I'm replacing the starter in my girlfriends 2000 Saturn SC1. I replaced a starter in my old truck and it was such a pain getting into the area but this one was even worse! Anyways, the starter is held on by two bolts and after removing the second bolt it some how vanished. I've spent about 2 hours looking everywhere for it and just can't find it.

I put the starter back in and started the car a few times with the one bolt tightened down holding the starter in. The other bolt is such a pain to get in and I would have to special order it so my question is do I really need this bolt? Could it damage my car to only have one bolt holding the starter in?

Thanks!

 

Ask yourself why it had two bolts, I'm guessing there might be a reason. Now stop at your nearest Saturn retailer and buy one.

 

Sometimes that bolt will lay on that little shelf just behind the starter. You just have to pray that it didn't fall into that opening the starter left. If it did, it may show up later in a big way. That is a FME zone,(at least that's what they call it in the Nuclear field).

 

ummm.....

if it didn't fall to the ground, then it is "in there somewhere".

One bolt is one bolt too few...