Faulty overrunning clutch. When it finishes failing, it'll either lock up and lunch the starter, or stop transmitting drive (starter will go "whizzzzzz!" but won't crank engine). If you don't plan on fixing it right away, keep a spare starter and appropriate wrenches in the trunk!
There is a heat shield available for this starter, but because of their permanent-magnet construction, these starters are extremely heat-resistant. I don't think you're likely to have a problem.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Hmmm.... I took it apart before installation and saw that it has wound fields, not permanent-magnet construction.

I'm more concerned about cooking the lubricating grease in the bearings and gearbox into charcoal.

Unless your running headers, I wouldn't worry about heat.

The site is Partzfinder.com, and the price is $79.99 or $99.99 depending on which you get - see these: early Durango/Dakota style and newer, smaller version (descriptions per Dave Shultz aka BK on MoparStyle). Several people on the MoparStyle forums have these, and haven't had any problems.

Remember not everyone marks the price of everything 200+%, some places sell closer to their cost (i.e. like Walmart). The places on eBay though may be buying the cheapies and marking them up enough, so people think they're the genuine item.

Steve G.

There's nothing wrong with the later short-motor type, and they're a little lighter—those, in fact, are the permanent-magnet items. The critical thing is you gotta get one with a nosecone.

That said, I guarantee you the ones on partzfinder are not genuine, they're Chinese copycats. For one thing, Nippondenso doesn't cad-plate their motor frames, but the Chinese do. For another, you do get what you pay for, and you don't get a new genuine starter for 80 or 90 bucks.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.