M54 Engine Vanos Seals
 

Searching "vanos" key word in this forum, not many of us here concerning about M54 engine 3.0 double vanos piston seals (rebuild). In another E46 forum (also M54 engine), many E46 owners are dealing with vanos issues.
Is this because of E53 vanos is better than E46? :)
Did anyone ever replace our E53 Vanos piston seals? What happens before and after replacing vanos seals?

It's because they and the E39 (530i) crowd want to eek out anything they can to supposedly raise a few enigmatic results that may or may not actually be realized once changing them- or you know- maybe sometime later after the seals 'set' or whatever. While those of us in E53's (especially the i6's) are as happy as I was with mine for 7 years and 100k miles to have a reasonably peppy SAV that just works every time.

And before we go too far down the path of this perception, I'd like to also make clear that my wife has driven an E46 330 since new for 10 years and ~75k. Neither one of us feels a need to rush out and replace these things.

I can offer advice in the other direction..

My 528i rolled 183,000 the other day.. Starting about 30,000 miles ago I noticed a big drop in fuel economy as well as a stumbling idle when it was cold. No engine codes at all. I replaced CCV, ICV, Plugs, etc.. Still didn't fix the problem (although I solved other unrelated things).

Then I rebuilt the double Vanos with a kit from Beisan Systems

MPG went from 23ish up to 27.5+
Idle problem solved
More Power below 3,000 rpm
Generally smoother

Moral of the story, if you have less than 120,000 miles I probably wouldn't do it yet. Any more and I would. The gas mileage savings alone will pay off quick. Now if I could only get 4 more mpg out of my X5 somehow.. :)

so why not just replace it with the whole BMW part that lasted 150K miles to begin with?

Dude, i never replaced my former 1999 528i vanos/seals, I only replaced oil separator at around 145-150K miles. And it rolled until 214K miles without an issue.

PropellerH, we have the same M54 eninge, my X5 is almost 8 year-old and 91K miles in it. It's running great and i don't see/feel it's losing power at all.
M54 enine vanos rebuild procedure is not too difficult and about $60 parts compare to ~$500 the the whole BMW vanos unit. BMW don't sell just Oring/Seals for vanos and most people get vanos seals from Beisan systems. Beisan claim that their vanos seals is much better than the Buna seals that BMW install in our BMW vanos unit and last only for 20K miles!
I have Vanos seals kit here but i hesitate to replace them.

That there is exactly my beef- the claim that the seals last only for 20K miles- Total BS meant to get people to buy before they need anything- it just expands his market that much more. It's a sales and marketing claim that people have chosen to believe despite what is right in front of them. Your car has 91K miles and is FINE. The marketing around this thing is that it's cheap enough that pretty much anyone can spend the $ and feel like it was worth it- whether it actually was or not.

I'd hesitate to replace them too. $200 snake oil on sale for $100 is still snake oil.

does the vanos on the X 4.4 2001 have similar problems?

Single Vanos in that motor.

Yep, single vanos.

Any Oring failures known on the v8 engines? I believe the 6-cyl engins have more issues on this, maybe because of the double vanos system?

Koody, "I believe the 6-cyl engins have more issues on this, maybe because of the double vanos system? "

Not sure 6-cyl engins have more Vanos issues, however, if you do key word search in forum "Vanos" most of search results display vanos problems of 4.4+ (N62) engines.

Indeed, I saw that also. :confused:
Every seal will fail at some point, only thing is when it fails. :dunno:.

I concur with Dudewanarace. Replacing the vanos seals made a huge difference in my 330xi. The vanos pistons were ridiculously loose when I disasembled them. There was no way it was properly holding pressure. The new seals tightened it up nicely. All the roughness and hesitations disappeared, more responsiveness on the low end, fuel consumption improved from 12.5 l/100km to 10.8 l/100km.

Just because your vanos seals are OK in your experience doesn't mean the problem and the fix isn't real for someone else. The key is to make sure you are fixing the right problem. If replacing the vanos seals doesn't fix your problem it's likely you've misdiagnosed the problem. It doesn't mean the fix is snake oil.

