Thanks Mitch! When you said the front bolt comes out the drivers side, it clicked right there. I've never heard of a starter having bolts on opposite sides before. I should have taken a closer look at the new starter and I could have realized by the threads on the one hole toward the front. Again, thanks for the help everyone - I'm now a happy dumbass :dumbass: who can avoid the garage!
-Brandon[/QUOTE
I was just about to do a starter replacement in my 96 Sentra when I came acoss this thread. Unfortunately, the upper bolt location didn't click with me because they are on "opposing" sides, not just opposite. But even with this correction, I still probably wouldn't have understood because you're right.... you don't usually come across this slightly odd mounting style.
So anyway, here's my attempt at clarification that may, or may not, help others who are about to undertake a starter replacement in a Fedral, 1996 Nissan Sentra GXE with auto transmission...
First, if you have a replacement starter in hand, you'll notice one of the two mounting holes is threaded and one is not. This is because the mounting bolt that's removed from UNDERNEATH the car simply slides through the starter and threads into the hole in the transmission bell housing (just like any starter would mount). The other mounting bolt, which gets removed from UNDER THE HOOD on the driver's side, works the opposite way. It slides through the bell housing and threads into the threaded hole in the starter. BTW... The battery's ground wire grounds to the bell housing with this same mounting bolt, so that's how you can find the upper starter bolt; just follow the ground wire.
REMOVAL...
1. From underneath the car, remove the oil filter (if you want to make starter removal easier). Also separate the starter's electrical plug, remove the battery's hot wire to the starter solinoid and loosen and remove the one starter mounting bolt you'll can see.
2. From UNDER THE HOOD on the driver's side, follow the battery ground to the bolt mounted on the bell housing (this is the other starter mounting bolt). Loosen and remove it. The starter should practically fall out of the bell housing once this bolt is removed.
3. From underneath the car, remove the old starter taking note of how you get it past all the BS.
4. Install new starter in the reverse order.
5. Tear up your Chilton's or Haynes manual because it is a total POS for not explaining this proceedure in depth.
I believe both mounting bolts were 14mm, and the solinoid nut was a 12mm, but I use Metrinch sockets and they overlap sizes, so your results may vary.
Let me know if this helps anyone

! Dean:newbie: