Cold Start Up Problem and Cog of Death - Alpina E46 B3.3 2002

[E46330]

Might be worth doing a continuity check to make sure there isn't a poor connection or broken wire. Had this on mine recently.

I shall give them a heads up tomorrow and say this to them , even the best garages miss things so I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the problem. I’ve yet to hear back since Friday so if they don’t call me tomorrow , I’ll be ringing them. Really starting to miss the old girl now

[E46330]

I was hoping I wouldn’t need to update this thread any further , took the old girl out yesterday for a nice little drive and about 30 miles away from home both belts snapped ! Lost power steering and car started overheating. I turned it off immediately and got it recovered back to a garage. Won’t be able to have it sorted until Monday now , and nothing expensive , looks like all pulleys are intact and as is the engine fan. So hopefully no more surprises !

[Charles]

How frustrating!

If funds allow, you might want to consider replacing the pulleys at the same time as the belts - as these wear over time as grit gets into the ball bearing runs.

[ScooBeeFive]

You're having a tough time of it with your new car. Don't give up on it - sure once it's sorted you'll have many trouble free miles.

[E46330]

Do you guys have any ideas what the part number for the alternator belt , power steering belt and alternator tensioner are ? As my garage can only source from BMW and it will take 2 weeks to arrive. Thanks in advance

[E46330]

How frustrating!

If funds allow, you might want to consider replacing the pulleys at the same time as the belts - as these wear over time as grit gets into the ball bearing runs.

I shall be , I’m quoted £165 for the alternator tensioner from bmw , I think I’ll just order it and wait the time. Not much else I can do at this stage , hopefully this is the final hurdle

[DogWagen]

Do you guys have any ideas what the part number for the alternator belt , power steering belt and alternator tensioner are ? As my garage can only source from BMW and it will take 2 weeks to arrive. Thanks in advance

Pending a reply from someone more knowledgeable.....When I did the belts on my B3s, I used realoem.com to work out the part numbers and cross-checked with the supplementary manual to make sure all matched; from memory, all standard BMW parts and none that were Alpina.

If you have the supplementary owners manual, the belts should be listed by type. If not, there's a B3 3.3 parts catalogue in the downloads section (it's in german)https://www.thealpinaregister.com/downl ... 20b333.pdf which I think has a belt listed. Failing that, the components should be the same as the engine type (S52 - a US E36 M3) that Alpina used as the base.

Hope that helps a bit.

[E46330]

That is brilliant ! Thank you very much , I managed to find just one belt on the German B3 parts catalogue the part number is 11281437929 on that list , for the B3 it only lists the one belt and I definitely took two separate belts off , alternator and power steering one.

It’s the tensioner that I’m wanting more so as £165 seems a lot especially when most tensioners are about £50. I’ll pay it if it’s the only option , but the waiting time is another issue about it.

The B3S catalogue lists two belts , so a little confused.

[Bob]

That is brilliant ! Thank you very much , I managed to find just one belt on the German B3 parts catalogue the part number is 11281437929 on that list , for the B3 it only lists the one belt and I definitely took two separate belts off , alternator and power steering one.

It’s the tensioner that I’m wanting more so as £165 seems a lot especially when most tensioners are about £50. I’ll pay it if it’s the only option , but the waiting time is another issue about it.

The B3S catalogue lists two belts , so a little confused.

The way the catalogues work is that they only show the parts which deviate from the donor car or engine, so if a part isn't specifically listed you need to refer to the www.realoem.com using your BMW VIN or the source engine, S52 in your case. Any parts in the catalogue with a 7-digit number are ALPINA specific parts, the 11-digit numbers are BMW parts, just not from the donor car or engine.

[E46330]

I caved and just decided to go BMW direct , it’s easier , less headache , and the wait time is the same regardless. It feels better staying true anyway , I did say from the beginning I wouldn’t skimp , especially on such small parts. I do hope this is me sorted for a while however as it’s getting a little constant at the moment. I do believe I’ve near enough changed everything that could go wrong at this mileage haha !

[Charles]

I do believe I’ve near enough changed everything that could go wrong at this mileage haha !

Let me check ...

[E46330]

I do believe I’ve near enough changed everything that could go wrong at this mileage haha !

Let me check ...

Please don’t , I have nightmares thinking about it !

[E46330]

Got the call today , parts arrived , so much for 2 weeks waiting time. Will be fitted on first thing tomorrow , coming in at £400 all in for 2 belts , alternator tensioner + fitting/labour. I’ve got a 1000+ mile drive planned for next month so I’ll be glad to have had this happen now rather than later ! Cheers for the help in this regard. I’m hoping this thread is done now haha

[E46330]

Now I am in need of a vacuum hose that connects to the intake hose which I recently had fitted , the garage cannot seem to source the part number so I thought I’d upload a few photos here and see if you guys might be able to point me in the right direction. The hose I need connects to intake bellow I’ve replaced and I have it secured on with a zip-tie at the moment. Apologies the pictures aren’t that clear but I’ve circled the top of the hose and I hope this is something to go on