Agreed!

I don't think the seals would be worn out at 20K miles, so true that is probably a bit exaggerated. 120K maybe.. 150K for sure. Lets be clear, this is the M54TU motor I was working on. With the cold idle stumble it would often die. No engine codes, so clearly a problem. I'm not saying everybody needs to do it, but I did and it was awesome. The seals were $60, valve cover gasket set ~$50, Vanos Gasket ~$15.. Worth it.

Ray and Dude, did you replace your X5 vanos seals?

Yes, I did the work myself while I was replacing the valve cover gasket. Instructions from Beisan are excellent. I'm not sure if I would have decided to do just the vanos seals on their own but I was in there anyway doing the valve cover gasket so it was marginally incremental work. I'm glad I did.

The thing about the vanos seal failure is that it's gradual. You'll never just notice it one day, it creeps up on you over months and years. I sure did notice after the fix though. Now I remember how it drove when it was new. Funny thing that snake oil ;)

Word of caution though, it's a fairly involved DIY and while the steps are not complicated there are a lot of steps. Make sure you've eliminated all other potential causes for your engine symptoms before you dive in. I would consider timing the fix to coincide with a valve cover gasket replacement and change of spark plugs since much of the effort is in common.

Ray - thanks for your input! I did not know that i should replace vanos seals when i was working on spark plugs and valve cover gasket replacement. I ordered vanos seals kit already and I have all tools available and ready to do it soon.

It's not that you need to replace the VCG and spark plugs with the vanos seals. It just turns out that the timing for replacement is roughly the same for many vehicles and you can save a lot of effort by doing them together.

I should mention that my VCG was so brittle and aged that it broke into pieces when I removed the VC. So even if yours isn't leaking and you don't plan on replacing it be prepared to get one any way. Really, it's a no brainer since the gasket is cheap compared the to time and effort it takes to remove and replace the VC.

I just finished vanos seals rebuild today. It took ~4.5 hours to complete the entire job. Inner vanos seals rubber cooked and feeling like hard plastic.

^Remember that you need 300mi of city driving to break-in the new seals.

300 miles? that alot, Rajaie told me only 200 miles lol :) When is your turn tmv? :)

Man, I guess I should take a look at this....I have not touched my vanos yet.

I only have 321,155 miles on those seals. I will put this on the list.

Dewd. They should have failed like 15 times. They're totally useless now. Ask anyone. :rofl:

wally, i am sure vanos seals are totally cooked with "only" 321,155 miles :)

Driving X5 since Saturday and totally 105 miles since i rebuilt vanos seals. First 10 miles on saturday made no different except smoothy idling in the cold sunday morning. HOWEVER, tonight when i drove home from work, i felt the improvement! huge different, more powerful than before and very smooth in acceleration.

I will have a long trip ~400 miles this weekend to see how the mileage per gallon rate.

Wally, you know what they say, don't fix it if it ain't broke! If you have no symptoms (hesitations from start, engine running on a bit after turning off, mileage a bit off, stalling with A/C on when coming to a stop) then I wouldn't be worried about the seals. I had all those symptoms and they were all corrected when I replaced the seals.

StartX5, I found that the biggest difference in fuel consumption was during city driving not highway driving. The vanos doesn't need to work very hard if you aren't varying the RPM and load. Out of curiosity, did you notice a lot of play in the piston inside the vanos with the old seals?

Rayxi, when i removed vanos unit completely out of engine, yes the intake piston played but not the exhaust piston (you know why not the exhaust side). Actually the seals feel like plastic inner to outter seals. I am wondering that engine can be run without vanos seals because all 4 seals were cooked and were not protruding. they're all flat.

The reason i rebuilt vanos:
1. Engine stalling sometimes at stop when AC was on during the summer time.
2. Cold start w/ noise idling in the morning (i thought it was engine belt pulley only).

#2 is resolved since sunday morning and this morning engine started much much smooth than before. have to wait until summer time for AC.

