Vanos Tick

[swiggs 0]

I finally picked up my 01 540i m-sport and my god what a car. very powerful and amazing to drive.

But one problem,

it sounds like a diesel at idle. I have a funny feeling that this was the vanos unit and asked a bmw technition and he said they all do it. but to me this is not good enough.

whats your opinion. is it ok or should i get it fixed?

[hotwire 352]

I finally picked up my 01 540i m-sport and my god what a car. very powerful and amazing to drive.

But one problem,

it sounds like a diesel at idle. I have a funny feeling that this was the vanos unit and asked a bmw technition and he said they all do it. but to me this is not good enough.

whats your opinion. is it ok or should i get it fixed?

Suggest run it for a while & see if it comes right. Mine (admittedly 6 cyl) when I first bought it into the country -had a tappet noise at idle ( a genuine well serviced & very low milage car too). After a week or so the problem disappeared & has never returned - 3 yrs & about 50k later.

Suggest you do/get done a full service on it first thing so that you are starting from a known point.

[swiggs 0]

that will be done tommorrow or monday depending on time etc. But this doesnt to me sound like a tappet issue, definately probably the vanos packing up. apartently they all do it at some point and its not a major but i really hate the sound of metal hitting metal sound in an engine

[allan 295]

Is this of any help?.

http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures/vanos_procedure.htm

Cheers Allan

[swiggs 0]

This is a great explanation and just awesome, BUT

my symptoms are different. the car is running perfectly, no ill movements and or loss of power.

And when the car is cold there is not tick noise. its quiet as. BUt once she warms up to hot running temeperature it goes tick tick tick actullay its more like a slapping sound.

what might this be

[wild_weston 0]

Could be your vanos.

DR vanos (search on google), provides reconditioned vanos units.

This is where the sounds like a stone in a tin can between 2k and 3k rpms.I got the dr vanos solution and besian seals. Helpedwith the noise but didn't go completely (did seem to regain some lost power though).

Otherwise my only other idea would be alternator.

[swiggs 0]

im starting to think its not the vanos. as the noise only happens when its warmed up and the noise is not very loud when the revs go up. its more a gentle donk at idle.

[Mark 178]

I'm pretty sure the noise you're hearing is a regular noise that many BMW's make. My car does it and so does every 6 M50/M52 engined car I've driven. (presume it's similar for the 8 cylinder cars)

If you can get a sound or video sample of it someone could perhaps confirm?

[*Glenn* 854]

im starting to think its not the vanos. as the noise only happens when its warmed up and the noise is not very loud when the revs go up. its more a gentle donk at idle.

Your all just guessing

I suggest that you get it professionaly checked by someone that knows what they are doing. You could be doing harm to it by continuing to drive it.

[swiggs 0]

Im not driving it. Not with that noise. Its in getting a once over today, spark plugs, oil, filters, codes, everything. I rung 4 BMW workshops and only one said it could be the vanos, but the other 3 said check the oil as if its the wrong grade it will not travel up to the head correctly, causing low oil pressure in the hydrolic lifters.

All mechanics have told me that the V8 engine in this model are one of the toughest engines BMW ever built, apparently far better in terms of durability to the newer engines found in the 545.

The said that the engine should not make any noises and should not move or miss at all when idling and the fact that for the first 5 minutes of driving while it is still warming up it makes no noise tells the mechanics that I spoke to that the oil is loosing its viscosity when it warms up. Mine is still smooth at idle though. But they say if the oil is bad it will cause tappets to make a noise. like a mitsi...

If the new oil in the car doesnt help with this and it still makes the noise then I will be trucking it off and getting it repaired under its warrenty.

I will update and let u know how i get on

[swiggs 0]

its te bottom end bearings that are stuffed. official word.

so the car is being sent back and fixed under the warrenty. thank god

[hybrid 1039]

Good work, and good on you for not procrastinating about it.

Will say one thing, pre purchase inspections are really useful for this reason.

Get both main and big end bearings done at the same time.

