Driftit 2093 Report post Posted October 13 With my cheap E87 130i came some codes. One of these being 2A99: Crankshaft - exhaust camshaft reference. This is nearly always the Vanos solenoid sticking or just being worn out. In my case it was a bit of both. Original solenoids most likely, even at 210,000kms. Very poor oil maintenance. I tried cleaning the factory ones a few times but eventually it would throw a code. The code always followed the one that was originally installed in the exhaust side. So I picked up 2 sets of cheap solenoids from spareto.com A Hella branded one @ 48.76eur each https://spareto.com/products/hella-control-valve-camshaft-adjustment/6nw-358-188-011 A Gates branded one @ 34.90eur each https://spareto.com/products/gates-control-valve-camshaft-adjustment/vvs177 The Gates one came in a generic white box with a small Gates sticker on it which put me off a bit. The Hella one came in a Hella colored yellow box that looked suspiciously cheap. Attempting to install the Hella one went wrong immediately. Due to the way it has been crimped it was slightly oversized. I removed the excess. It was still tight fitting. First drive had me turning back very quickly. A high pitched scream from the valve or Vanos (Lots of people refer to it as a Whistle, mine was a scream). Similar to a belt that was seriously slipping at higher RPM. This is actually a common fault for a failing Solenoid. Any load on the engine and there is no noise. Idle throttle and you will hear it. I had not opened the the Gates one yet but was surprised to find it resembled the BMW one far closer than the Hella one. The Hella one looked as well as it performed. sh*t. The Gates one has been in there for a few months now. Zero issues. Fitting was great. I am now curious as to how long the Gates ones will last. Apparently these are the factory ones without the BMW part number on them. https://spareto.com/products/pierburg-control-valve-camshaft-adjustment/7-06117-01-0 Conclusion: The Light company makes sh*t engine parts. The Belt company makes better ones. I will update when the Gates ones die. Some pictures. 2 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1679 Report post Posted October 13 OE Hella is good but aftermarket Hella stuff tends to be the lower quality stuff made in the China. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