The engine should run without the seals working 100%, but not well. The leaking seal will cause a lag in the timing adjustment and if it leaks sufficiently it might not be able to overcome the opposing force of the spring. At this point the timing doesn't just lag, it will be wrong. Without any measurements it's difficult to say where the typical vanos seal deterioration falls in that spectrum.

That's why I asked you how much play was in the piston when you took the vanos apart. I was shocked at how loose my piston was and was wondering if that was typical or an extreme case.

Yes, the Teflon seals on mine looked flush with the piston but looks can be deceiving. Given the tolerance between piston and cylinder there may be enough seal there to provide at least some pressure.

As for intake vs exhaust, it's possible that the exhaust side requires less adjustment so it had fewer cycles. Just a guess since I have no engine tuning experience to base a real answer on. :)

It's just the Vanos doing its thing. It should be real close to how the X drives when new.
I am still waiting on other parts for cooling system to tackle them all together.

tmv, you have 5-80Newton Meters torque wrench?
Take your time to finish rebuiding vanos, obsolutely no rush on this.

Rayxi, when i looked and felt the seals, i don't think those seals are still functioning for vanos anymore. Thus, both intake and exhaust pistons were played but the exhaust piston seal can't be moving because of its spring.

StartX5, I acquired all the tools I need when I did it on my 525i last year :-)

'01 X5 3.0 Dealer says there is no Vanos Seal Kit?
 

So I was getting ready to replace the valve cover gasket, and I stumble upon comments about replacing the vanos seal while in there. I called local bmw parts guy and says there is no kit to replace the seal and quoted me $895 for replacement Vanos unit. Anyone knowif thats accurate or is he misinformed.
Appreciate any help, can someone link to the DIY for Vanos on my engine.
TY
2001 X5 3.0i

I assume you have the double vanos, found here:
Beisan Systems - Products

And the handy DIY here:
Beisan Systems - Procedures - Double Vanos Procedure

Mirror X5 on West Coast
 

StartX5. Just wondering if you recall your odometer reading when you completed your Vanos seals project?

I have the same 2004, X5, 3.0i, M54 engine and I'm sitting on 90K miles. I'm preparing for a valve cover seal replacement job to kill a tiny, but seriously annoying, oil leak from my valve cover (just over the exhaust, so the drip hits the hot pipe and turns into smoke and a complaint from the wifeepoo). It's been there for over a year now likely due to a failing oil separator that I replaced a few month back. Enjoyed your most excellent post on the valve cover gasket - a shot of a hot chick or a good joke is the only missing element ;)

Bottom line, since the valve cover job looks like 40% of the Vanos job, and I have 90K miles on the engine, should I just pony up the time and kill the Vanos seal job? Bonus round question - it appears that the Vanos position sensor will also be in the clear, should I just swap it as well?

PS - the small cost of the parts is not an concern since I value driving piece of mind and one less thing for the wife to mention (not that she can't notice other things "wrong" with the X5 and then ask for a new one all in the same breath - normally triggered by a sighting of a new X5 which seem to be the official taxi here).

Thanks in advance for any advice. Mahalo,

I have 113K miles on my M54 engine, which runs fine, no stalling etc.
I have a minor oil leak into the #3 spark plug area.

I am waiting for the oil leak in #3 spark plug to be worse, then do the whole thing:
- VCG gasket
- Vanos seals

Don't forget the Vanos gasket. While you're in there, consider getting the rattle kit as well since some may developed piston bearing "play". Good time to fix that as well.

beisan systems upgrade time...

I am very familiar with Vanos seals issues, coming from E39 (still have the E39).

At the present time, the oil leak (into #3 spark plug) is very minor, and I have no Vanos symptoms (yet).
This is why I am holding off for now, until the oil leak becomes worse or the Vanos symptoms show up...

:iagree:

I have the M62 engine with 108K miles. how long would you say I have before needing to rebuild the Vanos? Thanks in advance!

In the E39 forums, bimmerfest, bimmerforums etc., the general feeling is:

- For Dual Vanos M54 engine, when the Vanos seals go bad, the engine can stumbles etc.

