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  #41  
Old 12-23-2015, 04:34 PM
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No apologies needed! The intention for this thread is to provide help to others.

Removing the lower oil pan on the V8 is a whole lot easier than on the I6. You have to remove the large aluminum skid plate (6 16mm bolts), and then there are about 25 10mm bolts around the perimeter of the oil pan. Remove those, and it drops right off.

No need to raise the engine or lower the subframe. It's THE ONE job that's easier on the V8 than on the I6!
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2002 X5 4.6is - Imola Red/Black (Sold)
2001 740i M Sport - Anthrazit Metallic/Black (Sold)
1998 M3/4/5 - Technoviolet/Dove (Sold)
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  #42  
Old 02-09-2020, 11:53 PM
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Well Mr BimmerM3inGA you've found an equally masochistic BMerphile! I still drive an M62TUV46 engine in my 4.6is with 130k miles. While it runs relatively well I know the writing is on the wall having destroyed another 4.6is when it's chain came loose. I'm a fairly mechanical guy having replaced a chain in my 89 mustang 30 years ago and I have most of the tools I'll need. I've yet to order parts but I intend to rebuild the VANOS and replace the timing chains and guides as well. Without going on further I'd just like to know that someone experienced like yourself is still alive and well. Let me know how you'd rate this job on a scale of 1-10 10 being forget the incredible headache and pay a professional instead. Also, how much time should I allow for this job?

Thank you in advance!

Robb

Last edited by robbtennis; 02-10-2020 at 12:29 AM.
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  #43  
Old 02-10-2020, 04:48 PM
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Hey Robb. Yes, still kicking - just had to take a step back from the Bimmers. This X5 nearly broke me - sold it at a substantial loss just to stop the bleeding!

The timing chain job is obviously DIY-able, but not for the faint of heart. I'd peg it at a solid 9.5 on your scale. You'll need several special tools and a lot of patience. The trickiest part is setting the timing. I've done the job twice (E38 740i and the X5) and both times I didn't get the timing exactly right on the first try. I got it on the second try with the 740 and three times was the charm on the X5. It will run and drive, but the CEL will be on and it'll idle like crap. And you have to take it all back apart to adjust the timing - with no way to know for sure if it's dead on until you reassemble and start it up.

The upside is that you can buy all the tools and parts and still only pay a fraction of what a shop would charge. The dude I got the 740 from was quoted something like $5000. I did it for about $1500 including $500 for the tools. But make no mistake, it is a BIG job and will take a long time. I'd estimate the first time I did it probably took 14-16 hours labor spread out over a couple of weeks (evenings and weekends).

Buy the Vanos kit from Beisan Systems. They are awesome and provide very detailed instructions which cover most of the job including setting the timing.

If you decide to take the plunge, I'll help out if I can, but it's been a couple of years since I did it, so I can't promise 100% clarity in my recollections.
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2002 X5 4.6is - Imola Red/Black (Sold)
2001 740i M Sport - Anthrazit Metallic/Black (Sold)
1998 M3/4/5 - Technoviolet/Dove (Sold)
2003 Z4 3.0i Sport - Sterlinggrau Metallic/Black (Sold)
2009 Mini JCW (The Wife's)
2015 i3 REx - Arravani Gray/Tera World (Daily Driver)
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  #44  
Old 02-12-2020, 04:19 PM
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Thank you for responding! A 9.5 is literally on the cusp of handing this over to someone with experience. However it's not my only method of transportation and saving $2-3k allows me to spend money on other high cost interests inc my collection of scale RC warbirds and newly acquired wife. I will definitely refer to you for more advice as I near a start to this project. To begin with, would you recommend this timing tool?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274201783892

Thank you in advance,

Robb
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  #45  
Old 02-12-2020, 09:41 PM
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That's a great deal on the timing tool set. I paid more than triple that amount for mine! And it looks exactly the same.

Do yourself a favor and download the VANOS instructions from the Beisan site. That will give you a very good idea of what you have to look forward to. I printed them out and put them in a 3-ring binder to make it easy to keep the pages in order and follow along.

