Another Starter Replacement doityourself

[shadowpuck]

Based on information found here on the mafia, i've started the process of r&r on the starter on my zhp.

GTI's thread here is serving as my inspiration......LINK (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?5371-DIY-Starter-Replacement-Not-as-horrible-as-it-seems)

Interestingly, I do not seem to have the canister noted in that thread.....
here's a few pics.....

http://www.kcbmwclub.com/gallery/d/60460-2/03032012+030.JPG

http://www.kcbmwclub.com/gallery/d/60463-2/03032012+032.JPG

I also have a leak to track down as well.......

http://www.kcbmwclub.com/gallery/d/60448-2/03032012+026.JPG

http://www.kcbmwclub.com/gallery/d/60451-2/03032012+027.JPG

So, off to the store to pick up some more extensions, wobblies, and attitude adjustment beverages.....:ineedabeer

[shadowpuck]

been working on this off and on when i have time outside of work.....

wow, how did you guys get this done?
i've got the lower bolt off now - that wasn't too bad.
can't find any way to get to that top bolt, though. from up top, i can get a wrench on it but no leverage.
from below, i can't even see or feel the top bolt to get the socket on it.

[Mtnman]

From what I see, looks like pwr steering lines with fluid leak. Very common. Mine do the same thing. Most likely from the connection with the reservoir, or the reservoir itself leaking out of the cap.

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[shadowpuck]

yeah, already replaced the o-ring at the top of the reservoir.....
as to the leak - i'm guessing either power steering or an oil leak from up higher.....

had the same issue in my e36 - first replaced the band clamps and that fixed it for a few years. started leaking again, replaced hoses, reservoir and that has fixed the problem for awhile.....

at the moment, my goal is figuring out this damn starter......:)

[Mtnman]

10-4...if I had advice for that, I would have posted it! Lol. Good luck.

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[shadowpuck]

LOL! no problem.....

[danewilson77]

10-4...if I had advice for that, I would have posted it! Lol. Good luck.

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Lol. Are you following the DIY posted here. I remember reading it, and thinking it was well written.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[shadowpuck]

yup, that shows me its possible - just haven't figured out the trick yet.....
big issue for me is i can't see the top bolt from below - so difficult to position the socket.
have to figure out something on that.

[shadowpuck]

well, i've made some progress over the last few days - only have the opportunity to work on this outside of work, etc....

i did finally get the starter bolts out. i've got the starter loose - then it was dinner time.....

so, next time i get a chance to work on this i'll be concentrating on getting the starter out of the car.......

[GT172I]

I just saw this thread and glad to see I gave you inspiration to attempt the diy.

Look at all the room you've got without that stupid canister banging around!!! Kidding, I know it's still pretty damn tight in that area.

Glad you got that last bolt off, it's definitely the trickiest part of the job. I'll share a little insight in case somebody else stumbles on this with the same problem. It will probably only make sense if you've attempted it though so bear with me. After you've made your ~2-3 feet of extensions/u-joints contraption start by getting the socket on top of the transmission somewhat close to the bolt head (this will take two probably skinny hands). Then take the hand closest the front of the car and take it out of the transmission tunnel and put it up in the hole by the starter. You can put your hand on top of the starter and push your fingers rearward until they find the socket. Then using lots of luck, dexterity, and a few attempts you should be able to guide the socket onto the bolt head with one hand and pushing your extension contraption with the other hand. Once it's on hold the extension end stable and move your guide hand back to the extension side and grab on to the extension as best you can keeping it seated on the bolt. Slip a large box end wrench over the ratchet and use it as a lever arm to apply torque to the whole mess. This should allow you to apply enough torque to break the bolt loose even with the losses from the u-joints, wobblies, and shear length of the twisting arm. Once broken loose I was able to remove it the rest of the way by fingers over the top of the starter.

I recognize that sounds horribly complicated, but I think is really is pretty intuitive when you see what you're working with. Care to share how you managed it?

[GT172I]

well, i've made some progress over the last few days - only have the opportunity to work on this outside of work, etc....

i did finally get the starter bolts out. i've got the starter loose - then it was dinner time.....

so, next time i get a chance to work on this i'll be concentrating on getting the starter out of the car.......

It's not too bad actually getting the starter in an out, just like Operation only you don't give a shit about banging the broken metal starter into other metal parts [no don't force it, just saying it's just a few maneuvering steps(twist, down, twist, over, twist etc)]. I did it a few times when I first forgot the starter pin then couldn't get the new starter on the old pin and had to sand off the crud. Just a warning to check those things!

[shadowpuck]

GT - you've done a great job here and in the other thread describing the process. The skinny arm option box wasn't checked for me, so I had to do things a bit differently.

The lower bolt, I was able to hit from under the car. I could easily reach it and get the socket on it. Then, it was just a matter of applying enough torque and getting the u-joint turned the right way. I used a 1/2 breaker bar to break the bolt loose then went to the ratchet. that one wasn't too bad. When I began working on that lower bolt, I couldn't find my u-joint - it's absolutely necessary.

The upper bolt, I couldn't even see or feel from under the car.
I removed a few items from up top and used a 3/8 long box wrench to break the bolt loose. On my car, there's some type of metal shield at the back of the motor, I found that if I removed one bolt from that shield I then had the clearance necessary to get a good shot on the starter bolt.

Once I had the top bolt loose, I was able to then switch to a 10mm ratcheting wrench to remove the bolt. The ratcheting wrench would not work initially as the wrench head would not clear the transmission enough to get on the bolt; however, the box end was skinny enough to clear.

I then went below and with an extension and a hammer, began extracting the starter. It's loose right now, but not out yet. That'll be the next round.

I've done nearly every DIY project one can imagine on an e36, e34, and several on the e46. This, for me, though is the first BMW starter. Wow, is all I can say.

[shadowpuck]

meant to add earlier - i have all the parts coming for the CCV/AOS system. Mine isn't showing any signs of acting up yet, and I do mostly highway driving but I may still end up pulling the manifold and doing that as well. I'm at 130k on this car - so timing would be about right if I go that path....

i've got some photos (there's really not much to show) that i'll post up when i get a chance.

[shadowpuck]

Got old starter out.
Cleaned and sanded pin.
Put anti-seize on pin and new starter pin hole.

Cannot get new starter to cinch down fully on pin. Rest of starter seems flush and bolts are tight.
Not sure whats not right. Starter must not be quite square. Hmmmm.

[shadowpuck]

update:
turned the top bolt a few more turns and that seemed to help the locator pin. it still isn't exactly flush, but pretty close.
decided to put things back together and see if the car would start.
fired right up, no issues....

been putting things back together - car is back on the ground now. just have to finish up installing a trim piece i removed when i replaced the ignition switch....

[danewilson77]

Nice work and excellent sticktoitness.

[shadowpuck]

took the zhp out for a drive today after putting everything back together. despite the rainy conditions, was good to be able to drive the car again.
all appears to be fine.

so - my opinion on starter replacement? not impossible, but definitely be prepared for a lot of work. getting my starter to pop loose took a lot of effort. removing it afterward was easy. installing the new one was generally pretty easy, although the locator pin fought us. a tip for others might be to actually bore out the pin hole on the new starter a little bit to help. we thought cleaning the pin and using anti-seize would be enough, but not quite.

otherwise, it's not too bad. i have a ton of BMW and Volkswagen DIY experience, I've crewed for buddies that race, etc. This was a task...
no idea what the book labor is on this - or what a shop would charge....