times, the fact that some later versions of the 60-degree V6 used a gear-reduction starter. The stock-replacement starters were having trouble with my engine (dragging and hanging up after the engine warms up). So I decided to try out one of these gear-reduction starters. I used the most powerful one I could find (for the '96-97 3.4 TDC, rated at 1.7kW). I bought the starter on eBay for $79 shipped, no core charge (from Car-Go Starter and Alternator Supply). No other local or online vendor came close to this price. Parts interchange info (from the eBay auction) is as follows:

(2001-91) Buick Park Avenue 3.8L w/ Supercharger
(2001-97) Buick Regal 3.8L w/ Supercharger
(1999-95) Buick Riviera 3.8L
(1997-95) Chevrolet Camaro 3.8L
(1997-96) Chevrolet Lumina, Monte Carlo 3.4L
(1999-95) Oldsmobile 88 3.8L w/ Supercharger
(1995-92) Oldsmobile 98 3.8L w/ Supercharger
(1996) Oldsmobile Cutlass 3.4L
(2001-92) Pontiac Bonneville 3.8L w/ Supercharger
(1997-95) Pontiac Firebird 3.8L
(1996) Pontiac Grand Prix 3.4L
(2001-97) Pontiac Grand Prix 3.8L w/ Supercharger

I haven't verified this info myself, so it might be wise to double-check if you plan to buy one of these starters.

The starter has the Delco Remy logo stamped on it, and looks brand new. Below is a photo of the two starters (gear-reduction on left, and stock-replacement on right).



Not only is the gear-reduction starter physically smaller, but it also weighs less. According to my bathroom scale, the gear-reduction starter weighs 8 lb, compared to the Fiero starter at 13 lb. The smaller size also makes it easier to remove & install. The gear-reduction starter also installed with NO shims. With the stock-replacement starter, I had to use one thick shim plus two thin ones.

I drove around running a few errands today, and the starter had no problem cranking the engine. It fired up almost immediately every time. In the same scenario, the stock-replacement starter would've dragged and possibly hung up. I'm impressed.

If you have a higher-compression engine, and your stock Fiero starter is struggling to crank it, I would highly recommend this gear-reduction starter.

[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 05-14-2010).]

Thanks for the tip Blacktree. Already gave you a + but maybe somebody else can give you one for this.

Arn

No biggie. My bar is green enough already.

I've been using this starter for about 5 yrs on my DOHC..its a great upgrade for a stock Fiero v6 engine as well. Nice thing about it is the N* caddy starter brushes and motor will interchange with the starter

I got a gear-reduced starter for my 2.8 from O'Reilly auto parts for about $55. Remanufactured, but with a warranty, I think it was lifetime. Apparently the rebuilders are going to gear-reduced since they're more common now and aren't rebuilding the old-style starters.

The gear-reduced is easier to install since its smaller and lighter

You can get the lower powered versions relatively cheap. But the lowest price I could find for the 1.7kW starter (aside from the eBay listing) was $99 + core charge.

Nice one Blacktree. I will buy one of these in the coming month's. My starter can be intermitent for no reason that we could find (previous one never had problems)
This will give me motivation to get this annoyance out of the way.

No problem. But before you put down the cash for a new starter, first make sure your battery cables / terminals and ground strap(s) are in good order. And make sure the alternator is properly charging the battery. I'm guessing you've already done this, but figured I'd mention it anyway.

Did yours come with new nuts on the solenoid? Mine didn't and the old nuts on the factory starter didn't fit. I managed to find some in my misc. nuts and bolts box, but its just a heads-up for anyone else

Fair enough, I'm sure my relatively cheap starter isn't as powerful, but it still gets the job done

quote Originally posted by Alibi: Did yours come with new nuts on the solenoid?

Yep, new nuts with lock-washers.