[JS82]

Originally Posted by Zero_09

Deflection pulley (Idler pulley) #11287535860?

It's a great price if it is but the manufacturer is INA. Is that the same manufacturer BMW uses?

Checked my OEM BMW pulley and it said INA. So yes, INA is the manufacturer that makes these pulleys for BMW.

[AlanAZ]

Originally Posted by Zero_09

Hey,

I was wondering did you get the your parts there when you this DIY?

Just want to confirm with you that this replaces the
Mechanical belt tensioner #11287530314
and Deflection pulley (Idler pulley) #11287535860?

Yes, I got my parts from RM European.

[Zero_09]

JS82 was your Serpentine V-belt#11287628650 made by CONTITECH?

Thanks for the help I'll order the tensioner and pulley from RM European

Originally Posted by AlanAZ

Yes, I got my parts from RM European.

Just wondering if this part you ordered came with the tensioner, pulley, and torx bolt?
http://www.rmeuropean.com/Part-Numbe..._85E85BAC.aspx

In the pictures it has the bolt but not sure if it comes with it.

[JS82]

Originally Posted by Zero_09

JS82 was your Serpentine V-belt#11287628650 made by CONTITECH?

Thanks for the help I'll order the tensioner and pulley from RM European

You won't have any problems with the Contitech serpentine belt because they are the OE manufacturer for BMW. My OEM BMW belt still has a Contitech stamp.
The Contitech belt you are about to order is only missing is the BMW stamp

[Zero_09]

Originally Posted by JS82

You won't have any problems with the Contitech serpentine belt because they are the OE manufacturer for BMW. My OEM BMW belt still has a Contitech stamp.
The Contitech belt you are about to order is only missing is the BMW stamp

thank you sir.

[BAMxi]

Just ordered parts from Rmeuropean yesterday to do this. My total was $111 shipped. Seems like a good site and was the most reasonable price I could find. I had my car in for the battery cable recall and the tech noted the tensioner was loose and walking the belt off slowly. I looked at it today and it looked OK, but I figured better safe than sorry. I'm not sure if the tech unloaded the belt and put it back on, and that's why it looks OK now, or if they were just trying to squeeze some cash out of me. But, I figured I might as well go ahead and do the repair myself. This will be the first thing I've had to repair myself out of warranty on this car. I've done several oil changes, though.

I've read this guide probably 10 times to make sure it's as straightforward as it looks. I'm thinking I can manage it. I'm headed to harbor freight and/or Sears to get a breaker bar and the torx set. wish me luck! Thanks for contributing this, OP!

[Zero_09]

just wondering what socket do you guys use to unbolt the
Torx bolt #11287530315 on the tensioner? I know you need the T-60 bit for the torx star but how about the torx bolt? Not sure if I have a socket for that.

[F80_M3llow]

Not to hard to do just follow the guide and you should be ok. First time will take u longer.

[ska///235i]

Originally Posted by Zero_09

just wondering what socket do you guys use to unbolt the
Torx bolt #11287530315 on the tensioner? I know you need the T-60 bit for the torx star but how about the torx bolt? Not sure if I have a socket for that.

E14 torx
E torx sockets are common for euro cars so look into a set.

I got this set from amazon and has both t60 and e14

Neiko 35-Piece External Female Socket and Torx Bits Socket Set $31.21

I love doing DIYs cuz money i save will get me new tools

[Zero_09]

Originally Posted by ska325xi

E14 torx
E torx sockets are common for euro cars so look into a set.

I got this set from amazon and has both t60 and e14

Neiko 35-Piece External Female Socket and Torx Bits Socket Set $31.21

I love doing DIYs cuz money i save will get me new tools

I know what you mean. I've been accumulating tools for almost a decade now and thought I would have all the sockets I need. I have at least 6 socket sets and I'm surprised I don't have all the sockets yet. I'm going to check again in the morning and see if I have that particular socket

[Zero_09]

everything was going fine until I snapped the E-torx bolt when I was tightening it down. There's no resistance point where to stop and I snapped. Just going to re-use the old bolt.

[ska///235i]

Originally Posted by Zero_09

everything was going fine until I snapped the E-torx bolt when I was tightening it down. There's no resistance point where to stop and I snapped. Just going to re-use the old bolt.

Did you follow the torx specs???

