Replacing the starter motor E60
04-26-2011, 11:09 AM
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Ok, first and foremost I'd like to apologize for not taking pictures of this process as I went through it. I didn't realize how big of a pain this was going to be and that it would be worthwhile to document it. With that being said this IS a job that can be tackled by an individual with moderate repair knowledge and a decent set of tools. And of course a boatload of patience.
Difficulty: 7 - 8 (because of the horribly tight working space)
Time: Approx 5-7 hours (Mine took 13 because of all of the trial and error)
First of all i'll review the troubles I had, how I determined my problem was actually the starter, and then get into how to replace it in the most efficient way.
My problems started in a parking lot down the street from my house, drove the car 2 minutes and parked it. In and out of the store and then she wouldn't start. All electronics lit up like normal, fuel pump engaged but no start. Eventually I had my roomate come and tow me home with his Audi RS6. (Picture a 525 M sport being towed by a RS6) Funny to say the least. Anyway, tapping the starter motor with a small hammer got it up and running. I figured I would continue this until I found a good deal on a starter. (I also verified that it was the starter by checking the volts on the positive terminal of the starter motor when turning the ignition. If the volts read 12 or higher when the key is turned it's getting enough power from the battery and therefore will either be the solenoid or starter itself that is bad. Either way it needs to be pulled.)
In my research I found that the dealer recommends replacement via the bottom of the car. This will provide you with easy access to the positive and negative leads to the starter and an easier way to grip the starter for removal. Unfortunately you will have a very difficult time accessing the starter bolts in the transmission case that actually hold the starter in place. These are located on the top of the transmission case. I therefore, chose to approach this from the top. Now some of the youtube videos I found said that it is necessary to remove the intake manifold. While this will give you a better view of what you are doing it is not necessary and will create a large amount of work in the long run. I was able to do the swap without this removal.
First you?ll need to get some pieces out of your way, remove the interior air filters on the top left and right sides of the engine bay. These are fairly straight forward and just require a 12mm wrench to turn the plastic bolts and undo the latch on each side and the will come off easily. Next remove the filter housings that they latch into. There will be a 10mm bolt that needs to be removed on each side as well as 3 of those plastic 12mm bolts. These housings can then be simply pulled out. Now undo the 4 etorx bolts holding the sway bar in place. These can be loosened with a 3/8s and then taken off with a 10mm ratchet. The electrical lines will be running through the sway bar so simply push it aside, I would suggest undoing the rubber plug on the right side of the motor that holds the wire guide in place to gain more room to move the sway bar. I also found that undoing the positive lead to the starter from the jump start point as well as the Torx fastener were helpful as well.
Now if you have all of that out of the way you should have a small amount of access from the right side of the engine bay as well as from right behind the block. This is your work space?it?s tight, so be warned!
Somehow you need to undo the positive connection to the starter, this is a massive pain from the top but it needs to be done as there is a 2 gauge connection to the block from the starter that will not allow it to move freely once the bolts have been removed. (I did not know this and wasted hours trying to get the darn thing out!) I suggest feeling the starter and following the positive lead you have access to down to the bolt, then loosening with a 13mm ratchet(guessing here! But fairly sure it was a 13!) make sure you pull both positive leads off the starter! The one to the jump point can now be removed entirely so it is out of your way. The negative lead can be left alone for now. Now to undo the two starter bolts you?ll need a 3/8ths wrench and in my case a 10mm ratchet style. I fit the 3/8ths over the bolt and used a pipe extender to turn them the first few turns until they were loose. (if you use a 10mm you will strip them!) Once they are loose use the 10mm to ratchet them all the way out. When both bolts are removed the starter will now only be held in by a mounting pin in the upper right corner. You should at this point be able to rock it back and forth until it is released from its mount. Once it is free move it into the open space to remove the negative lead.
Now simply(relative term) reverse the process. The hardest part is removing the bolts, both that E12?s and the positive lead take massive amounts of patience and being a contortionist is definitely useful!
I wish I had pictures to help like I said but a little research and some logical thinking should get you through this one. Hopefully this is somewhat helpful as well. Cheers!
Difficulty: 7 - 8 (because of the horribly tight working space)
Time: Approx 5-7 hours (Mine took 13 because of all of the trial and error)
First of all i'll review the troubles I had, how I determined my problem was actually the starter, and then get into how to replace it in the most efficient way.
