Bad starter clicked, new starter does nothing

[Beej '86 325es]

I'm 95% done with my swap and my old starter (the early large type) died on me. It cranked just great until recently it started erratically clicking.

I replaced it with a new M20 starter which is smaller and lighter. Now that it's installed, it does nothing! The battery is good, and fuse 10 (starter) is ok.

My only thought is that it has something to do with the added wire to the starter. The starter has 3 connections: The power, plug 30 and plug 30h. 30h is the new one which I guess goes to the "unloader relay"...K7 I believe.

Since my old starter worked, I assume I had the other two wired up correctly. Since My E30 plug does not have a #15 wire, I'm running a wire directly from plug 30h to the #15 wire on the C101.

Here's my wiring for the starter
E30 - C101
7 - 21
18 - 18
30h on starter - 15

Here's a blurry photo...


Any thoughts appreciated, I'm clueless... :???:

[AL GReeNeRy]

check all your grounds again. my car had a funny nostart and it was a loose ground

[vr4boy]

did you ground the motor to the chassis?

[FredK]

My only thought is that it has something to do with the added wire to the starter. The starter has 3 connections: The power, plug 30 and plug 30h. 30h is the new one which I guess goes to the "unloader relay"...K7 I believe.

Since my old starter worked, I assume I had the other two wired up correctly. Since My E30 plug does not have a #15 wire, I'm running a wire directly from plug 30h to the #15 wire on the C101.

Here's my wiring for the starter
E30 - X20
7 - 21
18 - 18
30h on starter - 15

You can remove this flying lead.

Let's clear up the terminology a little here. The first two wiring connections you list are correct. You meant to say E30 to E36 X20 connector, not C101.

The early cars unloaded the electrical system during start with E30 C101 pin 18. Facelift cars shifted this responsibility to C101 pin 15.

In an early car, relays K5/K7 will work just by hooking up two terminals on the starter. Power to the large lug (Terminal 30), and connecting the 10mm lug (Terminal 50) to pin 18 of the C101.

The flying lead you connected to E36 X20 pin 15 is essentially a loop of wire. If you connect the smallest starter lug (8mm dia, 10mm nut if I recall correctly) on the E36 harness to the starter, X20 pin 15 now has the starter 30h signal going to it. By attaching a flying lead to 30h and then attaching it to X20 pin 15, you are just doubling up the wiring. The early model does not need the signal at 30h, since the unloader relays are wired to X20 pin 18.

Just by doubling the wiring, though, shouldn't cause a problem. At least, that is what I am thinking this early in the morning.

[Beej '86 325es]

Thanks for double checking my wiring, Fred. I tried disconnecting the 30h terminal, since the old starter worked just fine without it, still no luck.

I really can't think of any ground that would have been disconnected though, all that is removed right now is the intake manifold, fuel rail and some vacuum hoses. The whole engine bay is basically new and spotless, so there shouldn't be any corrosion prohibiting a good connection. I even mounted the ECU in the glovebox last night.

The fwd mounting bracket is not installed. Come to think of it, the block is all painted, so would only have grounding to the tranny...which is not grounded. I'll hook up a ground from the block to the starter tonight and see if I have any luck.

[etxxz]

how did your old one fail again?? mine sometimes spin w/o grabbin the flywheel then i change gears w/o the clutch in such that the fly movies i guess and the starter catches. wonder if its the same problem..

[Beej '86 325es]

how did your old one fail again?? mine sometimes spin w/o grabbin the flywheel then i change gears w/o the clutch in such that the fly movies i guess and the starter catches. wonder if its the same problem..

Mine worked fine for a while, then it sat for about a month, and the next time it just clicked erratically. It sounded like it had the juice, but couldn't quite make good contact with the flywheel.

[Beej '86 325es]

Hooked up a ground directly from the starter to the block - no dice. I double checked my ground to chassis and it's good. Other connections all look good and all fuses in tact. I'm clueless...

EDIT: I tested the voltage at the main power stud on the starter and it's good at 12.3V. I checked at terminal 30 from the ignition when starting and it's only about 5.4V. I can very faintly hear the starter making a buzzy whiney noise like it's trying to engage.

The starter is new, but I'm thinking I may have been sent a bad starter...

[etxxz]

i would certainly think so as well....there's very little electrical to this. i always bench test my starters but i think mine may be going bad as well. we have/had the same problem.

[vr4boy]

yeah,possibly a bummed out new starter....
i had that same issue on my s52 swap,starter was fine before the engine was swapped over-it plagued me for days thinking my motor was accidentally locked from converting to obd1....
it was the starter all along....
gl

[dpgrand]

and you're positive your battery is good?

[Beej '86 325es]

and you're positive your battery is good?

Positive. I even tried starting from my battery charger on start mode.

Bentley says I should have at least 8V coming going to termial 30 on the starter, but I only have 5.4V. Could that be a bad iginition switch?

[318isbmw]

Positive. I even tried starting from my battery charger on start mode.

Bentley says I should have at least 8V coming going to termial 30 on the starter, but I only have 5.4V. Could that be a bad iginition switch?

Yeah, your starter I think is fine, it makes a clicking noise when its not getting enough power to the starter to crank it. Something is hindering you from getting full power to the starter. Try and take off all of the battery terminals and then the terminal in the engine bay by the firewall and clean off those and retighten them. Fiddle w/ that stuff as those are somewhat common issues for not getting enough power.

[kamotors]

the clicking usually happens to my car when there isn't enough juice in the battery to turn the starter but theres enough to run all the lights and everything else in the car. when I got a new battery it fixed everything, even when my old battery said it was fully charged it wasn't able to turn the starter.

[Beej '86 325es]

Well I've finally had time to mess with it again. It was my damn chassis ground. Cranks like a champ now. Lots of time and money wasted. Great.