10 year old timing belt

[packratbimmer]

you are correct. You will need to take off hoses and the steel coolant line that's attached to the front of the block. I know this cars are not DD cars these days so TB change is mostly for the time vs mileage. However I would still do the tensioner and the water pump at the same time. I lost my beloved AHL TDI (golf) because I was late by ~2k to do TD belt on it. The belt broke because the water pump seized suddenly. I was on my way to the diesel mechanic for TB job, which made it even worse (emotionally).
When I called from the side of the road to cancel the appointment, VW diesel mechanic told me one thing I remember to this day : " When Germans tell you to change something at XX miles, it means XX mile, not XX plus 100 or 1000".

Water pump is not driven by TB on M20s but it's cheap enough to throw it in (while you are in there.

The hoses do not need to be removed - I have done the job many times. A genuine BMW water pump will last 10 years and I do not drive the car 100K in 10 years - Betcha a hundo - LOL.

[zaq123]

The hoses do not need to be removed - I have done the job many times. A genuine BMW water pump will last 10 years and I do not drive the car 100K in 10 years - Betcha a hundo - LOL.

I guess everything is doable, including mounting the tire on the rim while it's still bolted to the car lol.
However I prefer to spend 10 min to drain the coolant and remove all those hoses so I can work like human being with some extra room. Removing pulleys, covers etc while working around all those things in the front, checking pulley/belt alignment and properly tensioning it....some much easier (and less time consuming) when everything is open, IMHO.
As far as WP goes, oem unit is pricey for what it is, but can't go wrong with OEM (I'm not sure who makes it for BMW these days). I use GRAF (Metelli) pumps which are top quality and OEM suppler for many automakers. For $40 one can't go wrong.


Here is pretty basic write-up on TB change should anyone be looking for a step-by-step https://www.e30zone.net/e30wiki/inde...ng_Belt_Change

[packratbimmer]

That's what I do every other timing belt. Why dump lifetime coolant and change a perfectly good water pump as well as make a mess?

[khiobrien2]

That's what I do every other timing belt. Why dump lifetime coolant and change a perfectly good water pump as well as make a mess?

How realistic/easy is it to do the tb with the hoses on? Any tips? You still remove the fan clutch, yes?

[khiobrien2]

Update because I saw this again... replaced the belt in late March and it looked BRAND new... not a slight crack in sight so so odd. Continental ftw I guess.