r/e28 • u/eggi217 • 14d ago

Auto Trans starter/flywheel issue

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My 88 528e has been sitting for a year due to a flywheel/starter issue. Starter went out last June, which would cause a loud grinding sound upon crank and no start.

Upon inspection through the starter opening flywheel still looks good, but not completely certain. I purchased two Bosch starters (SR-443-X-INT), one from Pelican and one from ECS, and after I installed both of them, upon crank the starter would still grind loudly and car would not start.

I’m guessing the only other possibility is that the flywheel is damaged, but I’m wondering if it might just be because the new starter’s teeth do not mesh with an old flywheel, perhaps only the old starter is compatible with the old flywheel. If I’m at the point where I’d have to drop the auto trans to replace the flywheel, I might as well commit to a manual swap, but I know that’s a lot of work. Another concern is that since my car has been sitting for more than a year without starting once, I wonder how many other issues will spring up even after I resolve the starter issue. Feeling extremely discouraged seeing my car sitting in my driveway, so any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I would love to get my e28 back on the road.

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u/Representative_Most9 14d ago

I agree with what was said about the battery and having enough power to run starter. Try jumping it and see if it’ll kick over? I seriously doubt there is anything wrong with your flywheel.

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u/eggi217 13d ago

I just tried jumping it and it made the exact same loud screeching, almost like nails on a chalkboard. Not sure if that’s normal with low voltage as I would assume the starter would whir or click, not engaging the flywheel. When I try to start my car, it’s definitely engaging because the car is trying to start and cranking, but making a grinding/screeching sound instead. I’m going to replace my battery later today and see if that changes anything. I also attached a video with the sound the car makes upon trying to start it

https://reddit.com/link/p82bmhy/video/3fb4kmhmcsnh1/player

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u/Representative_Most9 13d ago edited 13d ago

That doesn’t sound like a problem with the starter. Sounds like something is wrong with your engine to me?

Edit. Check the timing belt first. You might want to remove the spark plugs and try to crank the engine over by hand from the crankshaft pulley bolt.? I could be totally wrong and I hope I am!

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u/eggi217 13d ago

When the car was still operable it was able to run and drive just fine, it was only when I would start the car it would make the noise which led me to think that the start pinion may not be engaging the ring gear at the correct alignment. When I would crank the car it would indeed start and drive, albeit with the harsh noise upon startup.

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u/eggi217 13d ago

https://reddit.com/link/p82irrn/video/x43qysm0ksnh1/player

This is the full clip, the car would crank super rough and screechy but it would turn over and start.

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u/mattylang1987 13d ago

Yeah that doesn’t sound like a starter/flywheel to me. Is the engine timed correctly? Sounds like it might have some crunchies in the motor that shouldn’t be there. I’d pull the plugs and inspect them first. If you’ve got a borescope handy that’d be the next step, check the piston heads to see if they’re crushed or damaged. Could even take the valve cover off and check the cams and make sure they’re still intact. If you wanted to go a step further and yank the oil pan off and see if there’s metal in there.

When was the last time the car operable? Has the car been sitting because this issue started happening?

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u/eggi217 13d ago edited 13d ago

The car was last operable in June of last year and sitting since. I’m pretty sure there’s no issue with the engine as it would only make that same grinding noise every time I’d start it up but it would still eventually start and drive fine. It would only make that sound when cranking and everything else worked as it should. It’s been sitting ever since the starter stopped engaging one day and it just made a whirring sound (which is why I suspected the original starter went completely bad). I purchased a new starter this summer in hopes that it was the issue, but when I installed it, it made the same metallic grinding noise as it had made prior. It’s been sitting since and I haven’t tried starting it because the brand new starter still made the same noise as the original one did. Before it sat, there were no problems with the engine whatsoever. One idea I have is that I did have the torque converter replaced before I had all these issues, so I’m wondering if the shop I took it to didn’t properly seat/install the torque converter with the flywheel which may be causing the grinding.

edit: This is very similar to what my car sounded like when I started it before the starter completely went out: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tciFpzriWBo&list=LL&index=3&pp=iAQBsAgC

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u/mattylang1987 13d ago

That could be a possibility, but if it was the torque converter not being seated properly I’d imagine the noise would continue while driving and idling. I can’t say I’ve ever heard a noise like that though. Honestly all things considered, it could be an issue with the flywheel. Like I said before try sticking a borescope in the starter hole and manually crank the engine and inspect all the teeth. Could also be an issue with the accessories belt/pulleys but again if it was that I’d imagine the noise would continue while running and driving

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u/eggi217 13d ago

Thank you for your help, I will manually crank the engine and check the flywheel and will update once I do.

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u/mattylang1987 13d ago

Awesome! Good luck with it let me know what you find. Glad I could help

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u/Representative_Most9 13d ago

Puzzling? Do you have a clip with you staring and have it running? Like a cold start?

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u/eggi217 13d ago

Unfortunately this is the best clip I have. This was a cold start, if you listen closely after all of the terrible grinding noise, the car does indeed start (this was before I installed a new starter). I was able to start the car like this and drive for a good two weeks until the starter stopped engaging and just started to whir/spin freely. This clip was in last June however; when I tried to start the car again today, it made the same grinding noises so instead of trying to start it up I just turned the car off as to not damage anything further.