Vibration madness online.

[slowlanemcvane]

From the way I understand it, the emission air pump (I think you're referring to the Secondary Air Pump) is only active for a relatively short period of time after the vehicle starts. It pumps fresh air into the exhaust stream while the catalytic converter comes up to operating temperature. Once the catalytic converter gets hot enough, the SAP shuts off. As far as I know, it doesn't really affect idle quality once the car is up to operating temperature.

I'm willing to wager that your VANOS seals are worn. Your car has 178K on the clock, and I'm betting that the VANOS is still all original. Replacing these has been implicated in improving lots of people's idle speed and idle quality. I'm not saying beyond a doubt that your fuel mileage will necessarily suffer with worn VANOS seals, but it has been shown on some occasions that people gain a mile or two per gallon after changing the seals.

The intake spreader...not sure what you're referring to. Intake manifold maybe? If that's the case, then yes, any problems with the intake manifold gaskets or any vacuum issues can definitely affect your idle as well. Best way to cheaply check the vacuum system is to buy a can or two of starter fluid. Start your car, spray the starter fluid around your vacuum lines and intake equipment. If the idle quality changes (speeds up briefly) then most likely you've found the source of a vacuum leak.

I would start simple, clean the MAF and ICV and go from there, those are simple and easy to do, as well as being inexpensive.

[Bmwtvboy]

That's is very precise and valuable information. I have seen utubes on changing those vanos and it looks like a big job. I have done engine rebuilds, front end rebuilds and drive train replacements. Vanos seems unnerving.
I'll start with the basics. Your information is great. What's the going price for a vanos kit and is it safe to buy aftermarket? BTW, Vanos is original. It's now 180K after the painful Atlanta trip, I had trouble doing a smooth over 75.
Thanks

[slowlanemcvane]

I got my VANOS seals for right around $60 plus shipping. Not sure if the prices have gone up or not.

One thing to consider when you're thinking about doing VANOS work is that it also involves removing the valve cover, which means another set of gaskets, plus some high-temperature RTV. The VANOS seals are relatively cheap, but double that price once you've added in the valve cover gaskets and bolt grommets for the valve cover bolts and RTV to complete your seal job. At your mileage, I'll wager also that your valve cover gaskets are original and extremely brittle and will definitely break when you pull your valve cover off, so this isn't something that you can get away with reusing, and I wouldn't recommend it even if you could reuse them.

I hope all of this helps. Not to worry, you'll get that vibration and low idle situation fixed!

[Bmwtvboy]

Thanks for the encouragement. I did change the v.cover years ago around 126K miles.
RTV is some kind of gasket sealer? I believe there is much to remove to get to the vanos, clutch fan, shroud. At this point might I also do the serp belt if it's been a few years 40K miles? What about the part for chain guide noise?

[slowlanemcvane]

RTV is a sealant, sort of like caulk that you would use to seal a toilet. It stands for Room Temperature Vulcanizing, meaning that it forms a moisture-proof, pressure-resistant seal without requiring a source of heat to set it.

You are correct, that you would have to remove the fan and shroud to do the VANOS. Beisan used to have a pretty thorough DIY on their website. I'm sure it's still there, and it provides a very nice walkthrough of all of the prep work that has to be done, plus a nice pictorial step-by-step of how to do the VANOS seals themselves.

You might as well do the serpentine belts, as you will already have the fan off. While you're in there, if you haven't already done it, I would recommend changing your belt idlers and tensioners as well, since these can seize up and cause damage to other components under the hood (ask me how I know LOL).

As for the chain guide noise, I really don't have much input on the timing chain, since I've yet to have a timing chain issue at all, knock on wood. Maybe someone with actual experience can help answer questions about timing chain stuff. Sorry bro, I don't want to tell you things that I have no practical experience with.

[Bmwtvboy]

Appreciate your candor. I think I saw a vid similar to that on Vanos. I see you live in the PNW, I used to live Eugene,OR area. Now FL. Oh well. Thanks for all your advice and experience with this issue.

[slowlanemcvane]

I found a thread on xoutpost that talks about timing chain and chain guides, and this is what I have found:

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...n-guide-2.html

Sounds like most of the issues with chain guide noise is related to the M62TUB44 (4.4 V8) and the M62B46 (4.6 V8). From my cursory search it sounds like most of the issues were with the V8s, with very little report back from anything related to the M54 6 cylinder engines.

[Bmwtvboy]

Just found this parts layout on ebay. I notice there are two different kits. Is it necessary to replace the piston ring or just the rubber/teflon rings?
What did you do?Stage 3 BMW Dual Vanos O Ring Seal Repair Kit | eBay
Big price difference, although this kit has everything for the job.
In your opinion what was the most difficult aspect of the repair? Is the torque wrench absolutely necessary?
J

[slowlanemcvane]

I actually found it to not be a difficult job at all, mostly time consuming. With some patience, this is a surprisingly easy job to accomplish, with most of the effort coming during removal and reinstallation of all of the components required to accomplish the teardown to even get to the VANOS, if that makes any sense. For instance, you will have to remove your cooling fan and shroud, your cabin air filter and filter housing, your engine covers, your ignition coils, and your valve cover before you can even get to the VANOS housing.

Beisan Systems - Procedures - Double Vanos Procedure

Here is the procedure that I used and that comes directly off of the website where I ordered my repair kit. The kit that you have there is pretty all-inclusive, and for the money seems like a great deal, since it looks extremely complete to me. There are parts in that kit that the Beisan kit does not include, like the needle bearings and the new hardware. Some of that would be really nice to have, but other parts (needle bearings especially) are something that, to my knowledge, aren't needed unless you are repairing VANOS units and reselling them as remanufactured. Not saying it's not a good idea to replace all of the potential wear items once you have the VANOS unit off, I'm just saying that I've never heard of owners replacing those parts.

I would never recommend not using a torque wrench for something that directly impacts the performance and reliability of your car. I borrowed one from a neighbor when I did my repair on my VANOS, but you can generally get a torque wrench from an Autozone or O'Reilly if you don't know anyone who has one. That being said, however, the 8 nm (6 ft/lb) of torque needed to properly secure the VANOS unit and shaft bolts isn't all that much (6 pounds of force at the end of a 1 foot long bar) and should feel "snug" with a standard length 3/8" drive ratchet. Necessary? I don't know. Recommended? Definitely.

[racingbmwm3]

Unless your VANOS is making noise or you are having bad mileage and running issues while at speed, I wouldn't worry about addressing it right now. Start with the MAF and get rid of the iridium spark plugs. Use the stock NGK's that slowlandmcvane noted. There is only a performance decrease on these engines by using a non-factory plug.

I also recommend the Beisan kit/site. I avoid ebay in general.

Yes, chain guides is a problem on the 4.4/4.6 engines.

I bought a snapon digital torque wrench specifically for doing engine internals. For 6 ft/lbs I also recommend using an inch/lb wrench as most typical ft/lb wrenches don't go that low.