Starter motor problem, maybe?

[gooner1]

Car is a 318i m10 auto.
Couple of times recently when starting, from cold, the starter motor seems to carry on turning when the engine fires up.
I say "seems" because it's a bit difficult to tell if the engine
has actually fired up due to the noise.
Only happens on initial start, so far, and once I've returned
the key back to the off position, then it fires up as normal.
Just about to check the engine earth strap, so I may be able to rule that avenue out.
Any suggestions in the meantime would be appreciated.
Ta.

[daimlerman]

When the starter is operated,a pinion runs down the motor shaft to engage with the flywheel ring gear,at a wild guess,the pinion/shaft is worn,allowing the pinion to tilt and stick in the ring gear.
Replacement re-con starter is the easy fix,the difficult fix is stripping it yourself to re-con it.

Some years ago,when we still had the white 316i touring,'er indoors arrived home from work with the starter pinion firmly engaged to the fly,told me that;
'The engine sounds funny....'
I w'snt laughing...

[gooner1]

Right, I can rule the earth strap out, which is sort of a shame as it would have probably
been the easiest fix.

Malc, cheers for that but want to pin it down for definite before I go swapping motors.
For example, ignition switch, loose wires, relays, old immobiliser ,if it has one fitted.
Trouble is how do I pin it down without swapping parts

[daimlerman]

Couple of times recently when starting, from cold, the starter motor seems to carry on turning when the engine fires up.

If this is what is happening,then the starter is buggered,simples.

[gooner1]

A "new" starter it is then, Malc.
Will have a shufti through realoem, in the meantime if any body
knows of a motor from any other E30 that will fit an M10 318i auto,
then please let me know. 1987, if that helps.

[daimlerman]

It's the ring gear that matters for starter fit,I discovered the hard way that an M40/M50 type would not fit the ring gear on my M50 because I was using an M20 fly!

Bearing in mind the close family relationship between M10/20/30,I would guess that the same unit is used?

[gooner1]

Flywheel and starter are M10 specific, according to realoem.
Happily the starter is the same across the whole range, from 1984 onwards.
So at least the search has been narrowed down a bit.

[daimlerman]

http://www.gsfcarparts.com/parts/electr ... rter-motor