Recently replaced mine. Odd noises, particularly with the truck's nose pointed up hill.
It turns out the gear was not retracting. I never did find a spring in there.
I swapped the whole thing out to say money on therapy!
Not particularly hard with the wheel and fender liner off except it's one of those things that seemed to be engineered to just fit through the tight space if turned, rotated, double pointed wrist, etc. I didn't seem to have enough roof to get the wires on after mounting it so I had to unbolt it and move it to a location where wiring access was easier and reinstall it.
For such a big engine bay I have come across things that take some effort to replace. (Daytime running light bulbs are ridiculous and another just burned out!)
I used an aftermarket due to the oem double the price and it has been functional so far. It does crank a bit slower that the original but starts well enough.
Good luck. My suggestion would be Just replace the whole thing.
