540318
01-14-2008, 09:48 PM
In a prior thread (see “Can I access my starter bolt from the radio slot?”) two ways to get to the starter bolts were discussed: 1) Remove the intake manifold, or 2) Drop the shaft/exhaust, loosen the transmission brace and tilt down the engine/transmission slightly to access starter from the back. Bentley says it can be done from the underside but this must require a lift as laying on one’s back it is hard to reach up high into the engine.
I could not see the Bentley way and the two other options looked risky to me. One member had said that it could be done from top so I decided to attack it that way, but it was clear that “you have to make room” by moving things around between the engine and the firewall to reach deep down where the starter lives. For reference, the approximate location of the starter bolts is on either side under the main “ribbed” wiring harness coming down from the main wiring harness box into the core of the intake manifold.
The job requires unbolting the old starter and bolting the new starter working from above the engine and doing the electrical connections and the removal/replacement of the unit working from under the car.
This is the procedure in ten easy steps (still can’t believe BMW does this in 1.5 hours):
1. Remove the air cowl feeding air to the cabin fans (there is a DIY for changing the microfilters somewhere on the site). This is somewhat of an involved job in itself.
2. Push the main wiring harness box back into the recess left by removing the cowl, under the sheetmetal holding the wipers. This now clears a space of 3-4 inches between the manifold and the firewall.
3. Disconnect the vacuum hose from the camshaft cover, unscrew the bracket retaining an electrical connector under that, and disconnect the large water hose to the engine under that. Pushing the water hose at the bottom of that “stack” of things reveals the top starter bolt. Be careful identifying the right bolt, going by feel before clearing the space I was attacking the wrong bolt, a similar but larger Torx transmission housing bolt.
4. Now to the other side (US driver side). Disconnect hose from vacuum booster to intake manifold, disconnect vacuum hose from round receptacle to the cam cover (disconnected in step 3), disconnect the two hoses coming out of the cabin heather.
5. Remove the solenoid valve by pulling it out and up from its mounting bracket (no screws), this valve comes out with the large hose to the engine disconnected in step 3 and a short hose to the heather valve, disconnect the electrical connector to the solenoid. Push the remaining hose coming from under the intake manifold to one side.
6. Unscrew the oil dipstick bracket and pull the whole pipe out of the engine casing (a real puzzle to get out and back in)
7. The “lower” starter bolt is now accessible.
8. Make a delivery tube to pour tons of PB Blaster on the bolts and the starter/transmission joint. Obviously the can will not fit so I used three coffee stirrers and a thin flexible tube to deliver the stuff at the right place. Worked great throughout the job on many points
9. Find the right wrenches to attack the Torx bolts (Torx E12). This is where I thought I was going to have to call a tow truck to take the whole thing out of my garage to the dealer (the shame!). This is hard as the Torx bolts are rusted, the space is tight and I’m working on top of the engine. I used a Torx socket with a straight articulated T-bar and a pipe extension for the initial break. Then a long ratchet wrench with a thin articulated head. The real difficulty is that because the bolt is almost under the firewall the leverage point comes from “in front” of the bolt, so a normal ratchet will not work. Secondly, the bolt is in a cavity of the transmission housing that is very narrow, so a normal ratchet is not going to fit. (This is also why some guys like to do this job from the back, lowering the transmission). Finally after the bolt was backed part of the way, I used a gear-ratchet box wrench as you get many “clicks” for very little movement available and the bolts are long.
10. After the bolts are out, pry the starter off the transmission casing, disconnect the wires reaching from under the car and lower the starter pushing the fuel lines aside. (I found out later with the new starter that it is easier to put the electrical connections with the starter unbolted but inserted into the transmission cavity as the top connection is right under the intake manifold and extremely difficult to reach)
No real trick in putting everything back together again
Now for the pics:
With the cowl removed
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0037.jpg
Pushing the harness box under the wipers to make room
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0040.jpg
This is the target area, vacuum hose, electrical wire and water hose
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0080.jpg
Starter bolt under rubber piece that drains water from the cowl
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0048.jpg
Tight fit for socket and wrench, rubber drain removed
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0049.jpg
Now to the other side, 2 vacuum hoses, dipstick and solenoid go out
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0079.jpg
I could not see the Bentley way and the two other options looked risky to me. One member had said that it could be done from top so I decided to attack it that way, but it was clear that “you have to make room” by moving things around between the engine and the firewall to reach deep down where the starter lives. For reference, the approximate location of the starter bolts is on either side under the main “ribbed” wiring harness coming down from the main wiring harness box into the core of the intake manifold.
