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I need to diagnose a squeal coming from the engine of my '88 325is.

Info:
- it only happens when engine is cold.
- it's independent of the water pump, alternator, and pwr steering pump (which was removed)/ I removed the v-belt and the squeal remains.
- a slow cyclical noise, appearing at a slower pace than the cam rotation / I watched cam rotation through the oil filler cap while listening to sound.
- unknown history of timing belt replacement
- it seems to be getting worse

I'm guessing it has something to do with the timing belt or timing belt tensioner, but haven't opened up an M20 engine before, so I'm looking for any thoughts from people who have.

Thanks!

Bryan

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• BMW
• 325is
• E30
• specE30
• SE30
• Driving While Awesome

[bdm233]

Turns out it was the tensioner. When I pulled it out it was making a kind of gravelly noise when spinning. I ended up changing the timing belt, tensioner, water pump and hoses, and now it's running nice and quiet.