335i Squeaking Belt / Bad Pulley Noises! (Failure Symptoms + Repair)

[@Duhpression]

this dude about to make me show my extremely neglected 335i some love

[@Psrrrraj]

This guys uses a smart way to do the tensioner. I chose to take off the inlet without moving any coolant lines and scraped the shit out of the ac condenser…

[@098cpt]

While your there : optional : front main seal shield (avoid belt sucking) and power steering pump aluminum pulley.

[@Julien01150]

That’s why I’m doing the belt and pulleys, by the way replacing the coolant hose flange for an aluminum one. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

[@Nico_335i_DCT]

Nice fix Chris. thanks for sharing! Dutch regards, Nico.

[@christophebuisson7536]

Man oh man, this car is going to be so nice and won’t need anything for a while that I am thinking about it ! Just need mo powa!

[@efthimios]

Thanks for this about to attempt on my 2011 335 which has 105k miles. Looks like pulling the fan out helps alot especially not losing the caps when popping them off to the bottom and having to get them from uderneath later- is pulling the fan hard?

[@Aleckzandr]

Nice video. Did you pull the belt diagram off e90post forum? I think I made that one. I recognize the red lines I made. :)

[@petershulick5270]

Also BMW recommends replacing the bolts with new ones because the old bolts are aluminum and can crack or break if you try to reuse them and the new bolts are only two or three dollars so just go ahead and replace the bolts and be done with it

[@MrJinwright]

The bolts come with the pulleys and tensioner

[@xansoxys]

the other night my car was warm n jus idling and i revved it a lil bit n it was squeaking where the pulley n serpentine belt are ? what could this be

[@TheFrenchPug]

I'm at 148k. I'm getting a fairly loud whirring noise in the cabin. How do I know it's not the alternator but these pulleys and tensioner bearings? I have a 2009 e92. All pulleys and tensioner are originals.

[@TheBimmerBarn]

The alternator has better bearings than the pulleys, so they should last longer. I'd recommend pulling the belt off, and spinning the pulleys with your fingers, the bad ones will make a noise, even at low speeds. Hope that helps!

[@TheFrenchPug]

@@TheBimmerBarn OK. I guess I will do that. Maybe just replace them anyway since they are so old.

[@Critical7hinking]

What does the red line mean in the diagram? The belt line seems to transition from black to red at the bottom...

[@trackmedixuk]

I'm hearing a loud ticking noise from around my oil filter housing. Almost sounds similar to the injectors ticking but louder. Could this be a symptom of a bad pulley ?

[@TheBimmerBarn]

Most likely. You should remove the belt and spin the pulleys individually to see where it's coming from. Good luck friend!

[@trackmedixuk]

@@TheBimmerBarn Update: It was the Tensioner pulley. No noise now ✌

[@cblandblueyonder]

I'm getting this on my N53 motor - not a squeaking, but a loud ticking noise that definitely shouldn't be there. Others on Reddit suggested that it could be the pulley as well. Thanks for your update. I'm going to get this sorted ASAP as I guess it is not good if it seizes.

[@jesusavalos1339]

i just changed my alternator on my e90 335i and coolant got on the pulleys and belt, thought we dried it all off but the belt now squeeks on start up and at about 3-5k rpm. Could this mean new belt and pulleys or just that there is still coolant on it?

[@JC-mx8ic]

Same thing happened to me was thinking it was cause coolant got on it a little , did you find out what it was ?

[@JC-mx8ic]

Just that I have new belts and pulleys and that’s why I’m thinking it’s cause some coolant got on it

[@TheDreadEmpire]

I’ve been having this issue and I’ve been trying to locate it for the last week and change. I’ve topped up power steering fluid, changed plugs etc. On cold start she makes a whirling noise/sounds like a kazoo. Follows RPMs then once warm the sound goes away and lessens. I’ve replaced my belt and tensioners a year and change ago.. would I need to replace them again? Help please 😭

[@angelprieto4779]

I got the same issue atm, last time replaced was 2yrs ago Might get the set and do it myself again

[@TheDreadEmpire]

@@angelprieto4779 oh you too! I have just been listening grimacing every time my car is cold. I too replaced my pulleys and belt mid 2021, for this to happen, before that they didn’t even make a noise😂. I wonder why they fail. What kind of pulleys did you purchase??

[@petershulick5270]

Chris if you want to know about a hyper lubricant that you can use on your Bimmer which will extend the life of all your bearings internally lubricated as well as your turbos, give me a response back or question and I'll pass that along to you I found out about this and the last 3 to 6 months and started using it on my wife's 5 series 528i and it is Maine a major difference this product will also protect your engine if your engine runs low or out of oil without destroying any bearings or Rings or anything like that valves your Vanos system as well as your overhead cams and your crankshaft bearings, this hyper lubricant is so good it reduces we're down to eliminating it by 90 or 95%!

[@TheBimmerBarn]

Yeah do share! I know legitstreetcars recommends a hyper-lubricant, and I used to use liqui-moly additives. Let us know what you prefer!

