M62 timing chain guides...do the cam chains also?

[g300d]

I need to do guides on the 4.6 I think, it got noisy all of a sudden.

Currently sidelined while I research parts needed.

I have a good idea about replacing the main chain guides reading other posts and looking at realoem, but what I am not sure of is the 2 camshaft chains and their parts.

I see people have done just the main guides, and some that do the cam chain/guides/tensioners too, basically the entire engine timing mechanism.

Interested to hear your opinions on this, espcially those that have done it.

It only has 55k lol but it's old so I guess age did it in.

[andrewwynn]

Guides not the first thing to go.

Tensioner gets weak it's the cause of damaged guides. Use fiber optic camera to lookb at guides through the oil fill. If you confirm guides not broken just need to replace the tensioner with oem grade or genuine


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[g300d]

Oh, I had not mentioned I did the tensioner (with longer updated spring) and still noisy.

Good idea to check with an inspection cam, I will do that.

Whats a good diy-grade cam btw, I dont have one in my toolbox yet and I think I need one!

[andrewwynn]

Spring not very important. Is the tensioner OEM? Also using BMW recommended oil viscosity? The tensioner force is based on oil pressure. The spring is just too help a little for a few seconds during start. More enough to help with rattle.

I've helped with a couple m62 that just started chain rattle and a new highest quality tensioner fixed the rattle.

The chain guides can last 300,000 miles they don't "wear out" in the logical sense. They get very brittle and when the tensioner is not pushing hard enough the chain will come off the bottom guide due to momentum when you hit a bump and slap the brittle guide.

[andrewwynn]

You can check for guide breakage in the oil pan there will be pieces.

I've done the m62tu chain guide job twice and helped with a third. Always did the secondary chain guides for the cam to cam chain at the same time. It would be silly not to.

Working a few hours a day spent about a week doing the guides.

One of the engines the engines had the radiator out I could use impact for the Jesus bolt, the other I made a tool to hold the crank hub.

[g300d]

I put on a Febi tensioner assembly. Oil is Shell Helix Ultra 0w40 which IIRC is LL01.

If I do understand correctly the plastic guides dont "wear out", but more of the get brittle and break off the aluminum base and the chain now runs on bare aluminum, causing noise among other things?

I have the rythmic "dieseling" sound too which at this point I believe are the VANOS seals. I've ordered a Beslan kit to be ready for it if it is.

[Themoog]

You will know if it’s the guides that have broken as the noise is quite alarming.. mine went at 150k and I paid a garage to do it circa £1900 and that was 6 years ago. The invoice has new chains on it. I get a rattle at startup occasionally even though I’ve put a new tensioner in.

[g300d]

Oh yes, I've heard the cold start rattle from priming tensioners, but this seems different. More concerning alright!

I just ordered an inexpensive android phone inspection cam and will take a peek through the fill hole as suggested.

I took a look at the diagrams off realoem plus the parts lists of diy'rs to get an idea of the parts needed to do all the chains and guides (worst case)...comes out to a bit past $1k.

[andrewwynn]

It was about 11-1200 including the tools when I did in the past. Where are you located?

Also: I've heard of vanos rattle at start but I think that's the neweer units in n62 and newer


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[g300d]

Andrew, I am OCONUS in Asia.

On the rattle, the one I hear at cold start is not VANOS IMO but chain rattle which I believe is chain tensioner priming after a long shutoff.

The sound I believe is VANOS is the engine sounds a bit like a diesel while on idle.