Starter/Solenoid 318i (1991)

[jimmy55]

I have a ground on my battery connection at the solenoid. Should that be there?

[bmwman91]

Does it work (the starter)?

[jimmy55]

yes the starter works. something is killing my battery. also have a ground at fuse 21. i`am trouble shooting that also

[bmwman91]

Does your battery light stay on in the gauge cluster after shutting the car off? If so, you need a new/rebuilt alternator. That will kill the battery in a jiffy.

If something was shorted on the starter, it would either not work, or blow the 50A fusible link in your trunk (in which case the car would not start, period). Large short circuits like that cause bigger issues than a drained battery!