Broken Timing Belt??

[jaymz]

i just bought a 1984 325E 5spd with 120,000 miles on it,,,it has a slight lifter tick which doesnt bother me,,but today when i went to start it on my lunch break,,all the sudden the idle is VERY ruff and there is a loud metal to metal ticking sound,,,i think the timing belt may have slipped?,,when i rev the engine it goes away (around 1800 rpm) but from what i know an engine retards timing as revs get higher...so what i am asking is this

1.is the 6cyl in 325"s an interfearince motor?(ie..if the timing belt breaks/skips the valves make contact with the piston)
2.does this sound like what has happend?,,after it started i caushisly drove it home and parked it,,im scared to start it as i dont want the belt to break or skip anymore causing expensive damage
3.what manuals do i need (where can i aquire them)
4.what is the best supplyer to get a new belt,,gaskets

please any help would be great as the wife is not happy at all that i just spent money on a car,,drove it 12 miles and now have to tear into it,,thanks james issed2" class="inlineimg" /> ghead

[takaaco]

i know i broke a timing belt and had to get a new head because all the valves were bent.

[jaymz]

WHAT YEAR?,,the more i think about it the more i think that they are interfearince motors,,guess i wont be driving it for awhile,,man and i only got it this morning,,ive only driven it 12 miles

[jaymz]

anymore help/input is welcome,,james

[Quincy56]

Any idea when the belt was changed last? If not, you should change it anyways. It is an interference motor, valves will be damaged if it breaks. I'm sure other things could be causing it to be rough. It isn't that hard to change. Get the Bentley manual, and help from boards like this one and sites like www.bmwe30.net/ and www.unofficialbmw.com

[jaymz]

i just talked to the po,,to try and get the code for radio(of course he doesnt remember it) and he told me that the belt was replaced about 40,000 miles ago,,,,

are the timing belts on bmw 6cyl"s prone to slipping,,or did i just get really really unlucky and get one that decided to go bad early??,,from what i know you should replace them every 60,000 miles,,but i would think they would last allitle longer then that,,,could tensioner failure cause belt slip?,,,,has this ever happend to anyone else?(newer belt breaking or slipping)

i love this car to death,,heck ive only owned it 2 days and driven it 12 miles,,,man i am bummin

another quick question,,what is the litre size of the 325e"s 6cyl?

[Quincy56]

The timing belt should be changed at 60,000 or before. Some folks say 50,000, some say 40,000. Also time matters. I wouldn't let it go more than 4 or 5 years. When I bought my Cabrio in Feb, it had 42,000 miles and the original timing belt, 12 years old. I made the seller change it before I would buy it.

AFAIK, the 325e is a 2.7 liter engine, more torque and less HP than the 325i.

[Aether]

It's also as interference engine, as you said. Timing belts don't break any more or less often than on most cars, but they have much worse ramifications when they do.

[witeshark]

Please post what you find it to be and the $ to fix. I think I gotta get mine done

[jaymz]

www.bavauto.com

is where im getting the parts,,belt tensioner and water pump all together will be less then 100$,,but im thinking of getting a BMW dealer belt,,(which will cost more)
as for the work i will be doing myself,,i have many years and scars from working on cars,,heck ive done a tb change on an twin cam eagle talon turbo,,,on of the most pain in the arse tb"s to do,,if you take it to a dealer i think your looking at the 300$ to 500$ range (just a guess)

[Quincy56]

Originally posted by jaymz@Oct 16 2004, 12:39 AM
but im thinking of getting a BMW dealer belt,,(which will cost more)
as for the work i will be doing myself,,i have many years and scars from working on cars,,

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Maybe more at the dealer. Many of the dealer prices are very close or the same as BavAuto. There are other online sources such as pelican parts or autohausaz.com that are cheaper. If you are a BMWCCA member, your dealer may offer you a discount on parts and then the prices at the dealer might be cheaper than all of them. I have purchased many parts at the dealer that are significantly cheaper than the BavAuto or other online stores.

Now one great thing about BavAuto is the service. Being in the NorthEast, I usually have the parts the next day after I order them.

I have changed two timing belts on the E30, and they are not that hard. I wpuld plan on a weekend so you don't rush it. Have a new water pump ready too as you should change it at the same time.

John

[gotKRAUT]

Originally posted by takaaco@Oct 15 2004, 12:05 AM
i know i broke a timing belt and had to get a new head because all the valves were bent.

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me too...me too

[witeshark]

To those who broke timing belts, how many miles had the belts gone before breaking? used