Generic m50 swap

[Jason89i]

UPDATE: I'm using my m20 flywheel and I was planning on shaving it so I clears but I spaced on getting it done. So instead I shaved the pan to spec.

I then put on the flywheel and clutch. We dropped the motor to the ground to mount the tranny.

i hope you did not add a spacer between the flywheel and crank. it would push the flywheel farther from the starter. someone talked about using a spacer, i warned them againt it, but cant rember who was planning on spacing the flywheel.

But when I turned the key, the starter sounded like it didn't "pop out." It sounded like it was just spinning. I thought Clay had got be the wrong starter, but he says that he got the right one. The starter is flush up against the tranny and the flywheel is m20 as well.

I'm pretty sure Worldpac either sent us the wrong starter, or we got a faulty unit. In either case, I have to remove the intake manifold to get to the starter and take it out to see what is going on. Hopfully I can just get a new one and fire it up.

world pack has been a good vendor for us. we have not had any quality problems....unlike another vendor which the starters would die in 6-10mos. but i have had a LOT OF PROBLEMS with those pesky bmw starters and alternators.

cheers, jason

[Justin B]

We didnt use any spacer between the crank and flywheel, and just used that thin little disk where it originally came from on the front as a washer for all the bolts...

[cahomey]

but i have had a LOT OF PROBLEMS with those pesky bmw starters and alternators.

So it wouldn't be a surprise if the starter I got wasn't ejecting the spindal all the way or at all?

[e30_kid89]

world pack has been a good vendor for us. we have not had any quality problems....unlike another vendor which the starters would die in 6-10mos. but i have had a LOT OF PROBLEMS with those pesky bmw starters and alternators.

hooray for worldpac...most of my new oem parts always come from them.

[Jason89i]

hooray for worldpac...most of my new oem parts always come from them.

they do have good prices for a lot of items....always good quality. (you can find some performance items like lifters / wheels bearings for cheaper though.)

i would be suprized if the new starter from worldpac was bad. i would double check all the voltage and ohms to each wire. i have seen a few e30m50s wired incorrectly that cause voltage drop when trying to start, not allowingt the selinoid to push the starter out. also, try another starter or take your starter to get tested.

dont spend money on speculative fixes. diagnose the problem, fix the car only once.

worldpac starters come threaded for an additional couple bucks. my bro swears by them. however, the only way to remove the starter bolts is from under the car, driveshaft removed and engine / trans rocked back. with the unthreaded starter, you use nuts and bolts. it is possible to remove the starter from the engine bay (with enough creativity.) a lift is not required.

cheers, jason

[Justin B]

IBTU ;p

[clavinZERO]

quick update.. vid + pic

well... after troubles with the starter mounting, she fired up nice. Celebrate with a victory twix FTW and call it a night. Aaron can give more details later on everything. Enjoy the vid and pic from my digi camera.

right click save as please:

http://secretaryforums.com/file_gallery/clavinzero/cahomey-swap-test.wmv

[Justin B]

You wont believe what is under a car cover next to the driveway. Think out of the box. Next to the E30 there's a woody under the covers too, and thats cool/weird enough. I mean, there ya go, make a vehicle body out of wood! I couldnt imagine how they held up in crashes, spliters and shards of wood chunks everywhere couldnt have been healthy. This one gets the cake though, its not what cars are meant to do...........Leave it to 50's/60's thinking though to bring this to fruition.






















It kinda looks like a boat...

...um yeah.





It floats, or at least is supposed to. Just imagine how many seals there would have to be for the front end. At least the pint sized engine is in the rear.
Wild.

[DEV0 E30]

Holy crap. A boat car. Those are getting pretty damn hard to find.

Congrats on the start.

Jason, the spacers are working fine for me. They don't push it out far enough, the starter still engages fine.

[cahomey]

FINAL UPDATE: SHEEESS AALLLLIIIVVEEEE!!!!!!!!111oneelevenone!1111ee


Yes, as you can see by the video she is alive. And narly and loud at that.

The starter was a big set back. On Saturday, Clay was busy and Justin was working. So me and Marcell finished up the odds and ends, connecting driveshaft, linkage, starter wires, and main harness power & grounds. We decided to fill it with fluids and try and start her up. There were a few connections I was unsure of and I didn't connect them properly at first, but I eventually figured it out without blowing any thing up. I turned the key and the starter just spun. Wasn't engadging the flywheel so I started to try and figure out why. Eventually I realized I had to pull the starter out to see what was going on.
Today, Justin and Clay came over after I went to the pick 'n pull to get a needed rubber washer for the throttle cable because I lost mine. At first we started figuring out what each wire did on the starter. Justin brought his m20 starter so we used jumper cables to see what each connection did. The reason the starter was just spinning and not getting on the flywheel was because the top nut and bolt was accidently left off and the starter wasnt fully mounted. We drove Clay's IS to OSH to pick up new bolts for the starter. Put them on and cranked it and it engadged.
At first I was going to remove teh whole intake manifold and fuel rail to get to the starter. When I just realized I could remove the master cylinder and get to it from there. It worked, we got the starter out and tested it. It passed, and was working perfectly. So I put it back in with the new bolts and remounted the MS, also getting everything else back to start it up again.

I wanted to prime the oil pump and filter so I turned it over without the MAF connected. Plugged the MAF back in and turned the key. She cranked about 20 times and I starter to hear a rumble approching in the distance. And then.....

SHE POPPED. Tumbled and Rumbled like a old 70's & 80's Danzi speed boat. Gave her a little gas and climbed the RPM's. Noticed tach was working, was thankful for that. All in all I was super happy I had finally got there. All my hard earned money and dedication had payed off. I was where I wanted to be.

Thanks to all that shared a helping hand. They are all apprieciated and your hard work has payed off. Clay was a BIG help as well as Justin. A few others that don't frequent forums, let alone go online. But much love goes out to all you brotha's!

[Justin B]

Oh, and I'm glad BMW put a small access hole for whatever reason to see the flywheel (not the big area that needs a shield) because sooomeone :stupid: here managed to drop no less than one, then TWO nuts for the starter motor inside the bellhousing. We could have been really screwed on that . I worked at it a little but decided that I could flip the nuts on end, and pull them out that way with tape wrapped around my finger. Whew. :finger:

It was a good time, and that TWIX PIX is FUNNY!!!!! I think me already eating one adds just that little bit more to the rediculousness of it. Ah, good idea though. Made for a good finish.

[cahomey]

Victory Twix is CLASSIC!

So, photoshoot this weekend or what?

[clavinZERO]

as soon as I mount my freshly painted bumper cover and new trim, OH SNAP!

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[tonytony]

so you guys get the car to start yet?

[clavinZERO]

so you guys get the car to start yet?

umm, ya dude. see previous posts/video mang.