Timing Belt / Water Pump DIY - Step by Step Pictures

[McGyver]

(called it?)

[91greg325i]

(called it?)

1000 apologies for ever doubting you.:D

[R32toE30]

Fan off!

[R32toE30]

I'm LOL'ing at all the hoopla...Yes, replace that sucker since being in balance is what motors are all about. I think I may even have a spare. Shoot me a PM & give me your address. You just need the fan, right? Your clutch is still good, just the blade broke, right?

Very cool guy!

Thanks again for the fan and some advice on the future of the e.

I will definitely make it up to a Sunday meet.

[Pennyw1se]

By the way, I bought this tool from Autozone for $25 to remove the fan clutch. It fits perfectly over the 4 bolts. If you don't want to keep it you can always rent it and get your money back. Works awesome.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/catalog/accessories/accessoriesShelf.jsp?categoryDisplayName=Tools&fromType=accessories&fromString=search&parentId=6-10&filterByKeyWord=27018&currentPage=1&navValue=101221&categoryNValue=100006&fromWhere=&itemId=1221-10&displayName=Fan+Clutch+Wrench

[woodisgood]

I am having trouble with the bolt holding the lower t'belt cover, behind the crank pulleys. I removed the six bolts and the pulleys, what next?

How do I get to that bolt?

[Cha Ching]

Very cool guy!

Thanks again for the fan and some advice on the future of the e.

I will definitely make it up to a Sunday meet.

Evan, I've got a holiday party earlier in the day, but you should definitely try making the trip up to the South Bay meet, the usual suspects would love to see your car.

[MaksV]

a few corrections - the deep socket on the longer bolt on the tensioner is a 13mm not a 17mm.

also a heads up. Use a big bucket and it makes collection of coolant from block much easier.

[91greg325i]

a few corrections - the deep socket on the longer bolt on the tensioner is a 13mm not a 17mm.

also a heads up. Use a big bucket and it makes collection of coolant from block much easier.

I think you may be the odd person out, because I've changed multiple timing belts, and the bolt in between the tensioner and (I think) the oil pump drive gear is a 17 (reference step 24)... For your scenario, it may have been different, but in all of my experiences, it has been a 17.

A note about the coolant, good suggestion, I do this, but I didn't put it in the write up because I was struggling for character space (not going over the limit) and I thought that most people wouldn't just pour it out onto their garage floor and have their cat come lap it up... Although I overestimate peoples ability sometimes, so I'm glad you mention it.

[SkywayScraper]

Just finished mine and I am glad I was able to use this write up, it made things a lot easier. I would also recommend using some form of gasket sealant to hold the gasket on the water pump while trying to put it on!

[Ceeker]

By the way, I bought this tool from Autozone for $25 to remove the fan clutch. It fits perfectly over the 4 bolts. If you don't want to keep it you can always rent it and get your money back. Works awesome.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...+Clutch+Wrench

took a 32mm regular wrench and grinded/planed it down thin enough to make it work for both early and late model e30's. There is a difference, as I was able to get the normal wrench around the late model but not early. I wasn't about to spend 85.00 for a tens pulley wrench & nut for fan clutch.
Bought the wrench for under 10 bucks forged steel. 25 bucks for a wrench that works is a good deal.

[Higelac]

I dropped my radiator fan when I was trying to unscrew it. It broke a blade off. Can I still use it????

Break a blade off the opposite side to even it out?

[Ian F]

Nice write up. Offers tips in addition to Bentley.

I haven't drained the coolant in my E30 yet, but I have done it a couple of times in an E36. I was able to stuff a large funnel up under the drain plug which did a reasonable job of directing the deluge into the drain pan. I'm also using a 36"x24" transmission catch-funnel into a 5 gal bucket.

[safira218]

I know there are a few articles out on the web about this procedure, but I figured it was time for a dedicated r3v thread on a timing belt DIY. This article is meant to provide a means for people with limited mechanical experience to save a few hundred dollars on a fairly easy repair. Here goes:
It is always good to keep organized along the way, have bags, tape, and pens handy if you want an easier time putting things back together.
Materials list:
·8,10,13,22mm wrenches
·32mm slim bicycle wrench
·10,13,17mm deep well sockets
·13,19mm shallow well sockets
·Ratchets and Torque Wrench
·3 in. extension
·Phillips and Flat Head screwdrivers
·3mm Allen Wrench
·New coolant (optional, but recommended)
·Timing belt
·Water pump
·Tensioner






Note that these are all the tools we used. You may be able to use less, or may have to use more, but this is a good starting list for what we know will work.


