BMW E30 M20 Timing Belt Replacement Detailed DIY

[@matreyia]

Very good sir. People don't realize how time consuming the filming process is and how damn annoying it is not to be able to just fix the car without distractions.

[@dancrozier8440]

After looking at several KZbins, yours is the most helpful and informative, Thanks, Great job !!!

[@ericgunnyporter8964]

Maan this video is Awesome, you walked everyone that viewed this tutorial through the hard parts of this job and now we know exactly how to do it. keep up the great videos.

[@krazmokramer]

Excellent tutorial! You have convinced me that I am too old to spend this much time bent over that engine. But thank you for an excellent job!!

[@teammcleod4733]

Many thanks for this video. It's the best one I found on KZbin and helped give me confidence to do my own timing belt after paying shops to do them on both my E30s since 2006. One thing to note: The bolt holding my late-model camshaft timing gear takes an E12 size female torx socket (not E14 as stated in the video).

[@doctortruth4094]

Great video--very informative. I like to mark the old belt with a dot of white paint next to the timing marks before taking it off. That way, if you inadvertently turn the engine while the belt is off, you can use the marks from the old belt to return the crankshaft and cam to their respective proper positions.

[@BigGaines]

You came in clutch with this one brodie. Big ups.

[@that_panda_s]

I don’t know where this video was hiding when I started but I ended up doing half of the steps backwards 😂 but I will be following your video to finish lol thank you for doing it so detailed 🙌🏻

[@kajakas7779]

Dude! THE BEST video out there, extremely helpful, you are awesome 🤟 Thanks

[@Anirossa]

Need to get this done on my summer car project, a 88 mod E34, it's been in a barn for 10 years, it ran smooth as butter when drove it on the trailer, but I don't want to start it more before I get the belt changed, its not been changed since 1998 from what the servicebook says... This video will help a lot, so thanks!

[@masmas6846]

Excellent video bro! By far the best and most detailed one on KZbin!

[@gtijoe2419]

Thanks for taking the time to do the video. Great work man. Saved me huge!

[@lindreltlindrelt]

Great job on the video! I’ve watched 4 of these and this is by far the best…. Just enough detail and tips!!

[@hectorsalguero6741]

Amazing video! You got me working on my e28 again after a year of having it sit in my garage ! I got stuck on the whole timing belt stuff.

[@Sharpened_Spoon]

Perfect! Thanks for the tool sizing too. Need to do the camshaft seal so I'm glad you showed that too.

[@abbateh]

well done, going to follow this as my son and I do this on his E30 he just acquired yesterday

[@matthewtrokephotography5582]

Superb, thanks for taking the time to do this, followed it step by step and all worked great. Really appreciate it!

[@RexOne108]

Good video. Have to change water pump on my 87 325iC. Now will do timing belt referencing this vid. Well done

[@bmwe3opassion519]

Very nice and good info video , thank you mate :)

[@stefanofrancescoaltamura410]

by far the best E30 timing belt video out there. What the process typically for taking off the crankshaft pulley to get to the front crankshaft seal?

[@Haider_Malik]

Absolute legend! Thank you so much for sharing, I'm going to change mine next week.

[@sensei1781]

Great video. Wish you would've went into the front crank cover and replaced the oil drive shaft seal and crank seal, but other than that this video is incredibly thorough.

[@chuckmanning8118]

A fantastic video, saved me hundreds of dollars!

[@gc4391]

Very good video thanks to you I can start on my new project 87 e30 325e soon to be daily driving machine!

[@thisisyaren]

hows that going for you?

[@matreyia]

I noticed you installed the bottom cover first, which as I remember, it goes on after the top cover is installed.

[@thisisyaren]

That also looks like a water pump you have removed some stuff from too at 6:01... what's the go with all this? Seems like steps are missing

[@PhyteByte]

He removed the thing that hold the fan had me confused

[@cliffordnduva583]

Great video thank you for going into detail on the tensioner

[@Aryahmmr]

great video man! nice editing and super informative. Where did you get all the torque specs? I'm trying to make sure all the bolts on my E30 are to spec Edit: now I see the E30 Torque specs is right in the video description. Thanks!

