318i Fan Belts! My Uncle Told Me They Sound Loose! - BMW Forum

Delmarco · 04-17-2005, 10:42 AM

Okay since we had some extreme cold winter days last winter my car has been sounding sickish when I start it up....but I've been keeping taps on everything under my hood since last november and I can't see any problems

...anyway I drove over my Aunt's for her b'day last night and my uncle heard my car as I started it as we were leaving and he told me my belts sounded loose (which is the source of the sound I've been hearing since winter) and that I could get a spray at AutoZone to spray on and tighten the belts.

I'm going tommorrow to get this spray....

anyone did this for their BMW? or Does it sound like I should replace the belts entirely instead of maintaining them?

Thanks

Cruzin 323is · 04-17-2005, 10:46 AM

heheh... i changed the timming belt in my car @ 60k miles... u should do the same...

its bad news if u wear out the timming belt.. and if it snapps... bye bye 318..

even thought its exspensive to fix/change... its well worth it!!

Delmarco · 04-17-2005, 10:55 AM

How do you tell if the timing belt is about to snap?

rsn48 · 04-17-2005, 10:56 AM

I suspect the "belts" are not the timing belt, unless I missed something. Belts aren't that expensive and you are better off to replace them rather than fiddle with spray which is a temporary fix at best. As cars gets older, all belts should be replaced.

And if you haven't changed out the timing belt (do these models have belts or chains?), then unfortunately you should change out the timing belt.

Delmarco · 04-17-2005, 11:59 AM

well I bought the car with 130,000 miles...BMW did a full diagnosis and siad the belts were fine then (last July 2004) now the car has 146,000 miles on it and I have not replaced any belts....in 16,000 miles of driving, 9 months, one cruel winter, and two oil changes.

So should I take her to the BMW dealership or should I go to the local mech for a belt change? or can I DIY?

Also how many belts am I looking to replace if I replace them all?

and average costs for a 318i 4cyl.?

thekid · 04-17-2005, 01:34 PM

Um I thought we had a timing chain... not a belt. The chain can't really be loose. It just breaks one day... I was pretty sure that was the case...

e30driver · 04-17-2005, 01:39 PM

check if they have any cracks in them if they do replace
check if they have a glaze on them if they do relpace them
if they are just lose you can replace them or just tighten them

you can tighten them up by using the gear thing on one of your bolts. there should be one on each thing(water pump, alternator, etc.)

try that first befor you get the spray thing!!

Delmarco · 04-17-2005, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by e30driver@Apr 17 2005, 12:39 PM
check if they have any cracks in them if they do replace
check if they have a glaze on them if they do relpace them
if they are just lose you can replace them or just tighten them

you can tighten them up by using the gear thing on one of your bolts. there should be one on each thing(water pump, alternator, etc.)

try that first befor you get the spray thing!!

[snapback]333896[/snapback]

thanks....

Dirty_Tool · 04-17-2005, 08:05 PM

the 318 has a timing chain not a belt. The only US spec BMW engine to have a timing belt was the m20 motor. ( 6 cyl engine used in e30 325, e34-525,<1989 models only> and e28-528e) All other BMW's in the USA use chains.

DT

SD318is · 04-17-2005, 09:26 PM

ive never heard of any spray that will tighten a belt. that doesnt even make any sense to me, unless someone came up with some magic rubber shrinking potion. if the belts are good, tighten them up. if they dont look so good, get new ones and you'll probably have to adjust those when you get them in too

tomctx · 04-18-2005, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SD318is@Apr 17 2005, 10:26 PM
ive never heard of any spray that will tighten a belt. that doesnt even make any sense to me, unless someone came up with some magic rubber shrinking potion. if the belts are good, tighten them up. if they dont look so good, get new ones and you'll probably have to adjust those when you get them in too

[snapback]334074[/snapback]

It's called belt dressing. It makes the belts kinda sticky and will work for a short while. Good if you're planning to sell the car immediately. Best thing is to replace the belts.

triggrhaapi · 04-18-2005, 12:17 AM

yeah, the spray shit doesn't tighten them, it makes them not slip.

Jody007 · 04-18-2005, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Delmarco@Apr 17 2005, 10:42 AM
Okay since we had some extreme cold winter days last winter my car has been sounding sickish when I start it up....but I've been keeping taps on everything under my hood since last november and I can't see any problems

...anyway I drove over my Aunt's for her b'day last night and my uncle heard my car as I started it as we were leaving and he told me my belts sounded loose (which is the source of the sound I've been hearing since winter) and that I could get a spray at AutoZone to spray on and tighten the belts.

I'm going tommorrow to get this spray....

anyone did this for their BMW? or Does it sound like I should replace the belts entirely instead of maintaining them?

Thanks

[snapback]333836[/snapback]

Is your car in Tallahassee now? If so I can recomend someone that can tell you the problem, and provide a cure. He affordable and good, former BMW dealership knuckle buster too.

NeverLeaned · 04-18-2005, 11:58 AM

Our cars have Timing Chains. Im not exactly sure what the recommended service life is of the chain on these cars.

I'd venture to say that is best to ignore the advice from the user who suggests changing his timing belt every 60K(although that would be about the correct interval for timing belts

) ........ unless M42's do infact use belts and not chains.

Im not exactly sure what the recommended service interval is for the chain on your car........ If I had to guess..... somewhere between 125-150K

Typically the chain doesn't snap like the belt, but it does tend to stretch over the years and the loosening of the chain could cause value damage (and performance loss) because values may not be completely open or closed at the appropriate interval.

I'd look into your drive belts first, check for cracking and abnormal wear. Could also be your pulley tensioners, or bad bearing making noise. Cant venture any further without a better description of the sound.

NeverLeaned · 04-18-2005, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by e30driver@Apr 17 2005, 12:39 PM

you can tighten them up by using the gear thing on one of your bolts. there should be one on each thing(water pump, alternator, etc.)

[snapback]333896[/snapback]

There is no gear thing on the bolts......... If your belts are visible loose then your pulley tensioner failed/is failing......... this needs to be replaced.