I recently did the starter on 1.9 Sedici which is the same engine. Horrible job to do, I ended up getting to one bolt and the electrical connections from the top, and the other mounting bolt had to be accessed from the bottom which I managed on a set of drive up ramps but was very awkward
Thank you. I am just going perserver and remove what's necessary to gain access to the top mounting bolt. I have got it up and can access the bottom mounting bolt but the top remains a challenge I'll get to it one way or another. A horrible job to do sums it up. I couldn't agree more.
Oh yes and the back of my right hand looked like I’d been bare knuckle fighting a grizzly bear! I did the same as you and just removed as little as possible to gain access