My problems started in a parking lot down the street from my house, drove the car 2 minutes and parked it. In and out of the store and then she wouldn't start. All electronics lit up like normal, fuel pump engaged but no start. Eventually I had my roomate come and tow me home with his Audi RS6. (Picture a 525 M sport being towed by a RS6) Funny to say the least. Anyway, tapping the starter motor with a small hammer got it up and running. I figured I would continue this until I found a good deal on a starter. (I also verified that it was the starter by checking the volts on the positive terminal of the starter motor when turning the ignition. If the volts read 12 or higher when the key is turned it's getting enough power from the battery and therefore will either be the solenoid or starter itself that is bad. Either way it needs to be pulled.)
In my research I found that the dealer recommends replacement via the bottom of the car. This will provide you with easy access to the positive and negative leads to the starter and an easier way to grip the starter for removal. Unfortunately you will have a very difficult time accessing the starter bolts in the transmission case that actually hold the starter in place. These are located on the top of the transmission case. I therefore, chose to approach this from the top. Now some of the youtube videos I found said that it is necessary to remove the intake manifold. While this will give you a better view of what you are doing it is not necessary and will create a large amount of work in the long run. I was able to do the swap without this removal.
First you?ll need to get some pieces out of your way, remove the interior air filters on the top left and right sides of the engine bay. These are fairly straight forward and just require a 12mm wrench to turn the plastic bolts and undo the latch on each side and the will come off easily. Next remove the filter housings that they latch into. There will be a 10mm bolt that needs to be removed on each side as well as 3 of those plastic 12mm bolts. These housings can then be simply pulled out. Now undo the 4 etorx bolts holding the sway bar in place. These can be loosened with a 3/8s and then taken off with a 10mm ratchet. The electrical lines will be running through the sway bar so simply push it aside, I would suggest undoing the rubber plug on the right side of the motor that holds the wire guide in place to gain more room to move the sway bar. I also found that undoing the positive lead to the starter from the jump start point as well as the Torx fastener were helpful as well.
Now if you have all of that out of the way you should have a small amount of access from the right side of the engine bay as well as from right behind the block. This is your work space?it?s tight, so be warned!
Somehow you need to undo the positive connection to the starter, this is a massive pain from the top but it needs to be done as there is a 2 gauge connection to the block from the starter that will not allow it to move freely once the bolts have been removed. (I did not know this and wasted hours trying to get the darn thing out!) I suggest feeling the starter and following the positive lead you have access to down to the bolt, then loosening with a 13mm ratchet(guessing here! But fairly sure it was a 13!) make sure you pull both positive leads off the starter! The one to the jump point can now be removed entirely so it is out of your way. The negative lead can be left alone for now. Now to undo the two starter bolts you?ll need a 3/8ths wrench and in my case a 10mm ratchet style. I fit the 3/8ths over the bolt and used a pipe extender to turn them the first few turns until they were loose. (if you use a 10mm you will strip them!) Once they are loose use the 10mm to ratchet them all the way out. When both bolts are removed the starter will now only be held in by a mounting pin in the upper right corner. You should at this point be able to rock it back and forth until it is released from its mount. Once it is free move it into the open space to remove the negative lead.
Now simply(relative term) reverse the process. The hardest part is removing the bolts, both that E12?s and the positive lead take massive amounts of patience and being a contortionist is definitely useful!
I wish I had pictures to help like I said but a little research and some logical thinking should get you through this one. Hopefully this is somewhat helpful as well. Cheers!
12-23-2013, 07:16 PM
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I just used this guide to replace my starter. It was indeed hard as hell to do. However, it is possible using these instructions.
Here is your work space
This is what things look like after removing the cabin filters, strut bar, etc. (In this pic, the strut bar is back in place. I was putting the engine back together)
A few things I learned from this:
1. You will absolutely need a 3/8 "ratchet style" wrench to get the top starter bolt out. There is little to no space back there for a ratchet and socket. The bottom bolt will be easy in comparison. You can use a ratchet and socket for it.
2. Make sure you attach the positive and negative cables on the new starter before bolting the starter in place or you'll get very frustrated with yourself.
3. Make sure you have a shop light. Its very dark under that intake manifold. You need to be able to see.
4. Wear a long sleeve shirt you dont mind getting dirty. You will scratch your forearm pretty bad if you don't. Trust me.
