Changing starter in 25 degrees
We got the lowest winter temperature we have had for a long time, when the starter on our BMW 330 xd from 2004 chooses to give up. The car is in the yard and getting it from there will not be easy because of all the trees but I'll leave it this week and try to do it myself in the weekend, because the weather should be milder...
Almost a heat wave today with twenty five degrees outside - compared to twenty degrees earlier in the week (and about five degrees in the nights). OK, just go ahead, one interesting thing about this BMW is that the compartment air filter, the holder and intake manifold must be disassembled to access the starter engine. Since I changed glow plugs a few weeks ago and then had to do the same job, I knew what was needed. Should have known that the starter was bad and I could have changed it at the same time, but then it did not show any signs of breaking down.
One could have called a tow car and gotten the car towed to the dealership repair shop. But on the one hand, it's not particularly cheap, and I have often been disappointed in the quality of what they have done.
The first time I left our Smart Roadster for service (same workshop also has Mercedes/Smart, tahts the "advantage" with a small community, same workshop has dealership service for several car brands) and got it back with a note that I should bring the car to a "real" dealership shop if I wanted to change the spark plug. They claimed that you need to take out the engine to replace them.
I've been driving with it since then without changing spark plugs, but this summer it became necessary when it started to fail on one cylinder. As there is only three, no need to say that the situation was acute and I opened the hood (at the back) and found something that looked like ignition cables that pointed up. With the help of pliers, I removed the spark plug cord and disassembled the spark plug!
I went with the other car to buy plugs, naturally they did not have them on the shelf so I ordered them and they would be available the next day. When I picked them up, the salesman said there would be six spark plugs according to the catalog. On a three-cylinder engine? So I went home and browsed some websites, and there were three more plugs to be mounted from aft of the car, and some suggestions on how to replace them. I ended up dismantling the entire rear end of the car and a job that usually takes a half an hour now took two, three hours instead.
But the engine did not have to be disassembled as was said at the "dealership" shop! It was a bit difficult though...
Anyway; The starter motor on the BMW is dismantled and tomorrow it will be ordering a new one with delivery later this week.
Almost a heat wave today with twenty five degrees outside - compared to twenty degrees earlier in the week (and about five degrees in the nights). OK, just go ahead, one interesting thing about this BMW is that the compartment air filter, the holder and intake manifold must be disassembled to access the starter engine. Since I changed glow plugs a few weeks ago and then had to do the same job, I knew what was needed. Should have known that the starter was bad and I could have changed it at the same time, but then it did not show any signs of breaking down.
One could have called a tow car and gotten the car towed to the dealership repair shop. But on the one hand, it's not particularly cheap, and I have often been disappointed in the quality of what they have done.
The first time I left our Smart Roadster for service (same workshop also has Mercedes/Smart, tahts the "advantage" with a small community, same workshop has dealership service for several car brands) and got it back with a note that I should bring the car to a "real" dealership shop if I wanted to change the spark plug. They claimed that you need to take out the engine to replace them.
I've been driving with it since then without changing spark plugs, but this summer it became necessary when it started to fail on one cylinder. As there is only three, no need to say that the situation was acute and I opened the hood (at the back) and found something that looked like ignition cables that pointed up. With the help of pliers, I removed the spark plug cord and disassembled the spark plug!
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| Ratchet in center of picture is on one of the aft spark plugs |
Anyway; The starter motor on the BMW is dismantled and tomorrow it will be ordering a new one with delivery later this week.
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