Hi Scotti
My wife's 2011 Santa Fe won't start. You can hear the starter motor but the gear does not mesh with the flywheel. I took out the starter and found the fork that pushes the gear while starting had broken. It is made of plastic. None of the local Hyundai dealers have this particular starter in stock. None of the local auto parts had one either. I noticed the starter had a Hyundai/Kia label so I tried the local kia dealer and they had one. They want over $300. The warranty is 1 year or 12 thousand miles but the parts manager did not know whether a Kia dealer will honor a warranty on a part put into a Hyundai.
I found several guys on Ebay selling just the fork for around 10 dollars. My wife is willing to wait a couple of days if it means saving 300 dollars. My question is would you buy the whole starter or the fork and repair the old one. Would a new starter be any more reliable than just changing the fork.
I would like to get another 5 years out of the car. Just don't tell my wife {black}:smile:
Which engine?
2.4 4L
I find ironic that the starter says AC/DELCO. The only American made part on the car and that's the one that breaks.
I would get the whole starter just to be on the safe side.
Rock Auto - Bosch #SR4151X - $145.79.
Buying a used starter is a gamble that will likely not go your way at the worst time. Buy the rockauto one if you cant find the part locally for around the same price.
I bought the fork or what they call the shift lever for 6 bucks and paid $25 for FedEx overnight. Still cheaper than the cheapest online rebuilt I could find. Put it in and the car now starts. If it lasts 5 more years then I am happy. Also checked the commutator and brushes.
Talked to a mechanic friend of mine and apparently there was a rash of these shift levers breaking in AC/DELCO starters. They sold them to a bunch of car companies. At one point he had a machine shop making them out of aluminum when there were no replacements available.