starter, mounting arms, and booster

[lifeiskaos]

car is 86 eta 5spd
donor is 91 e34 m50

why does my m20 starter not line up with my m20 flywheel? why do the mounting arms from an e36 not fit on the m50 (holes are too far apart)? why does the "pnp" ix booster not line up with the holes in my firewall?

frustrated and tired of searching. answer my questions and i will love you. thanks :D

[e30_kid89]

1.make sure the starter is properly bolted on. How do you know its not "alligned"?

2. the holes are 99.9 percent there on the block, you're probably not seeing them because they're filled with dirt/cra[/rust since the e34 arms use different mounting holes on the block.

3. you're missing the "coupler" part of the iX booster that has the 4 studs which goes into the firewall. Hit up those junkyards!

[e30this]

either you got the arms on the wrong side or you didne put them in the back holes.
the ix booster might not line up because you might have been sold the wrong one.
as for the starter are you using one from a 5 speed??

[lifeiskaos]

1.make sure the starter is properly bolted on. How do you know its not "alligned"?

because the teeth come nowhere near the flywheel

2. the holes are 99.9 percent there on the block, you're probably not seeing them because they're filled with dirt/cra[/rust since the e34 arms use different mounting holes on the block.

alright i'll take another look

3. you're missing the "coupler" part of the iX booster that has the 4 studs which goes into the firewall. Hit up those junkyards!

fuck

[lifeiskaos]

either you got the arms on the wrong side or you didne put them in the back holes.
alright... seems like the holes on the mounts were too far apart

the ix booster might not line up because you might have been sold the wrong one.

came from IX at a scrap yard

as for the starter are you using one from a 5 speed??

i dont know... it was on the 5spd eta but it used to be an auto. dunno which starter PO used

Thanks for super quick responses!

[e30this]

well you need a starter from a 5 speed m20.
if your using the single mass flywheel then you need one for a 5 speed single mass
if you have a dual then you need one for a dual mass flywheel.

unless your making your car an auto then it needs to be a starter for an auto.

[lifeiskaos]

well you need a starter from a 5 speed m20.
if your using the single mass flywheel then you need one for a 5 speed single mass
if you have a dual then you need one for a dual mass flywheel.

unless your making your car an auto then it needs to be a starter for an auto.

the eta was a 5spd. the e34 was a 5spd. we're thinking of just using m50 starter, flywheel, and clutch...

[PiercedE30]

You're not using the mounting bracket for the starter from the M50 are you? Because that will definitely keep the starter from lining up.

[lifeiskaos]

nope, both brackets are still on both starters

[e30this]

the eta was a 5spd. the e34 was a 5spd. we're thinking of just using m50 starter, flywheel, and clutch...

they both might have been 5 speed but is the starter you are using the exact on that was on the car that you got the flywheel from?

ok say if you take a single mass flywheel from a 5 speed 88 325i.
then you need to use a starter that is made for a 5 speed 88 325i.
if you take a starter from a 5 speed 86 325e then you need to use a starter for a 5 speed 86 325e because they came with the dual mass flywheel.

[shiboujin]

FYI (just tossing it out here) the starter gears arent supposed to touch the flywheel until it is activated. The gear pushes out then contacts the flywheel. Otherwise, the starter gears would always be spinning when the car was running.

If you already knew that then just ignore me.

[lifeiskaos]

haha thanks guys. we just decided to use the m50 starter, flywheel, and clutch with the 260 tranny. we have the engine in 80% of the way but it just does not want to go in much further... goddamn

[brandon11130]

haha thanks guys. we just decided to use the m50 starter, flywheel, and clutch with the 260 tranny. we have the engine in 80% of the way but it just does not want to go in much further... goddamn

time for the BFH

[lifeiskaos]

time for the BFH

whats BFH?

[Beej '86 325es]

I'm going to revive this thread.

My project was almost done when my '86 325es (260 tranny) starter started erratically engaging. I thought this was a good time to upgrade to the later year (smaller) 325i starter. Real OEM lists the same starter for all of the 325i's, so I ordered one.

I bolted up the starter and waited a month for the stupid bracket to come from Germany. I now have 3 different starter brackets (M50, old M20, and new M20); none of which fit. Any thoughts?