Horrible Grinding when trying to start..
Actually, sometimes smacking a failing starter with a hammer a few times frees it up to start again......sometimes for years. Just like the electric window motors in our doors, they can get corrosion build up in them....smacking them with a hammer breaks a lot of that corrosion free and the electric current can do its thing again and the motor will work again. I did that with one of my window motors and its still working like 3 years later. Wo knows when it will fail, but its still perfectly normal.
So definitely give that a try while you're under there looking at the mount. Smack it a bunch all up and down the length if the starter. Then try it. Might get another start out of it....might get another year.....never know.
.
So definitely give that a try while you're under there looking at the mount. Smack it a bunch all up and down the length if the starter. Then try it. Might get another start out of it....might get another year.....never know.
.
http://www.maniacelectricmotors.com/...FcJw4AodyU4AFA
If it turns out that just the solenoid is not functioning properly does it look like this will do the job? $25 beats the pants off of $100.
If it turns out that just the solenoid is not functioning properly does it look like this will do the job? $25 beats the pants off of $100.
and what you can do is pull the starter out of the car and get it on a bench,
undo the solenoid but leave the big wire between it and the starter connected but not touching any metal.
wire the big stud of the solenoid to + of a car battery, and hook - of battery to starter shell somehow. holding solenoid in hand push the plunger in and the starter should spin up and this will give you an idea of the starter condition without opening it up. if the starter does not spin up, then the solenoid is definitely bad the contacts in it are shot.
then the small starter terminal on the solenoid you can wire and touch to battery + to test whether the plunger retracts on it's own and activates the starter as would happen when on the engine.
NOTE: never power the solenoid plunger via the small starter terminal without having the battery cable connected to the big stud otherwise the starter will try to pull 50-100 amps of current through the starter terminal of solenoid and definitely kill it.
in fact this is probably one way starters die if the key gets turned to start and powers the solenoid and for whatever reason there's a bad connection of no connection between battery + and the large stud on the solenoid.
newegg $13
be aware you are buying the 4 terminal version instead of the 3 terminal,
just use the S start terminal. the other you don't use.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA1BY0KU4502
be aware you are buying the 4 terminal version instead of the 3 terminal,
just use the S start terminal. the other you don't use.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA1BY0KU4502
I just rebuilt my starter for a bad solenoid. Ordered the whole kit on ebay for 28 bucks with brushes, bushings and drive. Rebuilding a starter is stupid easy. I had the starts torn apart, brushes installed, and solenoid back on in less than 40 mins.
Thanks for the help everyone, got under the car Friday and haven't been able to update. The starter did break and rip the tab off the engine block too, so I'll be on the hunt for a welder soon, if no luck there she'll be down till it gets a new engine next year anyways
Almost a month later.. I got the car home (bump start.. gotta love an M6) and got it up on stands planning to store it KNOWING the block broke. But for S&G got under the car to get the old starter out of the way and make it official or see about rigging up a bracket.
THE BLOCK DID NOT BREAK! Just the short bolt side on the starter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This guy = ecstatic!
THE BLOCK DID NOT BREAK! Just the short bolt side on the starter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This guy = ecstatic! 
