New to the family, but NEED HELP!

[supermansocks95]

Maybe I should get on mine... My dad is doing the bodywork on it this summer, and I'm already going to be replacing the intake gasket...

[McGyver]

But isnt the interval 4 years or 60k miles? Eeek. The belt degrades over time, not just mileage!

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IIRC, the interval is 5 years or 50k miles. So I prefer 4 years or 40k miles (which ends up being 4 years for me) since I'd rather throw away an OK belt than worry about it being a potential failure point in my car.

Also, their are tones of variables that would change the lifespan of the belt. Leaking oil/coolant on the belt, local climate, manufacturer, how often it's driven, how hard it's driven, where in the RPM range it's driven, etc, etc, etc...

[flyboyx]

i'm just going to leave this link here:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=321612

[nando]

There are people that drive there cars for 10+ yrs without changing the belt, not saying it's correct, its a ticking time bomb but as long as it looks okay you don't have to change it immediately. This guy had no way to change it so it was fine for him to drive it home. Now change it as soon as possible. Its not a huge deal lol

no, no there aren't. All those people grenade their engines.

we're paranoid because over the last what, 15 years? there's always a new thread about somebody who didn't know better (or was too lazy) to change it and it broke idling in their driveway. the belt will start disintegrate long before 60k miles if it is old enough - 8 - 10 years is way too long.

[itsonlygeorge]

Change the timing belt, tensioner, tensioner pin, and tensioner spring NOW! You got lucky.

Get the Bentley Manual and start reading! And look for some local BMW friends off the forum to help you the first time around!

1. Timing Belt, Tensioner, Pin, Spring
2. Spark Plugs (Bosch or NGK)
3. Distributor Cap + Rotor
4. Spark Plug Wires
5. Valve cover Gasket + Valve Clearance adjustment
6. Intake boot (if it looks bad)

IN THAT ORDER! Really you need to do all of this ASAP as this is a basic tune-up for the engine. If you still have issues once you have done all this you will need to hunt for vacuum leaks and check anything rubber for cracks or breaks. Start with the rubber intake boot.

I don't know why you bought a headgasket, you cannot change that easily. I think you meant valve cover gasket.

The reason you have oil on the spark plugs is likely there is a slight leak from the valve cover that has pooled in the plug sockets. Not really a big deal as it's a common occurrence. You can change the valve cover gasket easily, but you may as well adjust the valve clearances while you have the cover removed. I highly recommend getting SIR tool for valve adjustments as it make doing it a breeze especially for noobies.

http://www.bavauto.com/fland.asp?part=113070

Also:

Don't seafoam, it's a waste of money and will require you to change the oil or risk breaking down the additives in it as well as potentially create more/leaks problems if it actually does clean stuff. The m20 motor is pretty bullet proof.

Your "power loss" issues will more than likely be solved by new plugs, wires, distributor + cap, and of course the timing belt. If the belt is stretched from losing integrity over the 8 years its been sitting it may affect how the engine runs as well.

The first place to check AFTER YOU DO THE TIMING BELT and tune up, is the rubber intake boot. You can have a shop do a smoke test for relatively little money. (1hr of shop time is $60 - $100, and it shouldn't take that long anyway)

It may also be the ICV valve. If it only does this during cold startup then you will know it is likely the ICV.

On a late model this will be connected to the rubber intake boot. This can be cleaned with carb cleaner, although some people recommend against cleaning the ICV as it may change how it functions. (IDK I never had to clean it, but you can test that it is working if it hums or vibrates when you have the key in the ignition and turned but not running the engine)

[Reub_e30]

But isnt the interval 4 years or 60k miles? Eeek. The belt degrades over time, not just mileage!

Sent from my XT1064 using Tapatalk

There are people that drive there cars for 10+ yrs without changing the belt, not saying it's correct, its a ticking time bomb but as long as it looks okay you don't have to change it immediately. This guy had no way to change it so it was fine for him to drive it home. Now change it as soon as possible. Its not a huge deal lol

[15Michaeljoseph]

Would be pretty coincidental to break right as he got home. :roll:

It would probably take most people 8 years to get to a normal belt change interval. 12-15k miles a year over 8 years is only 120k tops. Considering the fact it was done 40k ago and has basically just been sitting, I don't see it going any time soon. You guys are all paranoid.

But isnt the interval 4 years or 60k miles? Eeek. The belt degrades over time, not just mileage!

Sent from my XT1064 using Tapatalk

[Das Delfin]

yes, clean them stat!

You want to run just plain bosch copper plugs on these cars. Don't get super platinum iridium modern car plugs

[Jdub]

I got some new NGK's on the way, and a new head gasket. I should have mentioned this earlier, but when I took out the first 3 spark plugs (by the first 3 Im counting from the front of the car to the back) and they had a pretty good amount of oil on them, is this bad/could it be part of the issue?

Also, it has bavarian autosport plug wires (I don't know when they were put in so I guess they could be bad?)

Also, it sounds like the stomp test is pretty straight forward, but how should I go about doing a smoke test?

Last thing, I heard holding the car a like 2 rpms and running seafoam through the break booster is helpful, but it was almost impossible to get the stupid tube out of the break booster so I stopped trying because I didn't want to break anything before the trip down here.

Thanks, this forum is awesome, I'd be in a bad way without it.

[Das Delfin]

check your air filter first.. check spark plugs, clean ICV and AFM, run seafoam fuel cleaner

[Jdub]

I just started it up and moved it to the back of the hotel, it did ok. When I press the gas it bogs down briefly and then kicks up. Once I get the rpms up though it's ok. What could be causing this stuff to happen? When the sun comes up I'll Google and try some of those tests you guys mentioned. Thanks!

[AndrewBird]

it sputtered and died? That's exactly what a broken timing belt is like... hope for the best, I guess. :|

Would be pretty coincidental to break right as he got home. :roll:

It would probably take most people 8 years to get to a normal belt change interval. 12-15k miles a year over 8 years is only 120k tops. Considering the fact it was done 40k ago and has basically just been sitting, I don't see it going any time soon. You guys are all paranoid.

[EyExR]

Start it up again. If it runs your timing belt is ok. Then change it right away. Get yourself a Bentley.
Do the belt yourself.
Also, do the tensioner and water pump while you're in there.

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1889

http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/tech...iming-Belt.htm

Also, read up on how to do a Stomp Test to check for codes. My guess is you have some vacuum leaks which is causing the bogging down. You should really smoke test it when you get a chance.

[nando]

it sputtered and died? That's exactly what a broken timing belt is like... hope for the best, I guess. :|

[Jdub]

I MADE IT. Just pulled in, got spark plugs and a new valve cover gasket on the way here. She literally sputtered out and died as I parked it here.

If anyone knows anyone in Orlando or anywhere close please let me know. I'm trying to do my timing belt ASAP, will pay in food and beer. Id rather do it myself because I ultimately want to learn how to work on cars. Hopefully I can find some help soon, I'm scared to even start it now lol.

Thanks for all the help guys! I'll keep you updated on the status going forward.