E30 Zone

how much does bmw charge to replace cambelt and water pump and tincheners

More than enough to warrant doing it yourself berty. Not sure about the 318, but on a 325i it really is suprisingly
easy, not to mention satisfying. Do a search on your model ,there should be plenty of info here.

was thinking of doing myself will i need coolant as i will have to drain the water out of the rad?

Not 100% sure on your model, but iirc you need to remove radiator anyway, so would make sense to replace coolant and antifreeze while you're at it.

cheers lad ordred the parts from bmw: fan belt £6, pas belt £15, timing belt kit with tensioner £40 and got a water pump from JNKs for £40

The old water pump can be a right royal pain in the ar*se to remove on a M40.
Remove the four bolts that hold it, then try to rotate the assembly in the block. There are two threaded bosses on the pump, where you screw in two long 6mm bolts to push the pump out, but, unless it has been seriously freed up, these lugs will promptly break off when you apply pressure to them.
The cam belt tensioning procedure is covered quite well in the Haynes manual.

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... elt_Change


Don't need to take the water pump off on an m40 to do a cambelt, but if you need to change it, be very careful take your time.

I would change the pump if you don't know when it was last done, the cost of it going west is far greater than the cost of a replacement.

Maby you could get some large pipe grips or stilsons in there to get it moveing and then wind it out with some bolts as Brianmoooore said above.

The only waterpump that has given me a headache to date was my old vauxhall nova GT/E, that doubled as the cambelt tensioner and was siezed solid.... 1 cheapo screwdriver with a steel shaft all the way through the handle garnished liberally with a 2 pound brick hammer had it out... in several pieces


Yes i was young and foolish but boy did that thing shift (standard? i think not )

Back to the origional Question though

berty wrote:how much does bmw charge to replace cambelt and water pump and tincheners

Errr well last i heard my local was charging £100 per hour labour +vat, a job like that has got to be worth about 3 hours to them + parts and sundries like coolant, which will cost more to jo-public than Zimmerbimmer1 can supply them for on here by some margin i imagine.


In other words, get your hands dirty mate, you will feel so much better having done it yourself and save a fare amount of cash.

The linked guide is very good,I used it when Idid the cambelt on my316i,the guide mentions using a spring balance to set the belt tension correctly,when I slackened the old one off I measured with my fingers the approximate tension to re-set on re-build,a bodge,but it worked for me...

i want to tackle my cam belt, but it needs to come at the same time as new tappets and cam so it might be time to stump up for the the whole thing to be done

do u need to remove the rad on an m40?

You don't have to remove the rad, but gives you a hole lot more room.

On an m40 you can change the water pump without even taking off the timing cover - actually gives you a bit more leverage.

Gwynleym10 wrote:On an m40 you can change the water pump without even taking off the timing cover - actually gives you a bit more leverage.

You can, and today I have!
I wouldn't dream of doing it without removing the radiator though - only takes about five minutes to remove it, and less to put it back in.

do u need that special tool for holding the engine from turning over or do u just use a screwdriver?

No locking tools are needed, if you're careful.
You can cut the old belt around it's length with a craft knife, if you want, just leaving about a third of its width on the pulleys. Slip the new belt on beside it, then cut the last of the old belt off.

i'like that plan good idea

cheers for the help guys

I have never used locking tools or the BMW belt tensioning tool to do an M40 belt. With all the front belt covers off I've just used a drill bit (8/9mm or something) through the block to lock the crank and a steel ruler to make sure the cam is in the right place. The cam does not spring around when the belt tension is released - if fact it takes a bit of effort to move it. Just set the crank and cam in the right place, release the tension and take the belt off. Nothing will move, trust me!
You must replace the three tensioner wheels - the big toothed adjuster wheel, the smaller pulley and the small top hat pulley. If one of these fails, the belt will come off. To set the tension, I have always fitted the belt and set the tension on the big toothed pulley so you just about get 90 degrees of twist on the belt on its longest run. With the belt on, remove the drill bit and spin the engine on the starter for a few seconds, re-time the engine and check the belt tension.

The BMW method is just bullshit to scare DIY'ers. It involves measuring the engine temperature with a special probe and using a digital tensioning gauge for a bloody 4 cylinder 8v SOHC engine. Think of the millions of Astras, Escort CVH's etc where you fit the belt normally and change it 20k later.
Set the belt so if feels fairly tight. If the belt whines when the engine is running, it's too tight. By the time they've done 20'000 miles they're pretty slack. I would change the belt and tensioners, change the belt again at 20k and belt and tensioners again at 40.

I must finish doing the belt on a mates 316i after lunch..... in the rain!!!

Stupid fooking weather

very helpfull, umbrella anyone.

just finished mine wasnt to bad