Removing the starter either meant pulling it out the front by removing the flywheel and front engine mount plate or out the rear where the other engine components got in the way. I wish Kubota had made this more serviceable. I removed mine from the rear. You have to remove the motor vibration weight (that heavy hunk of metal engraved BX1500 that sits above the motor. I guess it's to counterbalance the motor and reduce vibration, but I could find neither the weight nor mounts in the BX1500 parts list. And I discovered that the smaller mount on my tractor had broken so I had to weld that back together as well. The counterbalance weight mounting bracket needs to be loosened below the starter. You can remove the top two screws, but the bottom ones can only be loosened to make enough room to remove the starter unless you want to remove the entire motor from the chassis. Also remove the engine cover and the flywheel shield in the front to gain access to the starter bolt as well as the smaller exhaust shield. I did not have to remove the exhaust system itself. Then remove the oil pressure sensor and oil filter (drain the oil first!) and the starter can be wiggled out and replaced. My tractor has the front loader which adds to the levels of obstacles, and I was able to do this without removing the loader.
Answers & Comments
Removing the starter either meant pulling it out the front by removing the flywheel and front engine mount plate or out the rear where the other engine components got in the way. I wish Kubota had made this more serviceable.
I removed mine from the rear. You have to remove the motor vibration weight (that heavy hunk of metal engraved BX1500 that sits above the motor. I guess it's to counterbalance the motor and reduce vibration, but I could find neither the weight nor mounts in the BX1500 parts list. And I discovered that the smaller mount on my tractor had broken so I had to weld that back together as well.
The counterbalance weight mounting bracket needs to be loosened below the starter. You can remove the top two screws, but the bottom ones can only be loosened to make enough room to remove the starter unless you want to remove the entire motor from the chassis.
Also remove the engine cover and the flywheel shield in the front to gain access to the starter bolt as well as the smaller exhaust shield. I did not have to remove the exhaust system itself.
Then remove the oil pressure sensor and oil filter (drain the oil first!) and the starter can be wiggled out and replaced. My tractor has the front loader which adds to the levels of obstacles, and I was able to do this without removing the loader.