The job requires unbolting the old starter and bolting the new starter working from above the engine and doing the electrical connections and the removal/replacement of the unit working from under the car.
This is the procedure in ten easy steps (still can’t believe BMW does this in 1.5 hours):
1. Remove the air cowl feeding air to the cabin fans (there is a DIY for changing the microfilters somewhere on the site). This is somewhat of an involved job in itself.
2. Push the main wiring harness box back into the recess left by removing the cowl, under the sheetmetal holding the wipers. This now clears a space of 3-4 inches between the manifold and the firewall.
3. Disconnect the vacuum hose from the camshaft cover, unscrew the bracket retaining an electrical connector under that, and disconnect the large water hose to the engine under that. Pushing the water hose at the bottom of that “stack” of things reveals the top starter bolt. Be careful identifying the right bolt, going by feel before clearing the space I was attacking the wrong bolt, a similar but larger Torx transmission housing bolt.
4. Now to the other side (US driver side). Disconnect hose from vacuum booster to intake manifold, disconnect vacuum hose from round receptacle to the cam cover (disconnected in step 3), disconnect the two hoses coming out of the cabin heather.
5. Remove the solenoid valve by pulling it out and up from its mounting bracket (no screws), this valve comes out with the large hose to the engine disconnected in step 3 and a short hose to the heather valve, disconnect the electrical connector to the solenoid. Push the remaining hose coming from under the intake manifold to one side.
6. Unscrew the oil dipstick bracket and pull the whole pipe out of the engine casing (a real puzzle to get out and back in)
7. The “lower” starter bolt is now accessible.
8. Make a delivery tube to pour tons of PB Blaster on the bolts and the starter/transmission joint. Obviously the can will not fit so I used three coffee stirrers and a thin flexible tube to deliver the stuff at the right place. Worked great throughout the job on many points
9. Find the right wrenches to attack the Torx bolts (Torx E12). This is where I thought I was going to have to call a tow truck to take the whole thing out of my garage to the dealer (the shame!). This is hard as the Torx bolts are rusted, the space is tight and I’m working on top of the engine. I used a Torx socket with a straight articulated T-bar and a pipe extension for the initial break. Then a long ratchet wrench with a thin articulated head. The real difficulty is that because the bolt is almost under the firewall the leverage point comes from “in front” of the bolt, so a normal ratchet will not work. Secondly, the bolt is in a cavity of the transmission housing that is very narrow, so a normal ratchet is not going to fit. (This is also why some guys like to do this job from the back, lowering the transmission). Finally after the bolt was backed part of the way, I used a gear-ratchet box wrench as you get many “clicks” for very little movement available and the bolts are long.
10. After the bolts are out, pry the starter off the transmission casing, disconnect the wires reaching from under the car and lower the starter pushing the fuel lines aside. (I found out later with the new starter that it is easier to put the electrical connections with the starter unbolted but inserted into the transmission cavity as the top connection is right under the intake manifold and extremely difficult to reach)
No real trick in putting everything back together again
Now for the pics:
With the cowl removed
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0037.jpg
Pushing the harness box under the wipers to make room
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0040.jpg
This is the target area, vacuum hose, electrical wire and water hose
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0080.jpg
Starter bolt under rubber piece that drains water from the cowl
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0048.jpg
Tight fit for socket and wrench, rubber drain removed
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0049.jpg
Now to the other side, 2 vacuum hoses, dipstick and solenoid go out
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg262/540318/DSCN0079.jpg