[Zero_09]

Originally Posted by ska325xi

Did you follow the torx specs???

I didn't see any torx specs. Just said to tighten it well. I was trying to tighten it and do a 1/6 turn but it bolt felt like it kept going until I snapped it off.

It's all good thought I got it all back together. Took me 45 mins and was easier than I thought. Just had to have the right tools.

Thanks OP for the detailed pictures and write up.

[ska///235i]

Originally Posted by Zero_09

I didn't see any torx specs. Just said to tighten it well. I was trying to tighten it and do a 1/6 turn but it bolt felt like it kept going until I snapped it off.

It's all good thought I got it all back together. Took me 45 mins and was easier than I thought. Just had to have the right tools.

Thanks OP for the detailed pictures and write up.

I know what you mean, been there done that lol...learned my lesson and got myself a snap-on torque wrench

[Zero_09]

Originally Posted by ska325xi

I know what you mean, been there done that lol...learned my lesson and got myself a snap-on torque wrench

I got two torque wrenches actually. I didn't use them because I was going to get tighten it and go 1/6 turn. Usually that's what I do when I don't know what to torque it too. I guess when you tighten the tensioner bolt it just keeps going. Maybe that's why they call it a tensioner bolt? I don't know I'm just assuming that.

[redvitesse]

Originally Posted by LittleBlue

Where is everyone getting their parts from? OEM is more expensive than aftermarket, considering original lasted till 60k miles I can't imagine A.M would last less than that, thoughts?

Prices paid ?

1 11287530314 1 49.00
2 11287530315 1 2.99
3 11287535860 1 19.95
4 6PK1990 1 17.85

Total $89.79 before tax
http://www.northsideimports.com/

I am located in Chicago but they have several locations across the US. Even the local BMW and Benz dealers get parts here as they only realy sell parts made by the companies the Manufacturers uses. www.northsideimports.com/
- In chicago Nicolas Mcbride is my sales guy

[Chriztofor]

"Here is where it gets annoying. The tensioners on are cars are really hard to unload. Get a t60 torx bit and place it in the torx star in the tensioner i will circle it in red. Now to make this easier stand behind your passanger front panel and place the ratchet in and turn clockwise while your other hand slips the belt of the tensioner. Now if you are turning it clockwise and it does not move then you need to put some elbow grease in, dont be paranoid just use some strength and you should see it start unloading. Our tensioners dont self lock so you have to have to use one hand to have it unloaded and your second hand to slip the belt off. This was annoying."

OP: Great write-up. You had the answer in your hands. The new one is locked in place with a pin. Instead of using one hand to take tension off the belt and the other one to take the belt off, you should use a long skinny screwdriver or long bolt to lock it in place.

[Zero_09]

Also forgot to mention when I replaced all the parts in this DIY. The belt seem fine and look pretty new to me. Maybe the previous owner changed it. I'll never know so I just replaced it with the new one. Also the tensioner and pulleys seem to spin fine with no grinding noise.

[Jklad]

I'm planning to do this on my n54 but I had a couple questions:

1. For tensioner, Do you need a security/tamper t60 bit with the hole cutout in the tip, or is regular t60 ok?
2. Does it matter if the t60 bit is a two piece design?
3. When routing/reinstalling the new belt, can the entire install all be done from the top of the engine, or do you need to also raise the car, and remove the under tray to have access from underneath?

[Luxurytax423]

I drive an e60 but pretty much everything is the same on the N52. However,after replacing the tensioner, idler pully and serpentine belt, I'm having an extremely hard time removing the tensioner pin that was inserted into the new tensioner. In fact, I broke my ratchet while trying to pull the pin out. I don't own a breaker bar but I guess I'm going to go get one to attempt it again.

As far as getting to all the parts, I removed the radiator fan from the top of the engine and it gave me enough room to fit myself and maybe a small baby inside. (plenty of room).

For the tensioner you will need a T60. For the guy above, the two piece design is fine. It does not need to be the security type.

[ska///235i]

You need to unload the tension and then pull the pin

[shadowx360]

Hey, how long did this take you guys? I know one guy only took 20 minutes but it took me that to change my air filter. I just wanted to know because I'm tight on time working 7 days a week and was wondering if I could just spend 1-2 hours and knock this out. I only have one car and need it for work.