Timing Belt Install

#1

The Bentley manual talks about using a special tool to hold the crankshaft so you can loosen the crankshaft bolt (at 410 n-m tightness). Do i need a special tool or do i just leave the car in gear - maybe someone standing on the brakes?

#2

It isn’t necessary to remove the crank bolt to change the timing belt on an M20B25. Remove the six bolts around the crank bolt and the harmonic balancer will come off.

When necessary to remove the crank bolt, having the car in gear will usually suffice if you use a beefy impact wrench on the crank bolt. The counter hold tool helps lots if you are using a breaker bar.

#3

Put some blue threadlock on those 6 bolts when you reassemble.
The little bastards don’t go in with much torque. They can come loose and then your harmonic balancer goes thru your radiator. At Road Atlanta.

#4

Ranger wrote:

[quote]Put some blue threadlock on those 6 bolts when you reassemble.
The little bastards don’t go in with much torque. They can come loose and then your harmonic balancer goes thru your radiator. At Road Atlanta.[/quote]

I won’t ask how do you know this :slight_smile:
Scott with all the do’s and don’ts that you have accumulated, isn’t it about time you put out a DIY manual for those of us who are challenged?
Just a thought. I am placing my advance order for three of them now.

#5

You know I didn’t even think to put threadlocker on those. I will add that to the list of things to do. I know when I changed the crank pulley on my E92 M3 that blue loctite was required.

#6

If you use a breaker bar or huge torque wrench on the crank bolt, you will need more than the car in gear and brakes to hold it in place. I torqued my crank bolt to spec with a 4’ long torque wrench and the car rolled with it in gear, the brakes on and the wheels chocked.

I jacked up the car, got under it with a cold chisel and a big screw driver and wedged them in the teeth of the flywheel, which is how the “special tool” works. I was surprised, but that did the trick and my buddy was able to torque the crank bolt to spec.