[@laserfalcon]

On my 1988 325i, went to pull off igntion rotor and i noticed only two bolts instead of 3, no biggie, i thought just a lost bolt, but looking closer, what the rotor bolts to, someone had broken off one of the 3 ears or tabs What would that part be called?

[@daviddill7726]

Very good video, my 92 E30 325iC has probably jumped a tooth on the belt.

[@thisisyaren]

Another thing too at 2:39 there are 2 hoses sitting near the alternator and power steering pump... what are they man?

[@thisisyaren]

Also man how do you line up the markings on the camshaft and that??? thanks

[@ClashingwithTofu]

Amazing! Thx for the video.

[@Aryahmmr]

when you turn the crank at 10:50, do you put it in neutral or leave it in park? and that cam sprocket is from what later model? you said it's just stronger than the oem part?

[@esgworks]

You can leave it in park, doesn’t matter when rotating crank. And yes that cam sprocket found in the later model e30s (89-92) is much more durable.

[@Aryahmmr]

@@esgworks thanks for the response man! Appreciate it!

[@thisisyaren]

@@Aryahmmr yeh thanks helped me too, I heard it's bad if in park because im not sure if I can put it into neutral really how its sitting just incase, so yeh im not stressing as much now

[@thisisyaren]

also where your video dropped out at around the 5:46 mark, you say you put a 22mm on the crank bolt... which way did you turn it? Also did you have spark plugs in? I have been researching about doing this job and many are saying you can't crank the car if spark plugs are in or its not jacked up so the wheels can turn... I don't have jacks and im not going to jack the whole car up to turn the crank... what can I do man? Am I going to run into a problem with the crank not being able to turn?

[@kylevvi7011]

Put the car in neutral and you can do it with the spark plugs in itll just be harder to turn

[@4047530025]

Man I learned so f88kin much! Great video!!! Love the images too which gave a closer look.

[@christiansaito3124]

this is an excellent video!! and I have a 1991 convertible but the timing belt broke, how can I know if the valves are twisted.

[@HighGrade_FireBlade]

If the belt broke it’s almost guaranteed you have bent valves.

[@joluji3]

Thanks bro!! Really helped a ton!!

[@johncho1817]

Thx for the great tutorial video 🙏🙏👍

[@mxkey8948]

at 30:32 what is that peice behind the upper timing belt cover

[@sensei1781]

Thats the tensioner. You can see it at 26:11

[@sensei1781]

Or do you mean the hanger at the very top?

[@thisisyaren]

Hey man is your car jacked in this video? Thanks and keep up the great vids!

[@stephenwhite5444]

Awesome! Hey does the upper cover not need a gasket or silicone or anything like that? Nothing has gaskets or seals that need replacing except water pump and cam seal?

[@esgworks]

Correct, unless you decide to do the very low timing cover, which has a gasket and two seals. Other than that, no

[@e.a.7265]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@zachmartell3192]

Amazing video. It's going to help me out a lot.

[@diedrikvanderberg8401]

Great video. Thanks a lot!

[@tomh2015]

What year and model is this e30? I have a 1989 325i vert, do you know when they updated the cam shaft sprocket?

[@esgworks]

I believe in the late model series 89-92

[@bmwethirty5901]

Torque specs in inch lbs Water pump. 192 in lbs Timing belt tensioner 192in lbs Harmonic balancer/crankshaft pulley 192in lbs Water pump pulley 120in lbs

[@criscortez9524]

Could I possibly do the crankshaft sensor while doing this ?

[@mrrhyte]

Yes, that would be the best time because you have to route the wire in front of the timing belt cover.

[@علاءالشامي-ح3م]

good job bro...i following you from iraq and i want ask how can i find the ingine size number on my car ?

[@Sam-zg6no]

Thanks for this video!!

[@SeraphimKidd]

Did you need to replace your crankshaft seal? I'm going to be doing my timing belt again soon but plan on doing that seal this time since it showed no signs of leaking before.

