I jumped in the red rooster this morning to drive to work. NO JOY! All systems come on but total silence from the starter. Well, after 22 years I guess it's about time for a new one. Since, I've never done this on an E-30, any issues I need to know about? Can I pull it without removing a ton of stuff? Any tips would be greatly appriciated. The old Shelby GT350 was simple and most other cars and trucks I've owned over the years were not too tough! Zdaneman sends
I think a good starting point is disconnecting the battery, otherwise, accidentally grounding the hot wire can lead to shocking results. I don't think it's quite a simple in & out op, there's stuff in the way and I don't think there's great sightlines - my recollection is kinda difficult to get a direct look at the bolts you need to remove - Bentley has you removing it from the top, but still having to get under the car to get some stuff out of the way. I'd have to look, but when you get it up on jack stands, take a close look at your under-side access. http://blog.bavauto.com/9039/bmw-m2...moval-bav-cs-e12-e21-e23-e24-e28-e30-e32-e34/ This guy opted to jiggle the transmission around to facilitate access - not sure if that's absolutely necessary, but it obviously worked. http://www.bimmerwerkz.com/forum/3-series-e21-e30/how-replace-worn-starter-motor-61791.html
Well, got it fixed....not a job I will want to tackle again in the future. No room to wiggle in the Starter area! I'm sure on engineer thought about service ease when he was designing this motor and chassis combination. Zdaneman sends
Somewhere in Munich in the early-to-mid 70's..... (translated, obviously) "Oh... yah... I guess it does need a starter... umm... ok, let's stick it there - that'll fix that!"