engine and drivetrain High Pitch Whine From Near Starter

[mcmil]

I'm afraid I have bad news for you. You appear to have made the same mistake I made when installing the later starter. IIRC, the later solenoid has 3 spades,1 small one closest to the engine block when installed and 2 'normal' spades opposite. I recall that the red wire now goes to the small spade

 

You can pull the wire from the connector it's on now, squish it with a pair of pliers so that the connector tighter (push down on the broad faces not the narrow sides. It should look the same as it did before you squished only the gap will be tighter).

 

Attach to the smaller spade and try again. If you're lucky, the motor will turn. If you're like me, the solenoid is smoked and you'll need another.

 

Don't install another starter before I can confirm these instructions. I'll check my car tonight or tomorrow and repost.

[dkal]

Oh man, I hope I can start it, but thanks for the advice. If the solenoid is dead, back to square 1! Can I change the solenoid if its dead or will i need a new complete starter? There's only a green wire for me, so I'm assuming that is the red wire, there are two wires that screw on the one bolt, then the green wire with spade connects to the smaller spade.

[Hans]

what kind of new starter are we talking about here?

[mcmil]

I checked the starter connections on the Mighty Tiilux this morning and I can confirm that, as installed, there are 2 spade connectors visible at the top of the solenoid and 1 hidden from view on the bottom of the solenoid. There are no connections to be made to the two spade connectors; a single wire connection to the single spade connector.

[dkal]

OK so these pics are really tight, but you can see the two spades with wire connected to one of them, and the other which is hard to see and on the top more or less.

[dkal]

I haven't pulled it out yet, had a busy weekend. Here's the original starter I ordered from FCP Euro: http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-starter-motor-1600-1600ti-318i-320i-1602-u-slash-k-e30-e21-sr40x

 

There was a smell of metal, which I'm assuming is the burnt solenoid. Is it possible to replace just that part or do I need an entire new starter? Also, I haven't done the 6-12v conversion, I didn't think that was a problem initially, but now am wondering if I created a problem by installing this one in place of the previous 6.

[mcmil]

Anyone have a decent 6V starter they can spare?

[dkal]

Just confirmed this morning, starter is dead. Ordering a new one from fcp.

[mcmil]

Must be 6V!

[dkal]

I ended up buying a remanufactured one from O'Reilly, but it's a 12v. I'm looking into the conversion, but I'll wire this one up correctly this time and not burn it out.

[mcmil]

I'm afraid correct wiring won't be enough to prevent problems. I would think any reasonably competent starter rebuilding outfit could repair your original starter. I recall that it is very similar to early 6V VW.

 

Anyway, the old starter would turn, only the drive got stuck and these are very common!

[dkal]

I thought the new ones were capable of both 6 and 12. I'll have it on hand I guess for the 12v conversion.

[mcmil]

Here's your solution: Go to www.antiqueautobatteries.com and look at their 6/12 battery on the Accessories page. It's basically two 6V batteries together with a solenoid that combines them to 12V to run the starter motor only. The rest of the time, it produces 6V to power the rest of the electrical system.