I just went through all this (archive)

Ron, I just recently went through the same problem
you are having. Took me about a month, 4 times removing the starter, and 1 used starter to figure it out (turns out I didn't need it).
The culprit is NOT the solenoid, it's the starter drive gear (which is the gear attached to the solenoid that engages the flywheel). Because of the high compression of the M5, this thing wears out faster than normal I suspect. There is a clutch inside the gear assy. This wears out and causes the gear to slip on the shaft and not engage the flywheel. As far as getting the starter out, I think my record was about 18 minutes. Remove the 12 nuts and washers on the intake runners, disconnect the battery, pull the plunum off the runners and tilt it toward the steering wheel to expose the underside of the plunum. There is a oil vent return line attached to the bottom of the plenum. The first time removing this is a bitch! Don't try to pull the hose off it won't come off. Just take a channel locks and turn the connector that's screwed into the plenum. As far as removing the starter, you will need the 17mm wrench that's hopefully in the toolbox. Previous post said the wrench in the toolbox didn't work, that is not true. The bolts are difficult to get loose though because you can't get much leverage. A small hammer works good to encourage it. Once you get the starter out, either take it to a starter shop and have them replace the drive, or order the part and put it in. If you need further details at that point e-mail me and I'll walk you through it.
Good luck.

Hi. Wife Madeline's E28 M5 has ~182,000 on it. We got it back in `92 with 50,000 mi. on it. For the last 2-3 months, the starter hasn't kicked into the flywheel until the end of the first try, grinding as it goes. On the second try, it has already grabbed & immediately torques the engine fine.

My question is, knowing how hard it is to R & R the starter and the co$t involved for the replacement, is there another way to cure or adjust this solenoid before the starter gear is thoroughly chewed up?

TIA!

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