2008 X5 4.8L N62 Vanos repair

[Westlotorn]

I did not see many threads on this issue so I wanted to share and hope it helps others.

My 2008 X5 4.8L with 136,000 miles had a check engine light. I scanned the car, it said my Bank 2 exhaust cam sensor was not reading. Ok, not easy to reach but I changed that sensor for a new one. New scan shows the sensor now reads but also shows the bank 2 exhaust cam is not adjusting at all.

I pulled the bank 2 exhaust solenoid out of the car, it is the lower solenoid. Placed it in a clear plastic bucket and washed it out well, first with carb clean, then WD40 till it was totally clean and no color coming out from inside. Sprayed out all of the feed holes, the filter and the inside where the spring is to operate the solenoid. I did not like the fact that carb clean or brake clean will clean but also drys out the parts. These moving parts need lubrication so I switched to first WD40 and then oiled the internals before install.
BTW: There was some fine dirt particles in the bucket after the cleaning so the cleaning did remove some stuff but fine particles and not a lot of them.

Tested it with 12V and a couple wire leads. It clicked every time power was applied. I could see the internals function.

After install I fired up the engine, again using the scan tool. At first that same bank 2 exhaust did not function at all, after a couple minutes it came to life and now reads perfectly just like the bank 1 system. I can watch all 4 cams on a graph as I drive and the Intake and Exhaust cams are adjusting constantly and Identically bank one and bank two. A cleaning actually repaired the car. No more check engine lights after several start ups and it runs great.
Hope it helps someone else.
Mark