5. Be patient. You'll need lots of it.
Here is your work space
This is what things look like after removing the cabin filters, strut bar, etc. (In this pic, the strut bar is back in place. I was putting the engine back together)
A few things I learned from this:
1. You will absolutely need a 3/8 "ratchet style" wrench to get the top starter bolt out. There is little to no space back there for a ratchet and socket. The bottom bolt will be easy in comparison. You can use a ratchet and socket for it.
2. Make sure you attach the positive and negative cables on the new starter before bolting the starter in place or you'll get very frustrated with yourself.
3. Make sure you have a shop light. Its very dark under that intake manifold. You need to be able to see.
4. Wear a long sleeve shirt you dont mind getting dirty. You will scratch your forearm pretty bad if you don't. Trust me.
5. Be patient. You'll need lots of it.
Last edited by Luxurytax; 01-03-2014 at 03:40 AM.
12-28-2013, 03:43 PM
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on the straight 6 engines i always remove the skuttle stuff (pollen filters, strut brace etc) remove the inlet, then remove the starter. would i hell attempt it without removing the inlet. More work sure, but reduces the "footeryness" of the job drastically and once proficient at inlet removal it speeds the job up too. particularly on the diesels. If you ever have to go through the pain in the future give it a shot. Im amazed you got it out in situ! you must have the patience of a saint.
10-21-2014, 03:59 AM
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Starter Replacement
Great write up, I had a few questions.
1. If you were to do it over again would you remove air intake manifold to make it easier to remove starter?
2. All sites say to replace mounting screws with new screws since they are made of aluminum, did you replace with new screws?
3. I also saw that people recommend to replace air intake manifold screws and gaskets for intake manifold if you remove intake manifold during this procedure.
4. Has anyone found a video for this starter replacement they can share?
5. I wasn't aware a 3/8 wrench would work on Beamers, figured everything was mm. Good to know.
1. If you were to do it over again would you remove air intake manifold to make it easier to remove starter?
2. All sites say to replace mounting screws with new screws since they are made of aluminum, did you replace with new screws?
3. I also saw that people recommend to replace air intake manifold screws and gaskets for intake manifold if you remove intake manifold during this procedure.
4. Has anyone found a video for this starter replacement they can share?
5. I wasn't aware a 3/8 wrench would work on Beamers, figured everything was mm. Good to know.
10-22-2014, 05:11 AM
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I did my starter replacement a couple of months ago- 2006 530i with the N52 engine. I cannot imagine doing this job without removing the intake manifold. I also removed the inlet air filter box and duct work. You need all of the room that you can get, and the ten minute removal time will be made up for by the space that you gain.
You definitely need to replace the starter mounting bolts. They are aluminum and are therefore prone to breaking. They only cost $10 for the set.
You don't need to replace the intake manifold bolts because they are not torque to yield bolts and are under very little load. Replace the intake manifold gasket- it is only another $20 or less.
I haven't seen a video of the repair. The worst part of this job is the space that you have to work with to get everything unbolted and disconnected. Label all of your electrical connections. If you've never replaced the crankcase ventilation hoses and canister then now's the time to do it. My hoses crumbled in my hand when I gripped them during removal.
The bolts holding the starter to the engine are external Torx (or inverted Torx). I think that they were E10 or E12, but I cannot remember. The bolt at the back of the engine is nearly impossible to remove without a flex-head ratchet or ratcheting wrench. A 3/8" SAE wrench must fit the bolt (according to LuxuryTax). I'd invest in a set of E-Torx sockets, personally, because you'll need them to do other work on this car. SK Hand Tools, Gear Wrench or Snapon make sets.
As a side note, if I ever meet the German engineer who decided to put the starter under the intake manifold then I'm going to give him a verbal lashing of epic proportions!
10-22-2014, 07:23 AM
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I did my starter recently as well the same method as you, it's a tedious and long drawn out process but as you said removing the intake manifold allows you to do other repairs like replacing the crankcase hose, also replaced the gaskets for the oil intake housing. The car starts so much better now! 
Attachment 146493
I did my starter replacement a couple of months ago- 2006 530i with the N52 engine. I cannot imagine doing this job without removing the intake manifold. I also removed the inlet air filter box and duct work. You need all of the room that you can get, and the ten minute removal time will be made up for by the space that you gain.
You definitely need to replace the starter mounting bolts. They are aluminum and are therefore prone to breaking. They only cost $10 for the set.