- The V8 Vanos is less troublesome, even if the seals are bad, you don't have stumbling issues (I may be wrong). The bottom line with V8 is: leave it alone until you have to do things like Valve gasket, Valley Pan etc.

Post Vanos Seal Replacement Report and Pictures.
 

Post Vanos Seal Replacement Report and Pictures.

I noticed improvements right away. Since I was replacing my valve cover, the vanos job was well worth it. Engine response to throttle input was sharper and smoother. MPG improved a bit. Old seals were cooked into brittle bricks and sat flat in the unit - lower than the new seals. Old seals were difficult to cut off.

Putting the new seals on was tricky - they do not stretch and fit tightly. I was careful to avoid damaging them. I found a large socket that just fit over the vanos part and used it to press evenly against the new seal to slide it into place.

I also used glycerin from Right Aid as assembly fluid to help slip the seals into place and on the new valve cover gasket to keep it from pinching (per the Bently manual).

Do you have to worry about timing when doing the Double Vanos on the M54? The timing is really discouraging me from doing it on the M62tu.

Nope.

Thanks Ricky, the DrVanos DIY is confusing in that regard, whereas Besian doesn't show anything about timing.

No timing issues on X5 VANOS rebuilt
 

No timing issues during my x5 VANOS rebuild. Good question. Better to ask

No problem. Don't follow DrVanos I would follow Besian Systems diy to a T it's perfect instructions.

Are you installing anti rattle kit too? I guess you don't have to if you don't have rattle but if I had it open I just might do it

I did the Besian anti-rattle kit (and full seal upgrades, etc.) on my 2002 M3. The anti rattle kit is worth every penny. Do it if you like a quiet running engine.

I will put the anti rattle on it too. However I will have to postpone this fix. As I am redoing the whole front of the engine on a E39 540iM I just got. Most ambitious repair yet.

2001 E53 3.0i M54, 186k miles

was running with no problems at all other than head gasket letting combustion gases into the coolant

I've owned for 4 years now, PO had extensive maintenance done, mostly at the dealer. Sometimes incomplete records, but there is no indication of any VANOS work.

So I'm about to start re-assembly during my head gasket repair. The double VANOS is already removed, in hand.

With no symptoms, high mileage, and the VANOS already off the engine, should I go ahead and replace the VANOS o-rings (or whatever is in the kit) pre-emptively?

Thanks.

2 cents and 3 letters. YES
 

I have a post in this thread with more experience details.
My experience was noticeably positive. :thumbup:

Thanks.

I see the o-rings replacement is one part of the refresh. And the anti-rattle rings can be replaced as well. It looks like those are probably slightly thicker rings to account for accumulated chain/etc. wear. Again, worth doing if I have no symptoms yet? Those rings are supposed to address the "rattle" problem.

I did the rattle proceedure (as had rattle....) and seals on my 02 E46 M3 at about 80,000 miles. Also did it on our e46 325 convertible - on that the pistons were actually jammed by baked on oil through historically infrequent oil changes (before our ownership!!!!!). The car kept stalling when it was cold (it’s an auto too....) so I checked with INPA (may have been DIS actually...) and it failed - indicating the seales were fooked - so simply claiming that it’s all BS is... BS...! Both cars now run fine having installed the beisan stuff.

Also - on the M3, the chain sprocket bolts had worked loose and the threads had sheared - so I was bloody lucky that I did it when I did - as never would have seen or discovered this otherwise...

So run the software to see if it passes the leakdown test and listen for noises... it’s also not solely mileage that affects rubber seals - but their age (amount of time immersed in oil....) so they will wear out.

Thanks. I'll probably be buying this kit on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-DOUBLE-...E/152579724708

Basically has the 10 o-rings and two superfat washers/spacers for $55. I know it's probably about $5 in true parts cost, but they put the kit together. I expect it will be good quality, vs. some of the cheaper VANOS kits on eBay.

I bought direct from Beisan systems as they developed the fix and have the walk through step by step instructions.