New to the family, but NEED HELP!

[McGyver]

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

Sent from my XT1064 using Tapatalk

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...

[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...

[EyExR]

Take it to a shop to smoke test. I would find one that knows E30s well.. Should charge you no more than $60. Vacuum leaks are common on these cars and can cause the CEL to come on and also run poorly/bog down...

[UlrichFennec]

Take it to a shop to smoke test. I would find one that knows E30s well.. Should charge you no more than $60. Vacuum leaks are common on these cars and can cause the CEL to come on and also run poorly/bog down...

Qft.

You'll find vacuum leaks in plenty areas. If you're curious yourself, the old carb cleaner trick can help you pinpoint where they're at. Let the motor run and spray lightly anywhere you suspect a vacuum leak (Oil return tube, intake boot, throttle body and any other lines you can see.). If your idle jumps up after you spray, that's the source, or at least one of them.

[Jdub]

Two things happened: 1. My new spark plugs came in 2. I think I discovered (see pictures below) my vale cover gasket was leaking pretty significantly? Im guessing thats why theres a bunch of greasy build up at the base of each of the spark plug entries.

I have a new VCG on the way, but thats all I ordered. Am I going to need anything else aside from just the VCG?


Does anyone know the best way to go about cleaning out the oil/this area in general? I have some carb cleaner in my trunk right now.

Im going to try to plug in the new spark plugs and see if it helps with the previous issues at all.

[Jdub]

I ended up scraping out the thick greasy build up with a screw driver and then shot some carb cleaner on an old t shirt and cleaned out the whole area down there. Put in the new spark plugs and it seems to be firing better (just from an idle check), but it still has trouble when I quickly push down on the throttle. The RPMs do go up but it bogs down and shutters before it gets up past about 2 RPMs then its OK. Still waiting for a response in the southeast regional forum so I can get my timing belt fixed and be able to better diagnose the problem by driving around a bit.

[flyboyx]

when you replace your vcg, you will also need those 4 rubber plugs in the end of the head. they get old, dry out, shrink, and leak.

[Das Delfin]

Need the 4 plugs. Use realoem.com to find the part numbers

[Jdub]

Thanks guys, I ordered the 4 plugs. I need a bentley manual badly but I currently only have $15 in my account, I get paid Jun 9 so its a waiting game lol. Im on that youtube DIY game for now.

[EyExR]

Bentley PDF

Here's the link posted by everlast. Hopefully it still works.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=164030

[Jdub]

So I have decided to take on the timing belt job myself and now I am trying to find everything I will need to do it correctly and what kind of parts or brand names I will need to stick to to make sure I'm getting good quality parts. I've heard too many bad stories about people using crappy parts and hurting themselves even worse. I was looking at a bunch of different timing belts and tensioners and all these different things but does anyone know where I can find a complete list of everything I should do while I'm in there. I've been looking at Contitech and Gates timing belts. Need a tensioner, spring, and pulley? I received a decent graduation present so I have about 400 to spend on an all around tune up so I'm trying to find out the best way to do that with quality parts. also would love some insight on good websites to buy from.

[flyboyx]

definitely buy only üro parts from rock auto.

you do realize that rather than posting this you could just search to find an answer to every question you have?

[itsonlygeorge]

definitely buy only üro parts from rock auto.

Don't buy those. Seriously.

Just call Steve at Blunttech and ask him for a Conti Belt, Tensioner, water pump with a metal impeller, guide pin + spring, BMW coolant 2x bottles, distributor rotor and cap, bremi plug wires, OEM air filter, and call it a day. That's literally all you need for a tune up. Then go to Autozone or whatever and get 5 qt of Mobil1 15w50 full synthetic oil and a Mobil1 oil filter. Oh and get some Permatex 51813 Anerobic Gasket sealer to dress the water pump gasket, both sides. All of this will likely add up to about $400.

That's a tune up. And yeah dude, this shit has been talked about forever on this forum. Stop asking people to do your thinking for you. Stick to OE and the cost will be reasonable. If you are unsure, call Steve at Blunttech and he will steer you in the right direction. Free shipping is always nice too.

[Jdub]

Well I ordered all the parts for a full tune up and I'm now at the point where I am trying to line up the marks on the cam sprocket and the head, along with the marks on the vibration dampener and the lower TB cover. The problem is when the cam sprocket and the head markers are lined up, the dampened and lower TB cover markers are about half an inch off. From what I understand these two are supposed to be perfectly in line? Anyone have any wisdom on that?

Also theres a ton of thick sludge all around the area where the vibration dampener is, I'm assuming maybe a leak of some sort. I'm hoping that Leak the is valve cover gasket which I'm replacing tomorrow as well.

[itsonlygeorge]

Take the vibration dampener off. There is a mark on the crank. Line that up with the notch. This will make your life a lot easier.

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