[@X11CHASE]

So you went ahead and said all that nonsense, but you didn’t just spit it out? What’s the product 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@ZaraPhyte]

@@X11CHASE He was hoping it would switch to dms lmaooo

[@Fungustus1]

Ty for the vid will be referring to this when I get to replacing. Previously had issues reinstalling the rad fan shroud, any hints / tips?

[@TheBimmerBarn]

Yeah its tricky! Just take your time, use a flashlight to get a good view as it tends to get caught up on the side of the radiators as you install. Slowly but surely, it takes me a couple of attempts too :) Thanks for watching!

[@EthanTudor-n7s]

It’s a 3 year old video so I don’t expect a response but I replaced my tensioner, 2 pulleys and belt and the squeal came back about 25 minutes into driving it again. What could be the cause?

[@jesserogers5174]

? Did you have any issue getting your parts from FPC ?😕

[@TheBimmerBarn]

No, they usually come on time! If its something they have to special order from the dealership, it can take longer.

[@cjcarvalho5516]

do you have a sample of the noise? I am having an issue and think it is the retention pulley and wanted to know if you had a similar sound

[@TheDreadEmpire]

Same. I need an example of that whirling noise

[@cjcarvalho5516]

@@TheDreadEmpire I have the sound for mine but just need to see if that matches

[@petershulick5270]

Also for the commenters make sure that you leave some information such as when you changed out the pulley if how many miles were on it at that point and the age of the pulleys if it was original OEM how many years?

[@petershulick5270]

I would suggest you take a sharpie and Mark your new belt pulley and your old belt pulley oh, believe me you'll regret it if you ever get them mixed up and you can't figure out which ones which? The magic marker will wear off anyway so keep in mind the higher-priced tensioners or pulleys have better bearings and lithium grease or synthetic lithium that's being used for a lubricant

[@X11CHASE]

Are you stupid, the new ones will be squeaky clean and in great working order; the old ones will quote obviously be the older ones… I can’t believe that need to be said m

[@123456bmx]

@@X11CHASE not too mention it's a bmw and the old will probably have oil residue lol

[@samujcp9151]

What is the link for the parts? It's not on the description anymore

[@donaldbarron7916]

Great show 👏

[@ejp75]

I’ve got a 2011 E92 335i LCI N55. I’ve got this constant whining noise, sounds like a jet engine. Its continuous with RPM as it changes. Is this the kind of sound the tensioner, pulleys make? My repair shop wants $168. to diagnose the sound, and tell me what causing it. And that’s cheaper than what my dealer wants to charge to tell me what needs to be fixed.

[@TheBimmerBarn]

Could be a vacuum or PCV problem. Might be worth it to have the shop diagnose and then fix it yourself, good luck!

[@ejp75]

@@TheBimmerBarn Thanks! I’ll do that. Ernie.

[@wholelottapain8130]

Are you leaking coolant?

[@ejp75]

@@wholelottapain8130 no coolant leaks. radiator, water pump, thermostat and hoses all replaced four months ago.

[@ejp75]

It sounds like it’s coming from the front right side of motor, by the pulleys - serpentine belt. I tried removing the fan unit to get in there to loosen the tensioner, remove the belt, then run it to listen if sound still present. BUT ran into trouble getting fan assembly out. On lower right side driver side facing car, at bottom is a hose that’s blocking fan unit from coming straight up and out. Seems I’ve gotta go underneath to see what this hose is. I’m thinking trans cooler?

[@michaelmartinez9602]

The pulleys don’t spin once you loosen them

[@havoc777]

Great video

[@TheBimmerBarn]

Thanks 😊

[@StephenSix-n7c]

Where is the parts list?

[@adrianvega4817]

is it true the tensioner bolt is a one time use ? pretty ridiculous lol. n55

[@TheBimmerBarn]

I'm pretty confident you could re-use it, the bolt is steel and probably has a "stretch" factor to it, but re-torquing it once or twice wouldn't hurt!

[@adrianvega4817]

@@TheBimmerBarn thank you. pretty sure i could reuse it lol. im new to bmw haha

[@cessarflom8664]

Nothing needs to be torqued down ?.

[@rayray3009]

great tool tip

[@brianbarker6746]

I managed to accomplish the belt replacement by jacking front end, only removing the under engine cover and removing one of the air cross pipe torx screws (loosened the other). I pushed belt down into vicinity from the top and placed it on pulleys etc. from underneath, finishing on top when ready for tensioner. I cut the belt I replaced for easier removal from underneath. My belt squeak and subsequent failure was a result of my power steering pump coming loose (the bottom bolt had actually fallen into the under cover). Must have not tightened it sufficiently when replacing oil pan gasket.

[@bobgnops]

how did you remove the torx from the socket?

[@TheBimmerBarn]

Put the socket in my vice, used a hammer and a small punch to tap it out from behind!

[@bobgnops]

@@TheBimmerBarn thank you

[@taulant2710]

Thx brooo

[@troyyoung2661]

very nice

[@An0nDEViant]

You take that 7pk1855 belt and use it as a filter wrench. Go out and order 7pk1856 which is OE material. FCP should be held accountable for ruining peoples engines with these poly rib belts that will bust.

[@Gongdeadman]

Sounds the same to me lol

[@cameronmerrill2746]

Btw this is doable without removing the fan. Just sucks