Quote Originally Posted by michele3829 View Post
$70 for a new starter. $15 for new catalytic converter gaskets (old ones were crumbly and nasty). Several hours under the truck.... the new starter is in and the truck starts like new!!! The "trick" I was looking for to remove the exhaust was to also remove the two front bolts on the muffler after the catalytic converter was disconnected. I was able to push the muffler back just enough to give me room to move the catalytic converter back so I could pull the front out of the way... giving access to the starter.
Excellent!! Always good to know that common repairs can still be done in the home garage. Fortunately, aside from shock replacement and PV catback, I have not had to perform any maintenance on my VX in 130,000 miles. (knock on real wood!)