'86 325E Timing Belt - Difficult for a Noob?

[Blamfam]

When I bought my car I had a PPI done and they suggested strongly that the timing belt be done.
I'm not very mechanically inclined, but part of the reason I bought this car was to start working on it myself.
I also unfortunately don't have a garage at the moment, a water issue at the house has about a third of our stuff in the garage at the moment.


Is the timing belt and water pump easy to do for a noob in a driveway?


I was just going to get the kit from ECS that has all of the stuff.


Thank you!

[cheffy30]

unless your a gearhead with all the tools knowledge and patience...... and i am not, though i would love to be one...
i would take it to a shop and have it done properly in a timely fashion...
that's just me.
i take mine to doyle's in west seattle... great workmanship, been there for years...

[Blamfam]

Thanks, I should also say that I'm open to someone experienced who can do it at their place and letting me assist so I can learn. I'll pay for the privilege and buy the beer.

[101]

The timing belt is not a job I would recommend you try unless you've got some mechanical experience. Not that it's overly difficult or complicated ... but the consequences of not putting it back together correctly could be very expensive with an interference engine.

Find a few E30 friends - assist them with their timing belt changes and learn - then you can confidently tackle one on your own.

[cheffy30]

Here is a great link to changing a timing belt and water pump.... https://youtu.be/wpPmbiIcusQ

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

[tim88325is]

I think it is totally doable if you have the Bentley manual, take notes, and double check everything prior to start up. You can spin the engine through a few revolutions by hand and if the timing marks line up each time, you are good to go.

On the other hand, problems can arise like stripped threads or such that cause frustration for a beginner.

Is it a second car not needed for a daily commute? What is the "worst" that can happen, you realize you are in too deep and pay $100 for a flatbed to shop?

I would get the Bentley manual and starting reading it at bedtime for a few weeks, like anything else it really helps to study and absorb what the scope and steps of the project will be.

[Das Delfin]

I mean ideally you'd want your first foray into auto repair to be a brake job or something else simple, but there is nothing intrinsically hard about replacing a timing belt. The step you should be most concerned with is putting the new belt on. It's best to route it around the lower gears and then pull it over the cam gear. It's hard and you have to keep at it but any other way will cause the belt to slip a tooth and the crank/cam gears won't line up.

Just make sure you look up some how-to's and write ups to get an idea of what to expect.. Like the fact that you should also replace the tensioner and the guide pin/spring are sometimes missing so it's best to order replacements before you start. Tools you'll need are a socket set with a breaker bar, some combination wrenches, and a slim 32mm wrench (bavauto sells a set for like $30 that comes with a tool to hold the water pump pulley in place.. it's good to have around and you can use it on other cars as well).

I like to get a box of sandwich zip locks and a sharpie and label each bolt that comes off the car as well as denote the order in which they came off. This makes it super easy when it comes to be the end of the day and you're putting the car back together.

I've done it in the driveway and even in the street. I can still hear my dad telling me not try it.. lol!!

[estoguy]

It's doable, but I'd recommend getting a gearhead friend to help, along with the advice above.

When I did my first I was still a relative novice to DIY repairs, but I understood the concepts, etc. If you can source a good write up and maybe even watch some videos, you should get the point. But definitely have some more experienced help. I've done 3 belts in the last 4.5 years. The last two I did on my own, one with water pump change and one without (if you're using a good pump, you should be able to change it every other belt). I've had no problems with my solo attempts.

One of the best writeups, and the one I still follow is the old E30World timing belt write up. You should still be able to find it using the Internet Time Machine. If you can't, PM me... I do have a saved copy of it. If you can find their stuff, I'd recommend downloading all their service writeups - all solid and easy to follow. Again, I have these if you can't get them.

[e30davie]

Download the bently manual. Read it 20times while looking at your engine. Then decide if you are up for it.

[dnguyen1963]

Just watch the YouTube video over and over again then decide if you are up to the task.

[Kershaw]

I can't recall how many timing belts I've done in driveways. It's not a difficult job at all. Just takes time to take things apart.

[jlevie]

I agree that this is a fairly easy task for a newbee, if you do your homework first. But the consequences of getting the cam timing wrong can be serious. I always pull the spark plugs so I can easily turn the engine via the crank bolt. That makes it easy to turn the engine to line up the marks before removing the old belt and turning the engine 2 revolutions to verify timing after installing the new belt. Since the engine will freely turn with the plugs out, you'll feel it bind if you botched the install and can correct it before damaging the engine.

[tim88325is]

I'm not very mechanically inclined

There is also a certain "touch" and problem-solving skill set that you develop as a mechanic, not over-torquing, etc. that might be better learned doing a brake job.

The timing belt replacement isn't a hard job except for when you encounter a problem or hack from a previous owner that can frustrate a beginner.

It is all "easy" until you snap a stud off flush on the front of the engine block!!

[mbonanni]

Replacing the timing belt and waterpump is very important. I say you give it a try yourself, and if you need help you ask for it. That way you are learning how to do the job yourself, and plus you gotta start somewhere if you want to learn how to wrench.

It is an easy job if you ask me, just follow the Bentley, Youtube, diy, whatever you please.

[e30davie]

I guess the only problem with this job is the things that might go wrong, which might hickup newbies. Old car brings unknown issues. stripped bolts, rounded bolts, stuck things, generally it is the things that go wrong that take up all the time and cause problems.