Starter packed in

K

kis

Veteran
 Surrey / West Sussex Boarder
Evening all,

Think the starter has packed in as the car won’t start. Going to call AA in the morning to see if they can get me going... if the starter is the cause (battery charged) then where’s the best place to source a replacement?

I’m contemplating getting a cheap used one on eBay?

Obviously not going BMW, what are the alternative reputed brands if I get new?

Thanks, Kis
 
Hi mate

Sad times

Have you tried giving it a sharp tap with a big hammer/bar?

It may allow you to restart and will tell you it’s that in the wrong

I did a write up a few months back- not a biggie

Replacement from Euro Car Parts was about £70 with £25 ish back when you took the old one back

Stuart
 
Mine packed in a few weeks ago, bought one from Euro car parts £150 plus £107 surcharge which was returnable.

BMW no longer manufacture new ones only refurbished and I was told it would take weeks to come through.

Same starter motor in the E85/86 and 89 six cylinder models 3 litre engines
 
My original '03 starter motor died at the end of June and I fitted a £67 RTX remanufactured item from EuroCarParts. So far it cranks like a good'un and if it only lasts a year or two it's no biggy at that price :thumbsup: 20210630_154615.jpg
 
patriot66 said:
My original '03 starter motor died at the end of June and I fitted a £67 RTX remanufactured item from EuroCarParts. So far it cranks like a good'un and if it only lasts a year or two it's no biggy at that price :thumbsup: 20210630_154615.jpg
Click to expand...
I bought the same one a few months back and fully agree. It's easy to change in about 20 minutes (on my M54) so happy if it lasts 2 or 3 years.
Obviously if the car was a daily it would get a lot more action and may not last as long.
 
Replaced mine when it failed with a RTX unit from Carparts4less the web only site of Europarts, paide just over £50 for it from them, always cheaper than Europarts.
https://www.carparts4less.co.uk/starter-motor
 
Same as colb, I paid about £50 plus £25 exchange from carparts4less. Been on my son’s car (regularly used) for over a year now with no trouble. Straight swap in terms of fitment.
 
Hi OP,

3.0? If so I have one you can have for nothing but postage.

My OG starter gave up start of the year and I replaced it; my dad, being a tinkerer, stripped down the old one, replaced the bushes and put it all back together and it’s running good again. Bench-tested only hence happy to let it go for nowt.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I tried the hammer method, but it didn't work.

AA out this morning and confirmed it was the starter. He gave it a tap as well, but it's not budging. Did offer to fit a new one... for just under £250 but didn't take them up on that!

I'll give it a go myself if I get time, otherwise will have to get a mobile mechanic out. bigwinn is it a intake manifold off job? Or is there more room in the Zed to allow you to leave it on?

parabolica yes it is. I'll take you up on that. Will PM you.

skelters if the one I'm getting from here isn't any good... will give them a call. I saw they offer 18 months warranty compared to the more usual 12 months. Not that it really makes a difference. It'll probably fail after the warranty even if its for 5 years.

Thanks again all.
 
kis said:
I'll give it a go myself if I get time, otherwise will have to get a mobile mechanic out. bigwinn is it a intake manifold off job? Or is there more room in the Zed to allow you to leave it on?
Click to expand...
Is it an M54 engine?
If so, I've changed one on the 2.5 with just the sound generator removed for access.
Looking at my 2.2 it looks like there's slightly more room for some reason. (Even allowing for there being no sound generator on that.)
I'd think a 3.0 should be doable if you have small hands.
It's one of those jobs where its actually easiest to close your eyes and visualise what your hands are doing.
Definitely disconnect the battery first. :wink:
 
I have done this on an e85 2.5i. It’s fiddly but no need to remove the manifold. That would make it into a much bigger job, with potential for unexpected extra cost. As Enuff said, you just need to remove the sound generator . . . and have the right spanners!
 
Thanks for the further replies. I'll try give it a go without moving manifold then ... yes M54B30 :)

Luckily the AA guy removed the bolts to check he could do the job... he said previously he ordered a new starter for a customer and couldn't get the old one off because it had seized on. So the E10? E12? have both been cracked loose. So I'll be able to nip them off with my 10mm spanner. It's the other bolts that will be tricky as they are under the manifold...

Will give it a go at some point in the next couple of weeks :thumbsup:
 
The only thing I know about z4 starter motor is that the OE one is small, but the bigger (cheaper?) BMW ones work too.
 
Evening all,

Managed to get your starter installed today [ref] parabolica[/Ref]. And it lives! Works a treat! Thanks buddy!

Was much easier than expected. As I said the AA guy loosened the bolts for me. So used a 10mm to get the bolts out. The hardest part for me was actually getting the unit off the car. I think the locating pin on my engine was quite corroded/seized. So would wiggle slightly but didn’t want to come off.

I used your guide [ref]bigwinn[/ref]. So thanks for taking the time to do that. Very useful!

Just wanted to add, I didn’t remove anything, not even the sound generator pipes. Slightly fiddley but do able. It helped having the new starter for reference for the bolt positions. I removed the big 13mm bolt blind, but then moved the starter into a ‘visible position’ to take the 10 and 8mm off. Then the same when re-installing.

Thanks to everyone for comments/help :thumbsup:
 
kis said:
Evening all,

Managed to get your starter installed today [ref] parabolica[/Ref]. And it lives! Works a treat! Thanks buddy!

Was much easier than expected. As I said the AA guy loosened the bolts for me. So used a 10mm to get the bolts out. The hardest part for me was actually getting the unit off the car. I think the locating pin on my engine was quite corroded/seized. So would wiggle slightly but didn’t want to come off.

I used your guide [ref]bigwinn[/ref]. So thanks for taking the time to do that. Very useful!

Just wanted to add, I didn’t remove anything, not even the sound generator pipes. Slightly fiddley but do able. It helped having the new starter for reference for the bolt positions. I removed the big 13mm bolt blind, but then moved the starter into a ‘visible position’ to take the 10 and 8mm off. Then the same when re-installing.

Thanks to everyone for comments/help :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Always a pleasure Kis!!!
 
kis said:
Evening all,

Managed to get your starter installed today [ref] parabolica[/Ref]. And it lives! Works a treat! Thanks buddy!

Was much easier than expected. As I said the AA guy loosened the bolts for me. So used a 10mm to get the bolts out. The hardest part for me was actually getting the unit off the car. I think the locating pin on my engine was quite corroded/seized. So would wiggle slightly but didn’t want to come off.

I used your guide [ref]bigwinn[/ref]. So thanks for taking the time to do that. Very useful!

Just wanted to add, I didn’t remove anything, not even the sound generator pipes. Slightly fiddley but do able. It helped having the new starter for reference for the bolt positions. I removed the big 13mm bolt blind, but then moved the starter into a ‘visible position’ to take the 10 and 8mm off. Then the same when re-installing.

Thanks to everyone for comments/help :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Sounds like pretty much the same as my experience; to begin with I couldn’t believe I could even get my hands on the starter/bolts let alone get it out - but got there eventually. I also had to shave down the locator pin as I couldn’t get it into the new unit.
 
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