Hi,
I've just acquired a 1986 'D' black BMW 318i 2 dr which has covered 167,000 (and the engine's still as sweet as the day it was new) although it's highly unlikely to get through the next MOT without a lot of work on the sills and wheel arches and so the friends of ours who have given it to me (they've had it for 12 years and spent a lot of money on it (including over £1,000 for a respray about 10 years ago) have just gone and bought a 1998 'R' 318iS coupe which was advertised in a local garage to complement the wife's 02 registered Clio Extreme as the husband had the 318i (although originally they only had the 318i)
The 318i that I've been given has 4 good tyres and is in perfect condition apart from the sills rusting through and the doors are starting to go and also the wheelarches and back bumper so as it all mounts up to more than the vehicles worth they decided to give it to me as they loved that car to bits and couldn't bear the thought of it being scrapped.
It's had a new exhaust fitted literally in the last month or so and it looks like it's had a radiator at some point and the battery looks fairly new as well and they left me a Kenwood CD player in it as well.
The only problem with it is the starter motor - sometimes you can get in and turn the key and it will turn over and fire great but other times you can get in and turn the key and the starter motor will stick in which case you have to turn the key back and try again and it usually only stuck once and possibly twice and would fire up at the third attempt and it's been like this for years ever since the wife of the friends of ours supposedly couldn't start it outside work and (we think) drove home with the starter motor engaged although we're not sure and ever since then it's been an intermittent sticking starter.
Is there anything I can do to try and repair it or can I get one for a reasonable price from a scrap yard - if possible I want to try and keep the car running until it dies and don't want the starter motor packing up completely.
Cheers
Keith
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Whizz Kid
Universal rule is that it will go wrong, but only in the most awkward place or time (like when you switch the engine off because you are stuck in the 3rd lane of the M20 on a Sunday night).
Have you checked your local yellow pages to see if you have a "rotating electrics" specialist rebuilder nearby? Save a few £s by taking it off yourself. Prices for this type of spare are often considerable lower if you get non-manufacturer parts, and it may not be worth getting one from a scrappy unless it is incredibly cheap.
Certainly sounds like a damaged starter, but swopping parts without checking they really are faulty can be fruitless
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Have you carried out continuity checks on the feeds to the solenoid and the motor itself? Also check the earth straps for corrosion or security. If everything looks good then, (if you can get to it), remove starter motor and check the condition of the drive pinion teeth and check that it moves smoothly forward on the shaft. There is a one way clutch and a course thread machined into the shaft that makes the pinion throw forward when the solenoid is energised. A build up of crud can cause engagement problems.
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