You don't need to replace the intake manifold bolts because they are not torque to yield bolts and are under very little load. Replace the intake manifold gasket- it is only another $20 or less.
I haven't seen a video of the repair. The worst part of this job is the space that you have to work with to get everything unbolted and disconnected. Label all of your electrical connections. If you've never replaced the crankcase ventilation hoses and canister then now's the time to do it. My hoses crumbled in my hand when I gripped them during removal.
The bolts holding the starter to the engine are external Torx (or inverted Torx). I think that they were E10 or E12, but I cannot remember. The bolt at the back of the engine is nearly impossible to remove without a flex-head ratchet or ratcheting wrench. A 3/8" SAE wrench must fit the bolt (according to LuxuryTax). I'd invest in a set of E-Torx sockets, personally, because you'll need them to do other work on this car. SK Hand Tools, Gear Wrench or Snapon make sets.
As a side note, if I ever meet the German engineer who decided to put the starter under the intake manifold then I'm going to give him a verbal lashing of epic proportions!
I did my starter replacement a couple of months ago- 2006 530i with the N52 engine. I cannot imagine doing this job without removing the intake manifold. I also removed the inlet air filter box and duct work. You need all of the room that you can get, and the ten minute removal time will be made up for by the space that you gain.
You definitely need to replace the starter mounting bolts. They are aluminum and are therefore prone to breaking. They only cost $10 for the set.
You don't need to replace the intake manifold bolts because they are not torque to yield bolts and are under very little load. Replace the intake manifold gasket- it is only another $20 or less.
I haven't seen a video of the repair. The worst part of this job is the space that you have to work with to get everything unbolted and disconnected. Label all of your electrical connections. If you've never replaced the crankcase ventilation hoses and canister then now's the time to do it. My hoses crumbled in my hand when I gripped them during removal.
The bolts holding the starter to the engine are external Torx (or inverted Torx). I think that they were E10 or E12, but I cannot remember. The bolt at the back of the engine is nearly impossible to remove without a flex-head ratchet or ratcheting wrench. A 3/8" SAE wrench must fit the bolt (according to LuxuryTax). I'd invest in a set of E-Torx sockets, personally, because you'll need them to do other work on this car. SK Hand Tools, Gear Wrench or Snapon make sets.
As a side note, if I ever meet the German engineer who decided to put the starter under the intake manifold then I'm going to give him a verbal lashing of epic proportions!
11-08-2014, 04:06 PM
#7
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Probably the same idiot that placed the alternator on the 545i......and designed that red plastic radiator plug.....LOL
Attachment 146493
I did my starter replacement a couple of months ago- 2006 530i with the N52 engine. I cannot imagine doing this job without removing the intake manifold. I also removed the inlet air filter box and duct work. You need all of the room that you can get, and
CUT...CUT.
As a side note, if I ever meet the German engineer who decided to put the starter under the intake manifold then I'm going to give him a verbal lashing of epic proportions!
I did my starter replacement a couple of months ago- 2006 530i with the N52 engine. I cannot imagine doing this job without removing the intake manifold. I also removed the inlet air filter box and duct work. You need all of the room that you can get, and
CUT...CUT.
As a side note, if I ever meet the German engineer who decided to put the starter under the intake manifold then I'm going to give him a verbal lashing of epic proportions!
Last edited by cmyachtie; 11-12-2014 at 12:56 PM.
11-13-2014, 11:59 AM
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Just curious...Has anyone ever seen a DIY for removal/replacement of the manifold on the N52? I need to do my CCVV and I just can't seem to locate good documentation on the process.
Thnx!
Thnx!
11-14-2014, 08:02 AM
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This thread has good information in it. Most people remove the inlet manifold in order to replace the starter. You might try doing a search on BMW N52 starter replacement. I think I used a DIY from a 3-series to help guide me along.
11-14-2014, 10:41 PM
#10
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You don't have to actually remove it. You can just remove air box and intake tube and leave the throttle body on the intake and connected. Remove the CCV hose on the back of the valve cover. I suggest removing the intake manifold 11mm bolts, loosen the nuts and remove all the studs. You can then push the manifold to the right (leaving all connectors and CCV hoses on) and you will have enough room to snake the starter out. I can do n52/n54 starters in about an hour and a half, but I work on BMW's for a living. Having the right tools is key. Inverted torx wrench helps.