Be sure you have the right timing belt tensioner as well. It should be marked with Z127. Don't forget to do that one!
Check and check! Yeah, I was SO nervous that I would get the package and the little Z127 engraving wouldn't be there...phew!
Can't you find a reasonably-priced cap & rotor locally? Now's the time to install them, while the fan & clutch are off. Be sure to use some anti-seize in the big 32mm nut, and just spin it back into place - no need to wrench it on.
Only Bosch or maybe Bremi, but if you buy an off brand, you WILL regret it. It is not that hard to replace it later if you can't find a good one now. Also, give the nut a little light tweak. Otherwise you risk the fan spinning itself off the first time you shut down the engine.
BavAuto makes a nifty tool for holding the fan pulley so you can remove the fan clutch - too late for that now, but you can, iirc (as Paul would say ) get a flat-bladed decent-sized screw driver jammed against the pulley bolts to keep it from turning.
Oh boy, so this was an interesting procedure...back-asswards, if you will: - removed the four bolts from the fan pulley - realized the fan wasn't going to come off with the pulley - shouted some expletives - couldn't for the life of me get the pulley bolts back in - sheared off the heads of some decking nails and put those in two of the holes to hold the pulley and water pump rotor/fan together - held the pulley with a vise grip (very cautiously, mind you, so as not to damage it) - had my dad apply an impulse to the fan nut with a BMH and a BMW (blankety-blankety-wrench...lol) - reveled in our victory Somewhere, there's a former BMW engineer rolling in his grave...
Okay, how the eff is anyone supposed to get the A/C compressor V-belt off?! Everything else is off except for the old water pump, lower timing belt cover, vibration damper/pulley, and of course, the timing belt--chugging along slowly but surely...
Loosen the bolt that holds the lower channel to the block. Loosen the nut on the adjuster bolt. Loosen the bolts at the top that the compressor pivots on. Remove belt. Realize that the belt may have been "rolled" on meaning that it is too short to easliy fir over the pulleys. If this is the case, you must roll it off by making it run off track over the crank pulley using a wedge while turning the motor over by hand. BTW, I believe that I told you that you have to remove the fan first. Somewhere (Charlottesville, VA) there is a BMW enthusiast/mechanical engineer rolling his eyes... Glad you have it this far. Lemme know if you need more help.
This thread is awesome. I did this to my e30 most recently last December. Mind you, I NEVER work on M20's, I guess e30 owners just don't take their car in to get worked on. Anyway, it was a pretty miserable job. I honestly had a better time dropping the oil pan on the e36 and replacing the oil pump a couple weekends ago. Haha.
OMG SO EXCITED I can see the entire timing belt, as of 2:47 PM!!! In the process of switching the coolant pump, then going on to the belt...
Good job. You may have difficulty getting the belt on properly. It will be difficult to get the belt over the cam sprocket. With the crank lined up where it belong (make sure you do this before pulling the belt) you will notice that there is a alignment mark on one of the teeth of the cam sprocket that points to a little line stamped into the head. If you don't see it, you are 180 degrees off on the cam. Anyhow, with both marks lined up, you can advance the cam (turn it clockwise) half of a tooth to give you a little wiggle room to get the belt on. When you install the tensioner with spring and pin (which you have surely dropped into a pan of coolant by now) put the bottom bolt into the tensioner until finger tight. Pivot the tensioner to the passenger side enough to get the top bolt in and tighten it down almost all the way. Then use the tensioner to compress the spring all the way and lock down the bolts. When you go to put the belt on, you should have very very little slack on the driver's side of the belt. After it is on, retartd the cam half a tooth and unlock the tensioner, then tighten the bolts back down. Now turn the crank 720 degrees and make sure both marks line up again. If you feel any mechanical resistance (like something is stopping you, not just compression) then turn the crank counterclockwise and check the marks. Don't try the starter until you are sure it all lines up!
Okay, so my biggest issue right now is getting the old belt off...lol. It's off the cam sprocket, off the intermediate shaft pulley, and now just dangling from the crankshaft...it's wedged in between there and whatever metal guard is chillin' over there. I'm afraid to yank it, because I don't wanna rotate the crankshaft...
UPDATE Piecing 'er back together...got the timing belt on and aligned and tensed up correctly! No crunching metal sounds upon testing Tightening the fan is proving to be the most annoying part...and as you guys said, I don't want it spinning into the radiator when I kill the juice...lol
GOT IT ALL TOGETHER!!! But a snag: after putting some coolant in the system, we've sprung a leak. Confirmed it's at the new water pump-to-old hose connection...FML...let's see if we can tighten it...
