Starter Upgrade

[cowlum]

I was reading through this great thread

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,57/page,viewtopic/t,43986/highlight,530+starter/

after doing a search for the 530 starter upgrade which i stumbled on elswhere..

I then logged onto realoem.com and looked up part numbers..

I found these matching parts. (there are probably more but im working)

2002

12411269696

e28 2.5

12411269696

e28 528

12411269696

e23 2.8

e12 530

12411272150

e28 533

12411272150

e28 535

12411272150

e23 730

12411272150

e23 745

12411272150

M3 Starter

12411312130

e21 320i (m10)

12411312130

e21 320 (m10)

12411312130

Can anyone verify this? will any m30 starter then fit the m10? could it be that simple?

[Mike Self]

early 80s, that the "big six" (M30) starters will do just fine in an '02. After all, an M30 is an M10 with two more cylinders. This was a popular upgrade back then for folks with high compression engines.

That was before the day of the E30 M3 and its smaller, lighter starter. And since the S-14 engine is based on the M-10, those starters interchange too.

So it appears you have three choices: the original M10 starter, the larger and more powerful (and heavier) M30 starter, or the smaller, lighter and at least as powerful M3.

Decisions, decisions!

mike

[Lee]

I have had an S14 starter for more than a decade on my 2002 with high comp pistons. Very strong and very light.

Lee

[BillWilliams]

Makes your car sound different on start up though. Everything else is a positive.

You do not have to use the forward bracket either.

Consider using a large cap head bolt to attach the starter to the bell housing, makes installation and removal much easier.

[02fanatic]

I put an S-14 M3 starter on my '76 a few years ago when the stock starter started to die on me, and I've been extremely satisfied....makes start-up sound like my original engine is on steroids! It does sound different, but I wouldn't consider it a negative at all.

[Guest Anonymous]

320i) - install was very straightforward on the '02 (only alteration was slotting the front support bracket to accomodate the slightly longer M30 unit), and a real PITA on the E21.

Problems on the E21 install were due entirely to the slight overall length difference (M30 starters are about 8-10mm longer) - the original starter is a very tight fit on K-jet E21's, and the extra length ultimately resulted in having to unbolt and move the fuel distributor and relatated supports to make room for the starter to slide into its hole. Once installed, everything fits fine, but there's no way it'll go in without moving the other stuff (took me a couple of hours and a lot of language not fit for public consumption to finally figure that out).

[Guest Anonymous]

I put one in and did a write up on instalation.

http://www.thetiiregister.com/phpmyfaq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=19&id=25&artlang=en

[donfjohnston]

(nt)

[ingraham]

I've heard from several recent starter buyers that Bosch, continually trying to reduce the number of different products in its inventory, supplies an S14 starter when you order a 2002 one.

[Guest Anonymous]

A couple years ago they were supplying the smaller starters under the SR71x part number, which used to be the big original 02 starter. The S14 starter does have more cranking power than the 02 version though. The 02 one is rated at 1.0kw and the S14 is 1.4kw, though they look similar/identical.