How can you tell if a vanos unit is on its way out?
Discussion
check out www.e36coupe.com they have a buying guide on there somewhere.
Tho i have heard that if the vanos is about to go it makes a noise like marbles in a can........if thats any help????
Tho i have heard that if the vanos is about to go it makes a noise like marbles in a can........if thats any help????
I've also heard that it can sound like marbles in a can, and also that the car will feel lacklustre until about 4000rpm. Buying a car that doesn't have a vanos problem doesn't guarantee that there won't be one imminently. Really the best advice I can give is to try to find a car that's just had a new one fitted or stick a couple of grand somewhere safe and wait for the inevitable! As swansea v6 says, head over to e36coupe.com and look there. Search the forums as there is loads of talk about vanos problems on there.
NB. The problem particularly afflicts the double-vanos. The earlier single-vanos is largely reliable and costs less to replace in the unlikely event that it does go.
NB. The problem particularly afflicts the double-vanos. The earlier single-vanos is largely reliable and costs less to replace in the unlikely event that it does go.
As a whole Vanos is reliable-we rarly change them,may be 1 or 2 a year maximum.
M3 E36 3.0 and EVO seem to be the worst-these chatter really badely,hunt and sometimes the exhaust glows cherry red.I've replaced about 15 in 6 years
M5 E39 went through a phase of chattering from cold-really harsh chatter,this was due to oil draining off fromm the vanos over night.There was a mod to over come this by fitting a one way valve.Never had to replace either vanos units
E36/E34/E46/E39 M50/52 higher mileage ones tend to chatter-lack of power.Nice easy replacement.I've replaced about 10 in 6 years
E46/E39 M54 never a problem.I've replaced 2 in 6 years.
The faults tend to be wear in the gears,lack of oil pressure build up from the vanos oil pump or oil leaks internally.
On over run they are at their loudest.If you listen to the front top of the engine you can generally hear it at idle clattering/chattering.
The correct way to test it is via a vanos test program on a GT1 at a dealer but thats not really an option to you.
M3 E36 3.0 and EVO seem to be the worst-these chatter really badely,hunt and sometimes the exhaust glows cherry red.I've replaced about 15 in 6 years
M5 E39 went through a phase of chattering from cold-really harsh chatter,this was due to oil draining off fromm the vanos over night.There was a mod to over come this by fitting a one way valve.Never had to replace either vanos units
E36/E34/E46/E39 M50/52 higher mileage ones tend to chatter-lack of power.Nice easy replacement.I've replaced about 10 in 6 years
E46/E39 M54 never a problem.I've replaced 2 in 6 years.
The faults tend to be wear in the gears,lack of oil pressure build up from the vanos oil pump or oil leaks internally.
On over run they are at their loudest.If you listen to the front top of the engine you can generally hear it at idle clattering/chattering.
The correct way to test it is via a vanos test program on a GT1 at a dealer but thats not really an option to you.
blackspider said:
M3 E36 3.0 and EVO seem to be the worst-these chatter really badely,hunt and sometimes the exhaust glows cherry red.I've replaced about 15 in 6 years
The many conversations I've had with E36 M3 owners indicate that the 3.0 M3 vanos is much more reliable than the 3.2 M3 EVO double-vanos. Most E36 M3 EVO owners I've spoken to have either had to change their double-vanos or have bought an M3 that's already had it changed.
ism123 said:
I must have been one of the unlucky ones then. I had it on my 02 M3 at just 46K miles.
Sounds about normal. They seem to fail at anything from about 40K miles.
Clearly BMW are expecting them to fail regularly given the price they're charging for extended warranties these days
Edited by MitchT on Saturday 6th January 23:17
eliot said:
Are vanos units difficult to replace? - Surely someone could set themselves up as a specialist doing these things and clean up?
I've heard that someone does a vanos/double-vanos service to address the issues that might ultimately lead to failure, but they didn't start that long ago so it's probably too early to tell if it solves the problem or not. The whole double-vanos issue is a great shame, 'cause otherwise I'd be straight off to source myself a mint E36 M3 EVO, but I'm simply not prepared to accept that I might suddenly be hit with a bill of nearly £3K for a car that cost £10K to buy... Unless it's a genuine supercar.
custardkid said:
stupid question time:
is this only on the 'M' cars?
are the less highly strung engines more reliable?
cheers
custard
is this only on the 'M' cars?
are the less highly strung engines more reliable?
cheers
custard
The most unreliable vanos is the double-vanos which I believe is only on M cars. The single-vanos which is on some of the older M cars and some non-M cars is much more reliable, goes for longer before failing if it ever does fail, and costs less to replace. Other than the double-vanos issue the M engines are very good.
Mitch said:
The most unreliable vanos is the double-vanos which I believe is only on M cars.
I dont think thats correct - i beleive single vanos was effectivley version 1 and double vanos version 2 - found on any later bmw engine - im sure my 540 is DV
quick google:
M50TU: Inline 6 cyl. engine, single VANOS.
M52: Inline 6 cyl. engine, single VANOS.
M52TU: inline 6 cyl. engine, double VANOS.
M54: Inline 6 cyl. engine, double VANOS.
M62: V-8 cyl. engine, single VANOS after 1998 model year.
M73: V-12 cyl. engine, single VANOS after 1998 model year.
S50: Inline 6 cyl. engine, single VANOS.
S52: Inline 6 cyl. engine, double VANOS.
S54: inline 6 cyl. engine, double VANOS.
S62: V-8 cyl. engine, double VANOS.
Edited by eliot on Sunday 7th January 13:09
eliot said:
Are vanos units difficult to replace? - Surely someone could set themselves up as a specialist doing these things and clean up?
Yes they are difficult.The single vanos is easy on the M52's etc,the doubles are alot more in depth to replace and the S52 are little s**ts.The doubles on the M62,S85 etc are S**ts too...
The M's are the more tempramental
I've got a 2002 318i E46 (2ltr).. It sounds "tappity" at tick over, almost to the extent of sounding like a diesel on tick over, however all noises disappear once revs go over 1100 rpm and sounds fine.. Is this normal behavior, as I still have some warranty left on the car and would like to know if it’s a sign of impending doom.
Edited by xtruss on Monday 23 April 16:06
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff