DYI-X5M starter motor replacement

[bmwx5m407]

Anybody tackle the starter motor themselves? I wasn't able to locate a write up on how to replace. The little intel I found was; removal of fender liner, track rod and engine mount..any help would be greatly appreciated!

[TwinSnailz]

Very easy,
Just as you mentioned. If you have a top engine support beam , it will be a plus. If not, remover the lower brace plate and have a jack under the oil pan with wooden blocks for cushion.
The cover of the passenger side axel covers will need to come out. Not the wheel well cover.
Engine mount bracket needs to he remove and will come out of the space where you remove the covers.
Crack loosen the main power cable before you remove the 2 bolts of the starter.
Starter will come out the same place as the brackets.
The 1 nut to the engine mount is a 16mm that requires a swivel or angle ratchet with at least 18” arm depending the rust condition.

Easy peazy. I recommend getting a massage afterwards maybe chiropractor 👨*⚕️

[pearlpower]

The bendix in my starter sticks every 1/50 starts so it is on my list of things to do. Actually, it is the only thing the X5M needs as it still runs like a top, apart from a sunroof seal which sticks up slightly in one spot.

[hyeprofile]

My 2012 X5M won't crank and won't start for 3 weeks now!!! Had changed the water pump a couple of months ago, and the rear left suspension airbag a few weeks ago, and now this...

So I went camping for the long-weekend 3 weeks ago with my X5M and a canoe on the roof. Everything was running fine before the trip (didn't notice any starting issues). Parked it at my campsite for 4 days without starting it, and with plenty of lock-unlocks using the comfort access touch handles (kept the cooler and food in the car). On the day of our return, I started it no problem 3-4 times in a row without driving it much in between (had to go put the canoe from the beach and put it back on the roof). On the start of my return drive, 5 minutes into it, I started getting lots of error messages on the CIC and it looked like all the ECUs were either faulting or shutting down one after another. One of the messages said "Transmission stuck in drive. Won't be able to shift to P when stopped"... Then the main screen died. Then the engine went into VERY LIMP mode. Then the engine died. I came to a halt in the middle of nowhere with the tranny stuck in D (I wish I had shifted it into neutral and stopped the engine myself). Thank God my cousin was driving behind me, else I'd have been stuck there for a while. I had a spare battery and booster cables and hooked them up to the boosting points under the hood, the engine refused to crank or start. I suspected a short. Called for a tow back to my place (I have 250km towing membership, a must when you own these piles of crap). It was a bitch to crawl underneath and shift the tranny into neutral by bolting in the screw on the side, so we could winch it onto the flatbed.

Back at my place, I've been troubleshooting for 3 weeks (don't have much time to spend on it, busy at work). Here's where I'm at:

1. Checked battery. It was 75% discharged (probably from the short or multiple restart attempts). Recharged it over 24 hours with my NICO charger. Checked it with a battery tester and it's 100% with 1000 cold crank amps.
2. Checked for a short across battery terminal. No short.
3. Checked a bunch of fuses in rear fuse box and front fuse box, especially the ones which supply JBE, Footwell Module, and DME. All good.
4. Checked voltage ate the positive battery output wire which towards the JBE, Footwell Module, and DME. It has a built-in fuse that's not replaceable (#173 or 174, I forget. All good.
5. Checked voltage on the big red positive wire going into the JBE & front fuse box. All good.
6. Checked that I have +12v on the big red wire bolted onto the starter (probe on the bolt of the starter itself)
7. Checked ISTA+. A lot of ECUs are not communicating. Some communicate when I get into that ECU directly.
8. Found the ground strap on the rear diff was corroded and broken. Replaced.

Still won't crank or start. I hear a click when I try to start. I suspect the starter, but it's a bitch to replace so gonna do a few more checks before diving into replacing the starter.

Next tests:

• Gonna check the engine ground strap. Can't seem to find it and the ISTA+ diagrams are useless...
• Gonna check the starter signal sent out from the Footwell Module under the dash on the driver's side.

If that's good, then that's pretty much guarantee to be the starter...

Any advice? Anything I've missed?

[TwinSnailz]

Put a jumper cable from engine block to a body bolt ground and try cranking it.