starter replacement procedure: is it as awful as an e36

[Mouse]

Did mine the top bolt was the worst. It was so tight with the s50 and the 260 against the firewall I had to get an adapter that converted my Torx socket into an end wrench. After that it is a 1.5 job. If you don't have a threaded starter it may be easier.

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I'm about to order an alternator for my 24v e30 and thought the threaded type was easier/better. Is this not the case?

Eloy

[BMW_TUNER]

It is not easier to have the threaded setup when you are trying for do the top bolt, from above, because you can not put a wrench on the bolt and remove the nut like in a non threaded unit. In the threaded unit you can easily remove the bottom bolt blind because of the threading but the top is a different story.

[Dominic49]

why does everyone do the starter from the engine bay?

[BMW_TUNER]

I could not get to the top bolt from any other way unless I dropped the Tranny cross member and angled the engine and tranny.

[Wanganstyle]

Even with my gearbox taking up crazy room in the tunnel I was able to remove the starter on my M20 from under the car. Seems much easier than from the top as I cant see anything. To attach the top nut (unthreaded starter) I used the large amount of extensions (underneath car in trans tunnel) to hold the e-torx bolt in place and put the nut on from the engine bay side - not fun.

This is with a portly diameter 6 speed transmission and its X member still bolted to the chassis. with the 5 speed boxes there is more room, much easier from under the car.

To reach the Top bolt you need a ridiculous amount of extensions -3/8" drive for clearance.... about 6 feet worth of them.

the large OEM E-torx fasteners connecting bellhousing and engine are the proper length/thread