Timing belt replacement

[granoladude]

Hey there everyone. Well that time has come again... Looking at E30s and measuring out the various costs of various problems that the car has. :p The problem this time is replacing a timing belt. For a 1987 325is, how big of a job will this be, and if it is indeed pretty large, how much does this usually run for a garage to handle it?

Along with this, how much would a new emergency brake system cost? It seems that the one on this car we're looking at doesn't work.

Thanks in advance!

[kenna325is]

I did my t-belt myself and it is a pretty big job, but is no big deal if you know what you are doing beforehand. Look to spend over 100 with a new belt, tensioner, water pump, thermostat, and coolant hoses since your there. As far as a garage, I'm not real sure, but you can save a ton on labor doing it yourself. There are some great writeups out there that make in a cinch.

[AdamF 88iS]

You'll pay $350-$400 for a good shop to do it.

[SchnellerVert]

It's a diy job for mechanicly inclined. Read the manual once or twice and have a buddy whos done help out. Easy job.

[StereoInstaller1]

Timing Belt Replacement Costs:

Bentley manual: $30
Wrenches, sockets, etc: $100
Timing belt, tensioner: $50

Knowing you did a perfect job and gaining confidence in the ability to handle your cars mechanical needs: Priceless.

GL!
Luke

[87-325ic]

timing belt is an easy thing to do. i believe you can do it yourself. just research and read up on it.

the Parking brake, I jjust ordered a new set of shoes, springs, and cables.
20 bucks each cable,
20 dollars for the shoe kit (all 4)
and like 20-30 for the springs..

Dont forget all new locknuts and stuff.


Get a Bentley repair manual if you dont have one yet, and throw the Haynes away, or use it to set the bentley on when theres grease and stuff, like i did.

it also makes a great disposable shop towel dispenser..

[granoladude]

Thanks for the great information everyone!! It sounds like this would be a great project to get to know the car and the engine. Unfortunately, I don't have the Bentley E30 manual yet. Do you guys have any favorite websites that cover these sort of E30 DIY projects online? I don't want to get tied up in something that leaves out critical info (as I tend to follow directions word for word... Thus, ending up accidently leaving out the step about "Reattach part A" would suck :D )

Thanks again!

[PeaveyBassist]

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1929&highlight=timing+belt+change

Walkthrough :) You don't need to take the radiator out or take the hood off to do it. Taking the radiator out just helps a little bit with room to see stuff and move around.

Will

[rede30]

Take the radiator out for your first time

[granoladude]

Great walkthrough!! The pictures make it very easy to follow, but the more that I look at it, the more I realize that precision and attention to detail are key, and I better have a lot of free time!!

Thanks again for the link!

[Dave]

I recommend removing the hood and the radiator. The first one I did I took a total of about 4 hours doing it that way. Second one, about 2. The hood and radiator removed give you a LOT more room to work.

[porsche gt1]

yeah hood and rad removed does wonders. gives you a lot more light too.

[delatlanta1281]

WERD! Remove the hood!

[chuckybob]

pelican tech has a lot of diy tutorials for future reference.