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View Full Version : starter removal E32 750 M70 engine



shogun
05-12-2006, 11:51 PM
Finally got the starter job finished! Here's what I learned; hope it helps someone......
1. Don't read Bentley, then tell your wife that "it looks pretty straightforward, maybe 4 hours."
2. Make sure you have all the tools known to man, especially mirrors, flashlights, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 socket sets with extensions.
3. Just because you see the nut/bolt, doesn't mean you can get to it.
4. Just because you CAN'T see the nut/bolt, doesn't mean that you CAN'T get to it.
5. Read the Bentley manual, then use it to prop up your beer; it IS good for that at this point.
6. Brown Jersey gloves. Perhaps my admission of this will absolve some of the razzing/chiding I gave my father all those years!! (now I understand why he always used them, and now I do myself! Thanks Dad.)
7. This job would be much easier / quicker with TWO people. One above, one below. Otherwise you'll wear yourself out getting up/down, scooting under the car, etcetcetc......(even if its a 10 year old kid,)
8. Remove: washer tank, right airbox, carbon canister, (disconnect only the larger hose on aft end, move forward)
9. Disconnect muffler from BOTH sides of exhaust. (this one is VERY important when reassembling)
10.Remove right side catalytic converter, (not necessary to remove O2 sensor, although if car is up high, then you must remove it (I left my cat lying on the garage floor! )) remove heatshield below exhaust downpipes.
11. Remove both exhaust downpipes, front one will come out the lower/back first, then the back one, out same place.
12. Remove heatshield from starter; then remove positive lead and solenoid control lead.
13. Now the fun starts: remove the two starter mounting bolts. A thin wall 16mm socket is needed. A 5/8 sparkplug socket ground down will work, if you don't want to sacrifice a good 16 mm socket for the job.
14. Installation is reverse of removal. with these following notes:

15. When installing the exhaust, leave the downpipes loose until the catalytic converter is in and tight. This is imperative, as the pipe-to-pipe flange connection is tight, and there is NO ROOM for error. Then the downpipe connections to the exhaust manifold can be tightened. Bentley says to compress spring, back off 1 1/2 turns.

16.The tops of the two inner boltheads for the downpipes can be seen with a mirror, between the manifold and the plugwire - heatshield. Mirrors are a must for this job.

ONe other note: the use of Beryllium copper nuts (or whatever they are) for the exhaust is wonderful. Can you imagine being able to remove (and reuse!!) 15 year old exhaust nuts on a Detroit-built car??

I hope this helps to simplify the process for somebody else. It was a tortuous job, especially since I was doing it lying on my back on a cold garage floor. If a creeper is available, make sure you use it; jack the car up high enough for access. Make sure the car is supported extremely well on jackstands. And note that you'll still need access to the top side of the engine.

The new starter has a much different sound than the original....it is more 'turbine' sounding than the original. The original really sounded like the old Chrysler starters, this one is much smoother. It is a rebuilt Bosch from Advance Auto Parts, $140. The problem with the original one was that the outer shaft that the 'Bendix' slides on was rusty and corroded, and must have been preventing the full / quick retraction from the flywheel, which resulted in the unusual sound of the starter being driven BY the engine, once it started, and until the Bendix disengaged.

Written by Mark750iL

Kalevera
05-13-2006, 12:25 AM
You can get away with just removing the washer fluid tank and canister up top; the airbox can stay in place. The cat can also stay in place -- the down pipes can be removed without taking it out. And the most critical step in the entire process was left out -- disconnect the battery.

The hardest part of the job is the downpipe removal. You need two people to do it, or very agile hands and good quality tools. I can see how the job could take four hours, but I think a more accurate estimate is about 10 hours for the first go around.


best, whit