Hey guys,
I have a friend that just picked up a 97 318i fairly cheap,but it needs a starter. He had it up on another friends lift this evening,and couldn't figure out any way to get to the starter. Is there an easy way to do this job? Would a shot gun help? Oh by the way it is a 4-door automatic if that matters.
Chris
If I remember correctly, you have to remove the intake manifold to get to it. . . I'll check the M42 (similar to the M44 your friend has) in the morning to verify.
Wow!! Really?? That sounds like a poor bit of engineering. Is it tough to get the intake off,and back on,and does it only require one new gasket,or several?
Chris
The Haynes manual recommends removing the dipstick tube to access the upper mounting bolt. Also, once loose from the car, rotate the starter motor so that the solenoid is at the top to wiggle it free from the car.
Wayne Dempsey's book says either the intake or the transmission need to come out.
Never done it myself, so all I have is book learnin'.
the intake comes off with no effort.. been there, done that
Check!!
Intake has to come off. It's an easy affair.
As long as you are careful with the removal, gaskets should be fine to reuse.
might as well replace them while there though. Cheap insurance. Check the intake boot from the air metre too, those like to split
With lift access it's also possible to lower the subframe to help with starter removal. I've done it both ways, neither one is very much fun.
I did an Auto-manual/ M50 swap on a Ti.....
Started the starter swap on a buddy's car, went to Value Brakes and spent the best used $150 bucks of labor, EVER! lol
It's not all that bad but can turn into an all day job easily
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