Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 17:26:22 -0700

[mcd@xxxxxxxxx]

Mike;
I've done this job before on my 85 325e - same engine.

You don't want to try this in the auto-parts store parking lot! It will take
time, and it is messy. It's been a while since I've done mine, but if I
remember correctly.....

First, I put the car in gear, with the e-brake on to make sure the engine
couldn't rotate at any point in the process. This is very important! Then, I
drained and removed the radiator - I don't think it's necessary, but it
makes the job easier. You'll have to remove the water pump, so you'll have
to drain the coolant either way. If you think your water pump/gasket is old,
this might be the time to replace it. Of course the fan (27mm wrench) and
all the fan belts need to come off - no big deal. The crankshaft balancer
(the front flywheel) isn't too bad to remove - just 5 or 6 small bolts hold
it on. I'm not sure, but it's probably not a bad idea to remember the
rotational position of this piece relative to the crankshaft position so you
can put it back on in the same orientation. (Just in case it's balanced
specifically to the crankshaft - I don't know about this!) Then, the
distributor cap and rotor need removing (also no big deal), before the belt
cover comes off.

Now you can remove the tensioner, and the belt will come off. This is where
you DON'T want the engine or crankshaft to rotate!! Just in case, you may
want to mark the relative positions of the crankshaft and camshaft in case
anything does spin.

Put the new belt on making sure there is not slop in the taught side of the
loop (the side without the tensioner). This is what will determine, and
hopefully, set the correct timing between crankshaft and camshaft. Put your
new tensioner in, and assembly is, as they say, reverse of disassembly!

The whole job probably took me about 4-5 hours. Take you're time. It's not
worth screwing this one up! To answer your questions, I don't remember
needing any special tools or have problems with hard-to-remove bolts.

As far as those camshaft seals. I'm not sure why the guy at the shop brought
that up, but I think he's refering to the 4 little rubber plugs in the top
of the head which seal the holes required to machine the cam shaft seats(?).
If you ever do a valve job, and/or need to replace the valve cover gasket,
you should ask for replacement plugs. The stock ones were brittle and tend
to leak. Maybe they leak onto the timing belt, and that's why that guy
brought it up. Anyway, they're cheap, and you should do it sometime.

Best of luck to you. Let us know how it goes.

Mike Drew

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