matheweleven 0 Report post Posted November 28, 2008 so i've had my '88 320i for about 7 months now and love it! until the cam belt went the other day and the bm workshop guys said that i'd need to replace the engine if i wanted to keep it, and then there'd be no guarentees it would work after all the work was done, and therefore not worth it, because of the value of the car. Has this happened to anyone else? what is my best option? gamble and get a new engine or sell it, get a small amount of money and start again? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
320guy 0 Report post Posted November 28, 2008 (edited) Get a 325i engine and put that in. Get one for $700, bolts straight in, goes better than the 320 engine etc. Or just get a replacement 320 engine, you can get them for a few hundred easily enough, hell people have problems giving them away. Edited November 28, 2008 by 320guy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
QuickSilver 0 Report post Posted November 28, 2008 I agree with that I couldn't for the life of me get rid of my m20b20 their EVERYWHERE. If I were in your position, I would investigate a few other avenues before throwing in the towel, check out the cost to upgrade 325i, depending on your knowledge you may be able to do some work yourself, or simply replace it with a new (second hand) 2.0 motor. Is the workshop sure that damage was caused? Sometimes if you turn the motor off straight away after the cambelt has snapped there is no damage, but this would still involve removing the head off the motor and investigating. Either way make sure you check it all out! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gmccormack 0 Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Is the workshop sure that damage was caused? Sometimes if you turn the motor off straight away after the cambelt has snapped there is no damage, but this would still involve removing the head off the motor and investigating. Either way make sure you check it all out! I believe that is a myth. How quicky you switch the engine off has no relevance as the engine will stop the instant the belt breaks. My understanding is any engine that is an interference design will always be damaged when its timing belt/chain breaks while its running. Non interference engines on the other hand will never suffer any damage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
