professorbob

Really glad to be on this forum, as I am a recent owner of this 1995 vehicle. Will post photos later. Purchased for my wife to drive to and from Atlanta about an 80 mile commute.
The car is in excellent condition and had to only replace the radiator, and just completed a new paint job. It has 121,000 miles and it runs and drives like a new car
About a month ago, my wife took a sever rear end hit by a BMW that had been struck by a Tractor Trailer.
The rear bumper was deflected but I was able to correct the scuff marks during the repaint work.

To my present problem. Last week my wife noted excess vibration at idle and could hear other noises while on the road.

I suspected it to be a bad motor mount and purchased the front passenger side mount in prep for the repair. Upon closer inspection, however, I noted that the AC pump was resting on the front cross member.
I decided to remove the top motor mount on the driver side to inspect it for damage. When I place the jack under the pan and lifted the engine, I noted that the hanger bracket on the head appeared to move.
Tonight I removed the valve cover to allow removal of the top timing cover. On inspection, the bracket was completely loose.
Closer inspection revealed that the center bolt was broken off in the head and the other two bolts were totally missing. AAAgggrrrrr! I expect that the rearender is what broke the bolt, but believe that had the other two bolts been in place that I would not be having these problems now.
Looks like when the timing belt was replaced at the dealer by the previous owner, some jack leg mechanic did not install the two additional bolts.
Now I will be spending several hours trying to drill and back out the broken bolt.
I am hoping to reinstall this hanger with new bolts without having to completely remove the lower belt cover. I have removed the two top bolts and the cover seems to flex enough to get the bracket back in place.

QUESTION: Do any of you know the bolt lengths for these hanger bolts and their MM size and thread number. I need to know if there are three different lengths, or two different lengths.
And, is there a torque speck for these bolts and do I need to apply any thread glue before installing.
In addition, I will be replacing the spark plug tube mating gaskets and possibly the rubber valve cover gasket. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time.
professorbob

Fred Demara

I don't know how long those bolts are, but you might want to consider contacting the BMW's insurance (I'm assuming they paid?) and ask them to have the bolt extracted.

If I had to guess, I would be willing to say your other mounts need to be checked - usually when one of them goes, it puts a strain on all the others that will break them.

Keep us posted, and good luck

Roader

CYLINDER BLOCK - OIL PAN #s 18, 19, & 21

No thread pitch though I suspect 1.25. A trip to a junk yard would be the easiest way to get the exact same bolts. Don't use thread locker on them.

professorbob

Thanks for the prompt reply.

Got the bracket out and it looks like a tough job to do the extraction and to get the unit back with the bolts in place because the lower timing belt cover is going to be right in the way.

... Decided to order through the dealer to be assured of correct size.
Have decided to replace spark plug tube gasket and adjust valves while this deep in the repair.
Do you know the torque specs and the removal and tightening sequence for the bolts that hold down rocker arms set, as I want to be sure and get them correct before beginning this portion of the job.
Thanks
Professorbob

professorbob

We accepted a settlement check about three weeks ago, so getting additional money would be really difficult at this point. I definitely will check the other mounts after getting this job completed though. On the hunt to borrow some Left twist drill bits to begin the extraction.
Thanks for you advice.
Prof

djkurious

here ya go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYU8qtPzQOY

professorbob

djkurious

Thanks for the quick response. The video on gasket replacement was very helpful. Now out to purchase the left hand twist drills to do the extraction.
Thanks
Prof

professorbob

Back with more help. Found two left hand twist bits for 10.00 and today successfully remove the 1/2inch of thread shank. Larger bit was not necessary, as I sprayed a few drops of PB blaster into the hole before starting. When I began the second drill, the bit gripped enough of the hole to unscrew the piece.
Back outs were not necessary. Three bolts arrived from the Honda dealer today. the two longer ones are about 1mm difference in length. Could be an issue if someone just use the same length bolts in the wrong holes.

NOW for Additional Questions. The timing belt was replace in 2011 at about 107,000 miles. The vehicle now has 121,000 miles. The belt looks in good shape but appears to be slack.
I watched a couple of belt replacement videos and saw the proper way to distribute the belt tension with the automatic tension parts. However, given the fact that there was only one bolt installed in the motor hanger which should have had three bolts, and I can see a slotted flat piece with a spring attached inside the lower belt cover with what appears to be an 8mm bolt missing from its hole, I am wondering if the belt was properly adjusted during install. Is that spring loaded flat bracket suppose to have a bolt in the slot? If it is, is there a way to readjust the belt with just the top cover off, or am I going to need to remove the complete lower end to do this adjustment.
I want to make that decision before reinstalling the engine mount bracket, as it is going to be quite challenging to insert the bracket with bolts by the partially released lower cover.

Reference the belt tightness.... I am able to twist the long side belt about half way around. One of the videos says this is the way to determine proper tightness. I just think there seems to be little too much slack.
By comparison, on my 1989 Toyota Supra turbo, there is a specific amount of inward flex allowed and the belt appears very snug as the allowance is only about 3/8".

Are there any definitive photos that show a properly adjusted belt? Any suggestions are welcome.

ALSO, I removed the lifter brackets last evening and installed new 'o' rings. The old one were completely brittle. I expect that after reinstall this will stop any old leaks into the spark plug tubes. Also will do a complete valve lash adjustment while waiting for more help on the timing belt issue.

Thanks for any suggestions.
Prof