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      02-10-2018, 08:34 AM   #1
olds350
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N52 serpentine belt DIY...

Sat morning and it's raining outside as predicted, so time to go attack the belt on the 128. As it turns out, I did find a video on how to replace the belt. Now, that said, this video is for the e9x cars, but since they rock the same motor and configuration, this should work just fine. What I do like is they give the torque values for the replacement aluminum bolt, which is 25n/m, or in my world, 18.4ft/lb.

He initially talks about removing the pins for the front intakes. I didn't find those pins, but the screws holding the intake in are there, so that is a valid part of the video. About to put this to the test, so back in a bit. Below is the best video I could find...



Many thanks to "AskTheCarExperts" for producing this video...




ECS kit: including 4 pulleys for N55

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-assemble...1287582946kt2/

And for N54

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-assemble...t/n54acbeltkt/


and for the 128i N52...
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-conti-te.../adk0022p~crp/
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      02-10-2018, 11:16 AM   #2
olds350
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OK, all done and it's running fine. I've added a few pics to help DIYers do this. It's not a bad job at all, at least on the 128 with the N52 engine. So let's get started...

This is what I ordered from ECStuning and it's everything you need for the 128, belt, tensioner and pulley...




These are the sockets you're going to need to remove the tensioner and to relieve the belt tension. You'll also need a 16mm socket to remove the pulley from underneath the alternator.




BEFORE YOU START, make sure you take a pic of how the belt is routed....



Now, just follow the steps shown in the video to relieve the belt tension and then remove the belt followed by the tensioner and the pulley. The pulley uses a steel bolt, so that could be reused, but the kit supplied a new bolt. There is also a cap that goes over the nut on the pulley. Sorry, I don't have torque specs for the pulley, so I just set it by feel and called it done.

As far as I can tell, my belt has been replaced due to one tell tale sign. You'll see that disk on the back of the pulley. The kit expressly states that disk that's retaining the bolt needs to be removed prior to installing. I remove the disk and installed the pulley and it works perfect....



I did look at my old belt and it looked to be in good shape. A sign of a failing belt is to fold it with the ribs outside. Generally you would see cracks in the ribbing. This one actually looks ok....



I found the hardest part of this install was getting the belt around the bottom side of the crank pulley. There is some sort of bolt or stub that keeps the belt from seating onto the crank pulley. You have to sorta slide the belt in sideways at the bottom to get it to seat. Once that was on properly, the rest of the belt fit fine. Also as noted in the video, the easiest place to put final loop of the belt on was on the tensioner pulley.

The video calls for ~18ft/lb of torque followed by a 90degree turn. I do some basic woodworking and I happened to have a large builders square. This was perfect for dialing in the last part of the torque sequence. Just pulled the ratchet from one leg to the other. Done....



All in all, I spent about 1.5 hours doing this job carefully. Like I said, it's not hard and basic hand tools and a torque wrench are all you need. It would be best if you had a either an inch/pound or zero start read on your torque wrench. Mine started at 20ft/lb, so I backed off doing the final 90degree torque.

So that's basically it ladies and gents. Hope this write up helps...
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      02-10-2018, 02:58 PM   #3
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Very nice, last post ought to be moved to the DIY section so it will be easier to find in the future.
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      02-10-2018, 04:13 PM   #4
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Great work, and thanks for sharing!
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      02-11-2018, 04:29 AM   #5
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Pretty simple and straight forward work, thank you.

Replacing the serpentine belts on my 86 944 Turbo is a whole different story, and a bit of a challenge to say the least .
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      02-11-2018, 06:12 AM   #6
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I cannot imagine getting all of that out without first removing the fan (which is where I'm stuck, but determined). Hopefully Thursday...
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      02-11-2018, 10:05 AM   #7
olds350
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr.fabulous View Post
I cannot imagine getting all of that out without first removing the fan (which is where I'm stuck, but determined). Hopefully Thursday...
For me, there was no need to remove the fan, plenty of room to remove the pulleys and the belt. Why do the extra work?
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      02-11-2018, 11:14 AM   #8
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Garage List
https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...cting-element/

Here's all you need to do everything, it even has pictures of belt routing, torque values. Everything you need...it's a very helpful website!

It does say to remove the fan cowl, but as olds350 said, you probably don't need to.
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      02-11-2018, 01:28 PM   #9
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olds350 Many thanks for taking the time to make this DIY.
We really needed it over here on 1Addicts.


In case anyone is interested here is the original thread...

N55 serpentine belt tore off
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...0#post22769150



Thanks again,
Dackel
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      06-14-2018, 09:59 PM   #10
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I would like to do this DIY and I ordered the parts already but I was wondering if anyone has done this on a 128i SULEV? The parts are the same so I'm assuming so is the work to get it out and replaced. Thank you for any feedback.
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      07-13-2018, 03:10 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jjdajet View Post
I would like to do this DIY and I ordered the parts already but I was wondering if anyone has done this on a 128i SULEV? The parts are the same so I'm assuming so is the work to get it out and replaced. Thank you for any feedback.
My PS pulley broke off a few weeks ago and shredded my belt, so I had to do this roadside. Luckily I was right near home and my dad brought me a new belt, pulley, and bolts for the pulley. Took about half an hour once I had the parts, SUPER easy with the right tools.

For some odd reason, I felt very safe on this little unused section of road...

View post on imgur.com
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      05-06-2022, 12:09 PM   #12
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how often is it recommended for the n52 ?
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      05-06-2022, 12:41 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spielmp3206 View Post
how often is it recommended for the n52 ?
It's pretty easy to check the tension and condition of the belt. I would probably change the belt every 60k or whenever it starts to crack. The tensioner is probably good for 80-100k or sooner if it squeaks or has play in it.
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      05-06-2022, 01:03 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunderguts View Post
It's pretty easy to check the tension and condition of the belt. I would probably change the belt every 60k or whenever it starts to crack. The tensioner is probably good for 80-100k or sooner if it squeaks or has play in it.
thank you so much!, picking up a 128i tomorrow and starting to make the list for maintenance and mods
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      05-06-2022, 01:53 PM   #15
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My car is starting to make a tiny whirring noise upon cold start. I think maybe the pulley bearing is going out. Could that be one of the symptoms before failure?
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      05-06-2022, 02:06 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aznbo187 View Post
My car is starting to make a tiny whirring noise upon cold start. I think maybe the pulley bearing is going out. Could that be one of the symptoms before failure?
I guess if you really want to be sure, get one of those engine stethoscopes and try to pinpoint the noise. It could be anything from an accessory drive bearing to the water pump.
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