Discussion
Can you repair the vanos unit on the e36, until today i would have tought not from all the info i have read. I have found vanos control gears for sale and here is what the seller has said, I am waiting for a reply.
"For Sale, genuine set of unused BMW E36 M3 vanos gears. These gears sit between the vanos hydraulic unit and the camshaft and are the ones that typically wear giving the rumbling/growling noise commonly associated with M3's. Going to a dealer will set you back £1500 in parts alone, as they typically change the hydraulic units and sprockets, where as the noise comes from play in these gears.
So why pay over the odds at a dealer for parts you dont need, where a competent home mechanic can change these himself.
Your thoughts chaps, Should I buy them.
"For Sale, genuine set of unused BMW E36 M3 vanos gears. These gears sit between the vanos hydraulic unit and the camshaft and are the ones that typically wear giving the rumbling/growling noise commonly associated with M3's. Going to a dealer will set you back £1500 in parts alone, as they typically change the hydraulic units and sprockets, where as the noise comes from play in these gears.
So why pay over the odds at a dealer for parts you dont need, where a competent home mechanic can change these himself.
Your thoughts chaps, Should I buy them.
Are we talking 3.0 E36 M3 or 3.2 E36 M3 Evo here?
Working on the Double Vanos in the 3.2 E36 M3 Evo is an incredibly difficult job and I don't know of anyone, other than a $tealer, who will touch it - and they'll only change the parts, not 'repair' them. It requires specialist tools and some considerable skill to carry out the work. I read a while ago on the e36coupe.com forums that someone was offering a 'Vanos Service' with the intention of keeping the part from failing in the first place. It's too early for any conclusive results to have emerged though.
The 3.0 E36 M3 has a Single Vanos which is a much less costly affair and much easier to work on. The main issue with a 3.0 M3 is the age of the car. I wouldn't lose sleep over the Vanos in the 3.0 car.
Working on the Double Vanos in the 3.2 E36 M3 Evo is an incredibly difficult job and I don't know of anyone, other than a $tealer, who will touch it - and they'll only change the parts, not 'repair' them. It requires specialist tools and some considerable skill to carry out the work. I read a while ago on the e36coupe.com forums that someone was offering a 'Vanos Service' with the intention of keeping the part from failing in the first place. It's too early for any conclusive results to have emerged though.
The 3.0 E36 M3 has a Single Vanos which is a much less costly affair and much easier to work on. The main issue with a 3.0 M3 is the age of the car. I wouldn't lose sleep over the Vanos in the 3.0 car.
Edited by MitchT on Tuesday 1st May 19:45
You definately would have to be a very good home mechanic......
Its not quite the sunday afternoon job that you maybe thinking.
The gears do wear and are a good catch if you can get some cheap,but the major failure with vanos is loss of oil pressure causing piston failure in the vanos-loud chatter.
The only person I know who will touch them outside a stealer is myself
Its not quite the sunday afternoon job that you maybe thinking.
The gears do wear and are a good catch if you can get some cheap,but the major failure with vanos is loss of oil pressure causing piston failure in the vanos-loud chatter.
The only person I know who will touch them outside a stealer is myself
blackspider said:
The only person I know who will touch them outside a stealer is myself
Supposing I had an E36 M3 Evo and the Bi-Vanos was knackered, what would you charge to supply and fit a new one, or to supply and fit parts to repair the existing one?
Edited by MitchT on Tuesday 1st May 22:26
blackspider said:
Brand new unit with gaskets probably around the £1800 fitted.
Repair depends on whats happened and if the parts can be fabricated...seals no problem
Repair depends on whats happened and if the parts can be fabricated...seals no problem
Looks encouraging.
Do you know how reliable the gearboxes are on E36 M3 Evos? I've heard that they are sealed and have to be replaced rather than repaired if there are any problems... and that they are more fragile than the unit fitted to the 3.0 M3 which, ironically, is repairable... So how much for a new E36 M3 Evo gearbox fitted? Finally, someone mentioned that some E36 M3 Evos had been afflicted by the big end baring shell issue like the E46. How likely would it be for an E36 M3 Evo to suffer this and what would the likely consequences be?
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