Starter went out having trouble finding a starter that will bolt up. Tried 2 starters already the holes in the replacement starters dont line up. Car is a 1990 Buick Skylark.

not sure what holds the gear on starter most likely a spring pin or pin if it is sheared line up with the hole it went thru and take a punch and a hammer and try to knock it out but be careful and dont get carried away and bend anything and take whats left and go to napa and ask them

Welcome to Fixya

Raise the front of the car then slide under the driver's side of the car and locate the starter on the engine where it meets the bell housing. Unplug the "S" connector from the terminal on the starter and lay it aside. Remove the nut from the "B" terminal with a wrench, then remove the battery cable from the starter. Locate the mounting bolts and loosen it. Slide the new starter then tighten the bolts.

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Thanks

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on Chevy small blocks there only two bolt patterns one with off set holes and one with straight across bolt holes
i ran across this same problem a while ago starter that was suppose to fit my motor according to part stores was the offset bolt pattern but motor actually had straight across bolt pattern i had to go back to i think like a 1969 motor to get straight across bolt pattern even but i know motor wasn't that old

if you have the correct bolt pattern make sure the starter not hitting on something (frame, headers, tranny lines etc.) if clearance is the issue you might need to go with a smaller starter (they work just as well but the starter motor it self is smaller in diameter) the smaller starter might not have as much power as the bigger one but shouldn't be a problem as long as your not running a extremely high compression motor

(the following is untested by my self but good friend that drag races says it true)
My friend Drag race car uses a starter off a 4.3L Chevy vortex motor( 6 cyl motor found in blazers, S10 etc) And it turns over his High compression drag race small block and gives him the clearance he needs.

All the starters are the same for the V8's in that year on GM motors, They gave you the wrong starter

No need to raise the vehicle. the starter is located on top of the transmission just under the air intake pipe. It is not located on the engine as most are.

JERRY
My solution was different, i solved the problem myself, all by myself. I decided that since no answer worth looking at was forthcoming, I would do what I always do, find the solution. I decided that I would determine exactly where the bolts were, so I went and looked at a starter at a parts store. Then, seeing that the top bolt was 180 degrees from the other, I knew exactly where to feel in order to discover the location while under the car. I then decided that I needed to find tools that would allow me to just exceed the length of the starter, as there is a frame brace and a motor mount as well immediately in front of the flat end of the starter. I explored the top of the starter with my left hand and was able to feel the head of the bolt, (a 10mm bolt, by the way! as are the other two) I selected a 10mm deep well socket on a 3/8ths drive, and short extensions that, coupled to a small ratchet that dropped just below the bottom of the starter, allowed the socket to
extend far enough to engage the top bolt heads and short enough to allow movement without conflicting with the frame brace.

I kept my left hand in place and operated the ratchet with my right hand until I was able to remove the two top bolts.

Re installing the starter was a new problem, however. There is a retaining bracket bolted to the side of the block that holds the two transmission oil lines in place that is located between the block and the starter. That bracket impedes the placement of the starter when installation is attempted. The rear of the starter will not fit in the space allowed without the removal of that bolt and subsequent sliding of the bracket out of the way to allow room for the starter to slide forward far enough for the nose of the starter to fit back into the flywheel connection hole.Once the starter is installed, there is no problem putting that bolt and bracket back in place.

There is a difficulty that will be encountered when one attempts to place the top bolt back in the hole, however. Without some method of holding the bolt in the socket, the bolt will continuously fall out of the socket before it can be placed in the hole. There is not enough room to hold the bolt and place it in the hole with one's fingers. I solved that probem by covering the head of the bolt with a thick rubbery adhesive that was removed from the edge of a windshield and inserting it into the socket. That allowed the bolt and socket to act as a single unit, allowing me to put the bolt in the hole by keeping my left hand's little finger near the hold to guide the bolt into the hole I do not think I could have placed that bolt in the hole without the use of the adhesive.
I hope that these few guidelines will help someone else with the same problem.

there are 2 bolts that hold the starter on and three wires that are attached to the starter that have to come off. please remember to unhook the pos battery cable so you dont short anything out on the car it takes ablout a half hour or so to change the starter out and is pretty easy once you get it off. putting the new one back on is a breeze..

Clean both the battery terminals. The battery can be perfect but if the terminals are corroded you will get the clicking sound indicating that there is not enough power going into starter to start car.

Hey donna88king, gotta love those starters :) actually I dont imagine you are doing anything wrong prvidind there is no thread damage, try thread the bolts first without the starter. If the starter is fitting and in place it will be just a matter of the right position there are a couple of ways to do this,first make certain that you are lined up with the hole using a screwdriver or an awl when you slide the bolt into place slightly move it in a circular motion to get by the taper if this doesnt help you try putting one bolt in the starter and lift into place using the bolt to feel the hole all that is required here is a little persistance hope this helps you good luck and take care let me know how you made out

i believe the hole assembly comes out in one piece by removing 2 moutning bolts (1/2 in. or 13mm)