I love it when a repair goes as planned

[d00df00d]

I replaced my engine's VANOS unit (fancy variable cam phasing doodad) yesterday. This involved getting under the valve cover and messing with some timing-related stuff. Since this was the first time I had ever gone into the head of this engine, I was a bit nervous at first. Well, aside from an oddly oriented coolant hose clamp obstructing something, there were no nasty surprises the whole time. The procedure was so easy! The head was easy to get into, the old VANOS unit and seals just slid off once everything was in place, and the new ones just slid back on. A lot of it required care and patience, but overall it was a dawdle.

Results were great, too. Power delivery and throttle response are much better now, making the car easier to drive smoothly. NVH has been drastically reduced, especially at low RPMs. There's also a good bit more low-end torque.

Oh, and the valvetrain looked CLEAN for 156k miles:

(click to enlarge)

I almost can't believe it went so well! It was so satisfying to have everything go as planned and then drive off into a crisp autumn evening with a nicely running car.

Anyway, just thought I'd share.

 

[RWEST]

Good job!!

I'm guessing that would have been a ~$500 item at the dealer??

 

[artificialist]

Well, I am not surprised that the valvetrain is nice and clean because you ran synthetic in a naturally aspirated engine.

 

[bepperb]

One thing that benefits me, and perhaps you, is that these days I can go online and read three or four blogs/posts/diy's about doing a project beforehand. See exploded parts diagrams. Get in my head what I'm doing. Plus, compared to my teens/early 20's I now have the cash and forethought to buy whatever I might need right away, tools or parts.

Yes, wrenching is a lot more fun now than a decade ago. Unfortunately, it's also a lot less often. Actually, maybe that helps?

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: RWEST
I'm guessing that would have been a ~$500 item at the dealer??

Pretty much. They seem to want to sell it with the solenoid, and list price for the combo is about $700. Then you have to add in the valve cover gaskets and seals, and labor. It's at least a $1000 job, all-in.

I reused my solenoid and got a rebuilt unit for about $300 + core; with seals, tool rental, and shipping, my net total is something like $350.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: bepperb
One thing that benefits me, and perhaps you, is that these days I can go online and read three or four blogs/posts/diy's about doing a project beforehand. See exploded parts diagrams. Get in my head what I'm doing.

YES. This is a huge help. It's invaluable to have quick access to those resources, and to other people's experiences.

 

[eljefino]

The nice thing about newer and better engineered cars (I assume this is your beemer) is the bolts come apart easier and don't rust in place. My sister's Hyundai had steel bolts going into aluminum etc and I don't think they used antisieze; very hard to get apart at only three years old.

Knock some wood though, you'll get yours eventually.

 

[d00df00d]

My car is from 1996 BTW.

 

[benjamming]

What tool did you have to rent?

 

[PT1]

No fubared anything? didn't drop a bolt or shoot a straw into the engine? didn't overtorque and snap a bolt off? didn't forget to re-install the hemulator clip? clean engine...no sludge to scrape off? no ARX needed?

Well I certainly hope this is not a preview of things to come here.....what are we supposed to do with this?

 

[mechtech2]

Good job.
Sometimes the hard part is determining the problem, not fixing it.
How did you know that part was puked?

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: benjamming
What tool did you have to rent?

I got a tool rental kit that came with cam blocks to hold everything at the right position for piston 1 TDC, a tool to rotate the exhaust cam sprocket, and a tool to lock the crank at piston 1 TDC (which I didn't end up using).

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: PT1
No fubared anything? didn't drop a bolt or shoot a straw into the engine? didn't overtorque and snap a bolt off? didn't forget to re-install the hemulator clip? clean engine...no sludge to scrape off? no ARX needed?

Well I certainly hope this is not a preview of things to come here.....what are we supposed to do with this?

I know, right??

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
How did you know that part was puked?

Patience, observation, and research.

It started with a rattle that got worse over time. Based on where it was coming from, it could have been caused by either the VANOS unit or the timing chain tensioners, but the tensioners on this engine are pretty strong. The rattle sounded like what I heard in videos and sound clips of confirmed VANOS rattle. It was loudest in the middle of the RPM range, which is when the VANOS system is fully advancing the intake cam timing. Eventually, the car was starting to get jerky and slightly sluggish at low RPMs, which was the last sign I needed.

VANOS uses oil pressure to move a little splined cup with helical-cut teeth back and forth inside the cam sprocket. This changes the phase of the cam. When I removed the original VANOS unit, the cup had about 2 mm of lateral play on the shaft where it sits. That'll do it!

 

[d00df00d]

By the way, thanks for the kudos, folks.