Starter issues

[littlehandegan]

1971 BMW 2002.

Starter was getting very tired lately. Very slow to turn over, sometimes it wouldnt.

And now it wont turn the car over at all, no clicking or anything, just nothing

. Battery doesnt seem to be the problem.

I have a new starter. Should I go ahead and install it, or look elsewhere?

Also, anything to know before doing the install? Is it a straightforward install?

Looks like I just remove manifold and carb. Bolt it in, and its ready to go

Any tips/tricks or advice? Anything else I need?

[Guest_anonymous]

Absolutely unneccessary to remove the manifold. Some suggest to use an allen headed bolt as a replacement for ease of removal in the future.

[PaulTWinterton]

Just in case, turn key and check for warm or hot wires to the starter.

It's possible there's serious resistance going to your starter. Dirty, loose or rusty contacts. Worth a shot.

Otherwise, listen to others advice. Lots of smart people here.

[Guest Anonymous]

You definitely should clean the battery ground wires and the red wire from the battery to the starter. Your tired starter may just not be getting enough juice.

Installation is very easy. I have switched starters wearing my nice clothes in 20 minutes. Just take out the 2 bolts that hold it to the tranny and remove the wires. Don't do anything to the carb or manifold.

[littlehandegan]

Based on what I can see it doesnt look like I can do it without removing anything....maybe I am wrong...

[Mike Self]

1. Eliminate wiring problems before you zero in on the starter as the problem. As previously stated, remove all battery cables and clean thoroughly at both ends--esp the ground cables--one to the body, the other to the block. Make sure the starter is actually getting juice when you turn the key; run a jumper wire from the + battery terminal to the starter solenoid; if the starter now works, the problem is in the ing/starter switch itself, the wiring or the starter relay. Once you've eliminated wiring as the problem...

2. Make sure your old starter is bad before you replace it. Before it finally quit working, was it turning very slowly? If so, it could be either worn out brushes in the starter, or the rear bushing coming adrift from its mount and spinning with the armature, causing excessive drag. If this turns out to be the problem, drop me an e-mail--I did a couple of columns on diagnosing and repairing internal starter problems...

3. A '71 has a 1 bbl carb, and thus a smaller intake manifold; you absolutely can get the starter out/in without removing the manifold; just the rear starter mounting bracket and possibly the dipstick (depending on the holder type) has to come out. The two main mounting bolts are a bit of a PITA, but a socket with a looooong extension will do the trick. Of course disconnect the battery first!

cheers, and let us know whatcha find...

mike

[JLENHAM]

Ditto what others said about wiring, but I did have mine quit not that long ago with the similar symptoms, it turned over slower and slower. I actually replaced the battery along with cleaning up the connections, but the smoke coming from the starter finally convinced me that was the problem.

You will not need to remove anything else to access the starter for removal. Getting to the bolts is tight, and you don't get much swing on the wrench, but once loose it comes right out.

If your starter is original there will likely be some bracket that wont be reused with the new one. Some will encourage that a bracket be fabricated to support the end away from the flywheel, but I did not do this, the newer starters are MUCH lighter.

[AmazonGreen]

+1 battery connection. Had same issue. Ground was not super tight.

[OriginalOwner]

my bizarre story. Similar symptoms.

Actual Problem: a goopy sorta/kinda slushy corrosiony goop on the positive battery terminal. This prevented cable contact to the battery terminal, electrically speaking.

I removed the battery cable, cleaned everything, put back together. All was fine after that.

Cheers,

Carl

[c.d.iesel]

K.I.S.S.

whats the battery voltage car OFF?_________ V

if you can get it to crank after charging the battery?

what the voltage at the battery during cranking?_______V

if you get it running, whats the voltage at 3,000 rpm?______V

answer those first, better directed help after

if your going to own this car - you need to invest in Min.

amount of tools and a Volt/Ohm/Dwell meter is one of those.