Might be a good time to get the rest of the engine refreshed if they are cracking the head open. (rings / hone etc etc)

[swiggs 0]

This is the worst thing, I had the car preinspected in auckland and I did ask them what was the very faint knocking noise. They told me that it was the vanos and it was nothing to worry about.

Hence why i titled this thread vanos tick. Ticking noises in my engine are really really not what i want.So thats why i asked, and investigated more. to my best interests as well.

I am going to get the people that work on the engine to clean the entire thing and replace any parts that should, they wont fund this extra stuff under the warrenty but while the engine is open i may as well get it conditioned for the sake of maybe a grand worth of parts i may as well get it all done. then i will have a mint engine.

And BMW are giving me a 5 year warrenty as well. which is awesome, only have to abide by there servicing requirements but when you have a car with this much power and systems i think its important.

Edited October 17, 2008 by the1

[_BRS_ 199]

whos doing the work for you in NP?

[hybrid 1039]

Hmmm with out the linch going on. You might want to phone their customer services manager and tell them this and see what they will do about it. They might even go to refund some of the money you spent on it.

I do agree they should of picked that up, as thats what your paying good money for them to pick up.

but dont broode over it ... ring them and tell them about it.

[swiggs 0]

The work has got to be done by the people i bought it off, still talking about this as there are some people i dont want near my engine!!

Edited October 17, 2008 by the1

[hybrid 1039]

ahh well, atleast your covered Try having a auto gearbox blowing its load and loosing reverse gear on you

[swiggs 0]

I did, in my 740 my trans lost its clutch pack for 1,2 and 3. cost me 4500 in a repair bill.

then 2km down the road the trans ripped apart, no pressure seal put back in. lol.

got a 9000 reconne trans. so yea i have had my fair share of f*** ups.

[hybrid 1039]

hahaha .. you sound as tollerant as me when it comes to modern BMWs. Ive had basically the same luck as you.

My old e36 was the worst ... ex singpore model with the singapore rot.

[swiggs 0]

oh sh*t, that rot no good is it.

Yea well the bmw's are probably still the best car i know of. they have their problems but so dont all the cars. at least i feel safe in a bmw when hooning around the country.

only thing is they are expensive to maintain just because it says bmw but at the end of the day its only money and in a power house thats your ride there is no room for comprimise on quality.

[hybrid 1039]

Yeah, they go for ever when you maintain them properly .. not always easy with imports as you truely dont know if they have been looked after properly... im sure Apex will jump in here at some point

With imports if you can afford it ... getting a reasonible low K one or one that is low ks into NZ and higher NZ k's with service history is sometimes an easy way out of that problem.

[swiggs 0]

tell me about it. the thing is that my one being a jap import has only had one owner, and i know the owner as i used to work with the embassy. and i know the service history.

Although the last service was done 14000km ago which isnt to good but i am puzzled how the bearings can be knackered on these v8 engines, they are almost bullet proof.

somethings not quite right here. but hey its covered.

[Lubed 55]

As a general rule when big end bearings start to fail the knocking noise is more evident with the engine under load rather than at idle.Maybe it would be wise to keep the slagging of yet another workshop to yourself untill the evidence of a faulty bearing is actually before you.

[swiggs 0]

For your information the car has been delivered back and late this afternoon the engine taken out and inspected and the suspissions confirmed. New parts have been ordered so i think that you should be getting your facts right before you start slagging me off or anyone else off! I base my words off facts not speculation k K!!!

[*Glenn* 854]

I'm very curious about all this. BMW bottom ends are strong and very seldom give problems (with exceptions to M3's) unless the problem is introduced by either faulty workmanship, the wrong product or perhaps an oil leak and the car was driven with no oil in it (owners abuse)

Be interesting to see what the insurance company assessor says.... it maybe he declines the claim on the basis of being a pre-existing fault with the vehicle before you purchased it and the policy was written. For your sake, I hope he doesnt go down that track. They often do, I have a case here at work at the moment. An oil analysis will probably also have to be done.

It's also probably the very reason why the car was for sale in the first place.

If you want to Swiggs... give me a call