nastnas 9 Report post Posted March 13, 2010 (edited) In the middle of doing this at the moment, will post up some pics, and a bit of a DIY for fellow enthusiasts... Edited March 13, 2010 by nastnas Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nastnas 9 Report post Posted March 14, 2010 Firstly, I have removed the DIY part from the title, as i do encourage more enthusiasts to try it, but i think with the DIY in the title, it makes it seems easy. I am not trying to make myself sound really good, I just do not want to mislead people into thinking that this is quite an easy DIY. ok bullshit aside, here goes. If your M3 has a rattle and idle pulses, and you feel the power is not as it should be then the chances are you probably have a bust oil seal in your VANOS unit. The VANOS requires oil pressure to adjust the cams on the splines. When the oil seal perishes the pressure is much less, and the variable valve timing is affected. the tools you will need are a GOOD socket set and hex drive set. I say good, as the sets can ruin the fasteners and since there are quite a bit of socket head cap srews everywhere due to the tight engine bay, you will round them, if your tools are SHITE!!!! so invest in a GOOD set before you start. Some people dont use this but I think its good to use an adjustable torque wrench, to tigthen the fasteners correctly. You will also need the tools to get your fan out. start by removing the fan, you will need a 32mm spanner and a hammer, or if you can get a hold of the proper 2 piece set, you should be cool. Then remove the COP cover, the 1 with the "M POWER" on it, and remove all the COPS, and the clips which hold the plugs down. then start on the rocker cover(known by many names, the cover for the cam shafts), there are a few bolts there, so take them off and label them, as a few of them have different lengths. once you're done gently remove it and admire the awesomeness of DOHC and 24Vs, check to see if there is any sludge or buildup of gunk... mine looks pretty good, im quite happy about that... here is a pic of my engine, euro30install.pdf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nastnas 9 Report post Posted March 14, 2010 (edited) now from here follow the PDF attached. it is a really detailed guide and do not take shortcuts. here are some pics to aid the guide. the VANOS unit removed notice the black plate, behind that is the problem... black plate removed the black plate showing the o ring, which will be changed the damaged oil seal, which will be why i am loosing oil pressure to the VANOS unit Im stuck at this point till tomorrow, as i will order these bits from a local supplier. can't wait for the extra power... Edited March 14, 2010 by nastnas Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Creaver 55 Report post Posted March 14, 2010 Good stuff. Interested to read the rest. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nastnas 9 Report post Posted March 15, 2010 so its all done... and i am very impressed with the mid range pull... i thought that the M3 was good then... its freaking awesome now... this has solved alot of my problems, unstable idle, noisy engine, apparently no mid range power, better fuel consumption... saturdays dyno day will be interesting, im hoping to break the 170kW mark, with much better power gains in the mid range... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HELLBM 1552 Report post Posted March 15, 2010 Great result Nigel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nastnas 9 Report post Posted March 15, 2010 Great result Nigel. cheers bud, will get onto those profiles tomorrow. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nastnas 9 Report post Posted March 20, 2010 car made 178.2kW on the dyno which is 10kW more than before the VANOS maintenance... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tire 10 Report post Posted March 20, 2010 You must be stoked with that? Saw you just as I was leaving, m3 looks good Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M3NTIL 0 Report post Posted March 26, 2010 hey would i be able to ask if these engines have loud tappets or is that the sound of a broken vanos.... cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nastnas 9 Report post Posted March 26, 2010 the rattle you hear, is nothing too worry about, but it also could be a worn spline shaft an sprocket, if this is the case, then your pockets better be deep don't know about the tappets tho if your car is not responsive in the low-mid RPM range then its the VANOS. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IrishM3 0 Report post Posted March 26, 2010 if your car is not responsive in the low-mid RPM range then its the VANOS. Great thread Nigel! My car has most if not all of the symptoms of a worn vanos, erratic below 3000rpm, idle is not consistent (though we all know that this could be very many things) and lacking a bit of torque up to 3000 rpm. I am looking at pulling the Vanos from my M3 which I think is the same as yours. Mine is the S50B30 3.0l engine. I have just purchased some Viton O-rings from Iridium Engineering in the UK (well I do live in Ireland!) but these are only the o-rings on the solenoids, front cover and pressure limiting valve. I am pretty confident that the vanos does need a full re-build but am not sure what seals to buy or what part number to look for. I have access to the full BMW ETK in work but seals such as the one you changed in the picture above don't seem to be detailed or numbered? Can you give me a bit of guidance on this one please? I would be very appreciative of any help! Thanks in advance IrishM3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nastnas 9 Report post Posted March 27, 2010 (edited) would gladly help mate, i think this is the main purpose of car forums mate... if you already have purchased the o rings thats cool, but i would pull the vanos to bits, then goto the local o-ring/oil supplier and the stuff should be off the shelf... i highly doubt BMW make "special seals" for their cars. from memory, the seal you need is a 24x16x7 oil seal, which i will double check on monday, as i have the receipt at work... you will not find this in any technical docs, as they try to keep the vanos unit seperate, you will need to undo the sliding shaft, and remove the rear cover plate ( cover plate facing the intake sprocket on the VANOS unit), once this cover is removed, you will see the oil seal i have pictured... also, get some loctite, and new fasteners... (if you can) i've had a look at that website, and i think that the o rings used in the vanos units are standard off the shelf parts, so im not sure what is specifically