Starter Question
Starter Question I have a gen IV 5.3 out of a GMC Yukon that I have put in a 1993 3 series BMW. I started the engine outside of the car about a year ago, and everything fired up just fine. One thing to note is that the engine has a stand alone PSI Conversions harness on it. Now that I have the engine in the car, and everything is wired up I thought I would try and fire the engine in the car. I double checked all of the connections, and tested the fuel pump and everything seemed good. So I tired to fire the engine, but all I get is a click from the starter. It doesn't even try to turn the engine over. I confirmed the engine spins freely by hand and there was nothing stopping the engine from spinning, the engine spun as it should.
So I pulled the starter off and bench tested it. Everything worked as it should, but the first time I tested it the starter stuttered a little before the solenoid pushed the plunger gear out. All of the wiring is the same as when I tested it outside of the car, and I put a new battery in the car today. The only difference is that when I started the engine outside of the car I had a very short positive cable that went from the battery to the starter. Now the battery is in the trunk, and the positive cable is about 7' long and looks to be 1/0AWG wire.
So my questions are these:
1. Could the issue be that the cable is to long, and the starter is pulling to much to fully engage the starter?
2. On the Gen IV engines does the starter need to be shimmed at all?
I greatly appreciate your guys help.
Thank you,
Andrew
So I pulled the starter off and bench tested it. Everything worked as it should, but the first time I tested it the starter stuttered a little before the solenoid pushed the plunger gear out. All of the wiring is the same as when I tested it outside of the car, and I put a new battery in the car today. The only difference is that when I started the engine outside of the car I had a very short positive cable that went from the battery to the starter. Now the battery is in the trunk, and the positive cable is about 7' long and looks to be 1/0AWG wire.
So my questions are these:
1. Could the issue be that the cable is to long, and the starter is pulling to much to fully engage the starter?
2. On the Gen IV engines does the starter need to be shimmed at all?
I greatly appreciate your guys help.
Thank you,
Andrew
Last edited by TNspeed1; Dec 29, 2019 at 08:08 PM.
It's not just the length of the pos cable -- the size matters as well. My car is a similar size as the 3 series - battery in the trunk. I run 2/0 welding cable from battery hotside to the starter. I use an aftermarket starter on a Gen IV LS3. No shimming was necessary -- however, I did follow the starter manufacturers instructions measuring back lash between starter gear and ring gear as well as depth of the starter gear/amount of ring gear engagement. 3.5 years since conversion - starting, charging, electrical systems all functioning like OEM.
1) Are you certain the battery you're using is fully charged?
2) If the battery is fully up to speed, I'd want to get a volt meter on the larger starter lug and check how much voltage is hitting the starter as someone else turns the key to start.
1) Are you certain the battery you're using is fully charged?
2) If the battery is fully up to speed, I'd want to get a volt meter on the larger starter lug and check how much voltage is hitting the starter as someone else turns the key to start.
I have bmw e39 touring that I swapped with lq4 that has 11.4 cr. The bmw factory battery and wiring have no issues turning it over and no shims used. Check your grounds from engine to chassis. Make sure they are all attached to clean, bare metal and tight. If you painted the block, remove the paint where the grounds connect and where the starter sits.
