Starter Dilema...PLZ HELP!!!!

[SoopaGhetto]

My Vehicle: 1984 318i

I had just redone my head (292 cams etc etc), put everything back together EXACTLY the way i took it apart, nvr touched any of the ground wires and now my car will not start. Batter is fully charged and is well (took to advance autos); suspected starter: took to advance, they said it was bad, got a new one, put it on and still no start. Does not turn over but you can hear the relays click. Ive read some other posts about the ground wires but like i said i nvr touched them...but could they still be bad? Also i dont know if im wireing it up right...theres three wires. 1 reddish, one black, and one green black (very small) i know the green and black hooks up to the lil knotch thingy. I know the black wire goes to the positive terminal on the starter bc it is directing connected to the batter positive terminal. The reddish wire...no clue. i think it also hooks up to the positve terminal.

All be at work till 1 am but ill hitting this up first thing in the morn. Help is greatly appreciated...i need this up and runnging! (the 325i hates being the DD )

i attached a pic of my starter with the wires...you can see the wire to the left is the reddish (maybe brown??) wire, the the right is black, and to the top that lil square wire is the green/black wire

[AdamF 88iS]

Can you turn the engine with a socket on teh crank nut?

[SoopaGhetto]

yes...i can actually turn the engine with my hands

[lordofthewaters]

Take your negative cable of your jumper set, and clamp it on the oil pan drain plug, clamp the other negative onto a strut tower or other well grounded location and try and turn it over. This'll let you know if it's the ground or not.
I can't really see the picture too well, it's pretty fuzzy.

[AdamF 88iS]

Check to see if your battery connections are tight as well. They don't have to be very loose at all for this type of situation to happen.

Also, does the car have an aftermarket alarm with a starter kill? I'd bypass that thing as well.

[SoopaGhetto]

thanks for the replies Ill try em first thing in the morn. No i have no alarm everything is pretty much stock except i did a 5spd conversion but the trick wiring is good. Also forgot to metion no fuses are blown

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

Also, does the car have an aftermarket alarm with a starter kill? I'd bypass that thing as well.

Heh heh, we know now huh?

[PeaveyBassist]

So does the red wire go to the positive terminal as well?

Will

[SoopaGhetto]

ok i tried the grounding technique mentioned above...still the car doesnt turn over. doesnt even seem like the starter is engaging??? very fustrating...any ideas. also i do not know where the red wire goes...tried grounding it still nothing. i think i read from one of these threads it comes from the alternator or something like that?

[SoopaGhetto]

It WOKRS! i got the starter to turn over! My old starter had one knotch to hook up the ignition wire. The new starter has two. On in the same spot as the old starter and one below. I hooked up to the one below and it turned over.

Now i have a new dilema...there is a loud ass bang every time it turns over . Like its coming out of the intake manifold throttle or somthing :shock:. It even blew my intake pipe off!! Everything is TDC (had a friend look at it as well) Now the ignition was at tdc also. very scary sounds, like the car was exploding. after messing with it I did get it to run for a few secs, then it started teh exploding thing and died.

Anyone know how to set the IGNITION timing on a 318i m10?
Is that even the problem?
Could it be my cams?
Or should i jus do this > :rofl: < and hope for the best?

[SoopaGhetto]

Anybody?