Step 1: Remove hood (optional but highly recommended)- Mark position of hood so reinstalling will be easier. There are 6x 10mm bolts, three on either mounting hinges. Also there is 1x 13mm bolt and 1 clip holding the hood strut to the body.






Step 2: Remove washer fluid line- you may need to empty or remove the washer reservoir. (1 flat head plastic screw)


Step 3: Remove plastic skidplate (unless you already have an aftermarket metal one, the procedure should be similar to the following)- Remove 2x 8mm and 1x 10mm fasteners per side. I couldn't get a good shot of this with my camera, but it should be pretty clear what needs to be unbolted. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them.

Step 4: Drain coolant from radiator- either Phillips head or 13mm plastic bolt. Be sure to relieve pressure by unscrewing the coolant reservoir cap.


Step 5: Drain coolant from block- 1x 19mm bolt. This will be messy. We haven’t figured out how to direct flow into a collection pan. (If you have any tricks, please, let us know!)


Step 6: Remove upper radiator cover- 2x 10mm bolts.


Step 7: Remove upper, lower, and overflow hoses from radiator (all hose clamps should be 6mm if stock). There are also 2 transmission lines if the car is an automatic that must be removed.




Step 8: Unplug radiator sensor and slide radiator out with fan shroud attached. (If the fan shroud cannot slide out, unscrew the radiator fan first and pull out as an entire assembly).




Step 9: Remove radiator fan- Use slim 32mm bicycle wrench for much easier access. THIS IS A REVERSE THREAD


Step 10: Remove thermostat to lower radiator hose. 2x 10mm bolts.






Step 11: Remove distributor cap cover and distributor cap- 3x 8mm bolts.




Step 12: Remove rotor- 3x 3mm allen wrench.


Step 13: Remove thermostat to water pump hose.


Step 14: Remove power steering belt.
oLoosen all 3 bolts (2x 13mm, 1x 19mm)
oUse bracket to move pump inward, loosening the belt.
oRemove and label belt


Step 15: Remove AC compressor belt
oLoosen 13mm bolt on top, and the 13mm bolt on the bottom backside of the compressor
oUse the 19mm bolt to move the compressor inward along the toothed bracket
oRemove and label belt




Step 16: Remove Alternator belt
oLoosen 13mm bolt on bottom.
oUse 19mm bolt to move alternator along toothed bracket.
oLoosen, remove, and label belt.




Step 17: Remove fan pulley- Use flathead screwdriver to hold pulley in place while loosening the 4 10mm bolts (rotating it each time).


Step 18: Remove "crankshaft" bolts- Use 22mm wrench to hold crankshaft in place while you loosen the six 13mm bolts.


Step 19: Remove Crankshaft Pulley and Harmonic Balancer/Vibration Dampener



Step 20: Rotate alternator bracket out of the way by loosening the 13mm bolt holding it in place.


Step 21: Remove black plastic timing belt cover clamp (see picture, its a simple clip on black plastic piece. You may need to move a few wires out of the way)


Step 22: Remove upper timing belt cover- 1x 10mm 1x 13mm bolts. (see the dirty bolts on the left and right? Those are them.)


Step 23: Remove lower timing belt cover- 1x 10mm bolt. The bolt is at the bottom of the cover, a little hard to see.


Step 24: Remove timing belt by loosening the tensioner, depressing it with a screwdriver, and taking the belt off.


Step 25: Remove timing belt tensioner- 17mm deep well first, followed by 13mm bolt retaining the spring. (see picture above for tensioner bolts.)

Step 26: Remove water pump- 3x 13mm bolts




Step 26.5: CLEAN. I highly recommend cleaning all of the exposed components that you can before moving on to reinstalling. It may seem trivial at first, but in the end, you will wish you would have cleaned more.

Step 27: Install new water pump/gasket. Torque to 80 in.-lb.

Step 28: Install new tensioner. Leave bolts loose.

Step 29: Install new timing belt- slide over tensioner LAST while compressing it. (picture from step 24 should explain this well). MAKE SURE to check that the camshaft and crankshaft are aligned properly. I have never had any trouble with this, but it is definitely a precaution to take before reinstalling.

Step 30: Installation should be reverse of removal.

Great diy! I'm definitely going to refer to this when I do this job in a month or two.

[91greg325i]

Great diy! I'm definitely going to refer to this when I do this job in a month or two.

Please don't quote the entire procedure over again... It's just annoying (not to me, personally... Just to people reading the thread).

That being said, good luck with tackling the job, just take your time and you'll be fine.