My wife is not newly acquired (long suffering is more like it), but I also have an expensive RC hobby. Mine is helicopters- been flying (and crashing) them since the late 80's.

Good luck with the timing chain project if you choose to take it on!
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2002 X5 4.6is - Imola Red/Black (Sold)
2001 740i M Sport - Anthrazit Metallic/Black (Sold)
1998 M3/4/5 - Technoviolet/Dove (Sold)
2003 Z4 3.0i Sport - Sterlinggrau Metallic/Black (Sold)
2009 Mini JCW (The Wife's)
2015 i3 REx - Arravani Gray/Tera World (Daily Driver)
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  #46  
Old 02-12-2020, 11:18 PM
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I'm actually beginning to anticipate this project now that I have your guidance. I wasn't able to find a Beisan complete kit but I did find this complete kit from ECS with directions:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-part...017301ecs01kt/

There are many replacement timing chain options. Do you recommend any in particular?


Robb
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  #47  
Old 02-13-2020, 07:09 PM
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There are several sources for step by step instructions. If I recall correctly Beisan had one. You can lower some of the risk of making a mistake by purchasing the Vanos rebuilt from Beisan. Periodically, ECS will have their timing chain kits on sale. You can choose OE, OEM or other mfg. parts. I suggest the OEM kit. I agree it is not for the faint of heart but with lots of research and taking lots of pictures along the way and a friend or two helping and taking your time it is manageable. The key is to use a good quality kit to keep everything in place.
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  #48  
Old 02-14-2020, 09:54 AM
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I used the kit from ECS Tuning. It wasn't cheap, but was complete. IIRC, it included everything except a couple of o-rings and the camshaft seals. I would recommend that you order new ones. They are kind of like small piston rings that go on the ends of the cams. I think there are three per cam. You have to remove them as part of the process and they can break pretty easily. My philosophy is that if you have to remove a seal of any kind, to replace it with a new one.
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2002 X5 4.6is - Imola Red/Black (Sold)
2001 740i M Sport - Anthrazit Metallic/Black (Sold)
1998 M3/4/5 - Technoviolet/Dove (Sold)
2003 Z4 3.0i Sport - Sterlinggrau Metallic/Black (Sold)
2009 Mini JCW (The Wife's)
2015 i3 REx - Arravani Gray/Tera World (Daily Driver)
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  #49  
Old 02-26-2020, 02:44 PM
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So I'm in the process of finding the timing chain replacement kit, VANOS kit and timing tool kit. The cost is obviously far less than having the repair done elsewhere. Before ordering, I'm just curious as to why you ended up selling your 4.6is after all the time you spent rejuvenating her?
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  #50  
Old 02-26-2020, 03:07 PM
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The plain and simple reason I sold it is that it was so unreliable that I was afraid to drive it. It's not an exaggeration to say that if I went somewhere in it and made it home without some sort of failure, I would be surprised.

So I was faced with a choice: Keep it and keep putting money into it so I can occasionally take it out for a nervous drive, or cut my losses. In the end I decided that the best way to get out of a hole is to stop digging.

I can deal with just about any mechanical problem, but it was also plagued with electronic gremlins that are damn near impossible to track down. The most troubling was that the instrument cluster would occasionally go berserk. And when it happened, it was also shut off the A/C. I live in south GA. One could easily spend a small fortune trying to isolate that problem with no guarantee of success. It would also sometimes drain the battery when parked for only a few hours, so I had to carry a jump box with me all the time. There were random warnings on the MID ranging from air suspension faults to low oil pressure. No way to know if they were phantom warnings, or not.

Anyway, the list goes on and on.
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2002 X5 4.6is - Imola Red/Black (Sold)
2001 740i M Sport - Anthrazit Metallic/Black (Sold)
1998 M3/4/5 - Technoviolet/Dove (Sold)
2003 Z4 3.0i Sport - Sterlinggrau Metallic/Black (Sold)
2009 Mini JCW (The Wife's)
2015 i3 REx - Arravani Gray/Tera World (Daily Driver)
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