[@randeepdhillon9607]

I just replaced mine. Looks harder than it is

[@SeraphimKidd]

@@randeepdhillon9607 I haven't found good instructions on how to do it

[@randeepdhillon9607]

I am assuming you need help taking the bolt out right ?

[@SeraphimKidd]

@@randeepdhillon9607 Probably the biggest part, yeah. The timing belt replacement I've done before but not the crank seal

[@randeepdhillon9607]

Take the radiator off for starters. Set engine TDC. Use a parrot wrench open to the biggest setting and put it around the gear wheel (thing around the bolt) but have it resting on the Ac compressor. Use breaker bar and additional pipe to create leverage when rotating the bolt to the left. As you rotate the hold parrot wrench shut so the crank doesn’t spin it should hold gear in place as your using the ac compressors to hold it tight. LEt me know if that doesn’t make sense 😂 I only saw one video on it on KZbin

[@Paja19tdi]

Good job. I am going to garage and will do the same. 👍

[@sosyalant]

Nice bro! I am about to do mine

[@ericgunnyporter8964]

Great job

[@adventureisoutthereproduct7215]

great video and very helpful, sine I am doing the same procedure

[@lianthonyil6461]

why won’t my crank turn it feels stuck in a way?

[@randeepdhillon9607]

Take out or loose the spark plugs

[@luqmanomar8699]

Thanks man this really helped me 😅

[@scuderia_team]

How did you block the crankshaft from turning when torquing the cam sprocket down? You mentioned a 22, but what did you do exactly?

[@esgworks]

22mm on the crankshaft bolt. Counter hold it when you’re torquing the cam sprocket

[@TheDimz14]

you just hold it with all your might

[@Barry-j7m]

Great job, my friend. Owner of original owner1988 325is

[@sopht.1349]

you must be old,you talk weird,like a robot almost

[@thisisyaren]

you have no indication at all of the camshaft pully? so you have nothing inside it? it's dead? are you from Canada? because Canada is the only place that got these unbadged E30s,,, maybe you are USA and got a Canadian model... however man Im trying to find these markings right now myself!!! help bro!,, answer your comments hey!

[@Gr33kChief]

my fathers car was a 325 no letters originally bought in new hampshire

[@sensei1781]

I have 325 aswell in the USA. About to start his job, will let you know if I have tdc marks or not. But like he mentioned, you can put a screwdriver (I prefer to use a socket extension) in cylinder 1 (after removing the sparkplug of course) and turn the crank till the screwdriver is all the way at the apex of its travel.

[@sensei1781]

Ended up finding marks on Crank vibration dampener, and the cam sprocket.

[@thisisyaren]

@@sensei1781 you should be able to find better marks once the crankshaft pulley and harmonic balancer are off... That's what I went by... Also where your cam sprocket is clean the whole are very well and then have another look. You should be able to see the marks... I don't believe they are not there I recon it's just dirty if you can't find it... I searched and searched and searched... Even still I have to hold a light there to sorta show it up. these cars are old now I believe over time the markings either get covered over from dirt or whatever and or its from wear and tare

[@mateuszkocikowski6801]

2.7😃

[@Bl4sterZzzzz]

Did everything as you did, now the car won't start 🥲 is there a chance that the oil pump pulley also rotate the distributor? Mine has the distributor on the right behind the alternator

[@user-qc7tl7xj3z]

Check for spark

[@Bl4sterZzzzz]

@@user-qc7tl7xj3z I've solved it, the oil pump pulley also rotate the distributor, it was way off... I had to take the timing belt off and do it again lol

[@mickbakkerphoto]

​@@Bl4sterZzzzzI just made the exact same mistake, time to take it off again 🥲

[@Bl4sterZzzzz]

@@mickbakkerphoto glad you found my comment lol, I hope you found it useful

[@Bl4sterZzzzz]

@@mickbakkerphoto inside the distributor there are two notches that have to be aligned

[@randeepdhillon9607]

Great video ! Thank you so much

[@MiguelCarmona-fr4cw]

Why won’t my crank rotate?