How hard is changing the starter?

[bastianshaw]

91 325i w auto? im scared

[Wishno87]

Eh not horrible. Helps to have one person with small hands and one person with some wobbly extensions under the car.

[DrJosh]

Ask 5toes.

[Wishno87]

Ask 5toes.

LOL.

Multiweek ordeal.

[TurboJake]

Hourish

[dannyyisntt]

Depends on if you pull the intake off to get at it or not

[Wanganstyle]

not terrible at all with the right puzzle box of tools+ from the bottom on a lift.

[LuckyHenriksen]

Not bad, although frustrating

[chrisesteschiro]

undo your motor mounts and drop the engine a few inches. Gives you much more room. You will thank me later.

[dannyyisntt]

If you had an manual transmission you could park on a hill. More reason to swap.

[A Sucked Orange]

Question: I did my starter yesterday. It was a little difficult to put in because the teeth had to mate up with the flywheel. Is this normal? If my memory serves me right, most of the cars I have worked on tossed the gear out in to the flywheels when starting, but it looks like this one is always in place. Or maybe my memory is failing me.

[StereoInstaller1]

If the teeth stick out like that, the starter is bad. They work just like any other car.

[A Sucked Orange]

Wonderful. Wonder how long till it fails.

[brutus87]

LOL.

Multiweek ordeal.

Lol

5toes will become a verb lol

[noid]

I did mine x3 times 4 years ago. No need to drop the engine, at the most all you need to do is remove the intake rubber boot. With completely normal hand tools and being creative with my angles I was able to remove it under 30 min all 3 times by myself.