made for them, but i could be wrong. also dont bother going to BMW, as they say " we do not sell these seals seperately, you need to buy a whole new unit!" your reply should be, "what, the whole car?" lol.... hope that helps... cheers Edited March 27, 2010 by nastnas Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nastnas 9 Report post Posted March 27, 2010 (edited) remember to note, which way the oil seal faces, as the pressure needs to be against it, otherwise the oil seal does not work... take a picture of it in the cover plate before you remove it and post it up here pls, i have forgotten to do that... cheers Edited March 30, 2010 by nastnas Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IrishM3 0 Report post Posted April 6, 2010 Hello again Nigel. I have looked at your repair and spoken to Raj at Beisan Systems in the USA. They are developing a seal kit which is not ready for market yet. There are a couple of items of note that are included in a document he has sent to me regarding installation of his seal kit. Have a look below and let me know what you think. 1. The seals that you replaced are not your regular spring garter type shaft seals according to his instructions and images. The seals are " rod" seals designed to accommodate axial (in-out) motion as opposed to rotation of the piston. I am guessing that this is the seal type that you sourced from your local engineering seal supplier? 2. The piston unit that your seal bears upon is actually made in two parts, a piston and a cap. In his instructions, the cap can be removed and a teflon seal pressed out against the internal bore of the vanos is replaced. (I believe this is the part he is working on) This is the seal that acts like a piston ring containing the differential oil pressure either side of the piston, the oil pressure that moves the vanos piston. Did you find that the wider end of the piston was a tight fit into the bore of the vanos? I fear that if I only replace the rod seal on the parallel body of the piston as opposed to the teflon seal with the square section rubber spreader ring inside it, I will be back inside the vanos at some point to do it again. I would love to post Raj's document on the web but seeing as he hasn't, I think I shouldn't :banghead: I can see how your oil pressure would have been non existent with the seal lip in tatters as shown in the picture. Are you happy that this was the only leaky seal in your vanos and are you happy that the teflon "piston ring & rubber spreader ring" were working OK? I only ask you as I have not taken my vanos off the car or stripped it yet and would ideally like to do it all in one go Many thanks for your input above and please do tell... Garry Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted July 11, 2010 Sorry to bring up an old thread but i was reading this a few weeks ago and decided I'd give this a try as the M3 had two of the symptoms, the attached adobe link is straight from TIS which is a BMW workshop manual that knows everything to do with the brand, anyhow i ordered all the needed "O" rings from BMW, four of which had to come from Germany, and went to work, fairly straight forward and easy process, anyway i now have a whole new car, completely different vehicle to drive, more toque, deeper sounding noise on take off and just quicker, don't get me wrong, the car was quick to start with but now! Just thought I'd share with y'all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evo2 0 Report post Posted February 14, 2011 hi guys, im having a bit of a problem removing my vanos and was hoping someone could guide me in the right direction. i have followed the step by step procedeur, however im stuck at the point where it is required of me to remove the "collar nut". the problem im having is, in the drawing in the .pdf on the previous page it shows a ratchet with hexagon socket holding the shaft and a ring wrench loosening the collar nut, however on my vehicle the shaft with collar nut is located more deeper inside the vanos unit, making it impossible for me to loosen the collar nut with the ring wrench. i can reach it with the socket but have no way of loosening it. if any of that made sense to anyone who reads this, then please reply, any info would be much appreciated thanx in advance! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DrphTa 5 Report post Posted February 15, 2011 Will be looking at doing this in the next few months. I have the evo tho, (s50b32) Does anyone have a step by step process for this engine? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nastnas 9 Report post Posted February 15, 2011 hi guys, im having a bit of a problem removing my vanos and was hoping someone could guide me in the right direction. i have followed the step by step procedeur, however im stuck at the point where it is required of me to remove the "collar nut". the problem im having is, in the drawing in the .pdf on the previous page it shows a ratchet with hexagon socket holding the shaft and a ring wrench loosening the collar nut, however on my vehicle the shaft with collar nut is located more deeper inside the vanos unit, making it impossible for me to loosen the collar nut with the ring wrench. i can reach it with the socket but have no way of loosening it. if any of that made sense to anyone who reads this, then please reply, any info would be much appreciated thanx in advance! shite! sounds like the Vanos is engaged... and should be released... i have no idea why that would be happening, but i am keen to find out! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evo2 0 Report post Posted February 15, 2011 shite! sounds like the Vanos is engaged... and should be released... i have no idea why that would be happening, but i am keen to find out!thanks for reply, is there perhaps a way to "disengage" the vanos? what are the implications if one were to continue driving the vehicle in this state? as im sure its been like that for a while now. is it detrimental to the engine, because now im worried Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nastnas 9 Report post Posted February 15, 2011 I would not drive the car and take it to someone who can fix whatever is stuck... Im no expert on BMWs, so definitely PM 1 of the more experienced users on here... cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evo2 0 Report post Posted February 17, 2011 im going to take your advice and park the car for now. i only just joined this forum and have no idea who the "Top Dogs" are on this forum. i was however kinda hoping one of them would read this thread and possibly reply Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
