02-21-2012, 10:22 AM
Next Update: If you own a BMW with VANOS that you would consider "high mileage" and you're trying to fix the car up, you need to rebuild the VANOS system. Its certainly not the quickest or easiest service to perform, and you need a lot of tools, but the ROI for your money/time can't be beat IMO.
I'll do this part first since this is what most people will be interested in. Impressions after repair:
Could not be a happier camper. It fixed so many things that I didn't even realize were problems, I had just taken them in stride as quirks of the car. It used to be really weird about letting the clutch out. If it caught the throttle weird the motor would stutter and you'd have to do a little half-doubleclutch maneuver, that's all gone. It used to idle smoother than Ryan Gosling picking up a drunk girl but it would occasionally throw out a random fart or hiccup, like a drunk girl. That's all gone.
Here's the big one, the clattery, shitty rattly sound it used to make when letting off the throttle around 2k is completely gone, it just sounds like... an engine. So weird. I also swear it upshifts smoother, maybe its just the placebo effect but the transition into the next gear feels much smoother now.
The kit says it takes about ~200 miles to break in the new seals before its up to optimal performance and I've only driven about 20. I'm trying not to flog on it too much but the motor does seem like it has more torque. After it's had a chance to break in, I'll give it the beans and see how the powerband has changed.
Now the rest of this crap might be interesting to other BMW-afflicted members but the rest of you don't have to burden yourselves.
Crap I needed:
I bought the Beisan Systems rattle and seal repair "kit" I say "kit" because an o-ring, teflon seal and machined bearing doesn't really constitute a $65 kit, but no one asked me.
Total cost for the project for me was:
$65 for the kit
$40ish for the new valve cover gasket, valve cover bolt washer/gasket thingies, and a new VANOS gasket
$20 for the modified socket (worth it, you DO NOT want to go shredding up the cap on the vanos piston) and vise liners (also worth it)
$140 at Sears (If you have all the necessary tools you can skip this part, I was just overdue to replace some missing sockets and rachets and I had to pick up a smaller torque wrench)
Finally I borrowed the cam locking blocks, cam turning tool, and flywheel locking pin, and I used a small allen key in lieu of the actual BMW timing chain tensioner pin. If you can't borrow them some guy is selling them on eBay for $110.
So, if you've got a full set of tools and can borrow the BMW tools, it'll cost about $125, anything beyond that just depends on what's at your disposal.
Procedure:
I used the guides provided by Beisan to gather tools and walk me through the process. I only deviated in a few areas, for one I just left the front of the car jacked up all weekend instead of going back and forth, and they wanted me to pretzel my expansion tank and fan shroud up on top of the motor so I just removed the stupid thing.
http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures/...cedure.htm
http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures/...cedure.htm
I was planning to do this Friday afternoon and Saturday but I caught a stomach bug and didn't surface until Sunday. I started at 12 on Sunday and a little before 4 I had the unit completely out and was over in Kaan's garage to borrow his vise and break a few of his tools.
With his helpful supervision I broke down the piston and replaced the inner bearing. Then we moved the party to my kitchen table so I could get the teflon seal above balls-cold fahrenheit to actually install it.
Sunday morning I went back out around 11 and reseated the piston, spent what seemed like 8 hours scraping off the god awful OEM paper vanos gasket, and then went about my merry way putting my engine back together. I was back inside by 3ish. It could absolutely be done in one day if I didn't have a garage, I'd have just had to start earlier in the day. One warning I have is DO NOT start this project without finding a bench mounted vise you can take the piston too. You'll never get that slippery little thing cracked open to replace the inner bearing and thats what causes all the rattling at low rpms.
Next Steps:
-Wrapping my new headers this week, hopefully installing them with DJ this weekend.
-Front end links and steering rack bushing (trying to chase the rest of the slop out of the wheel)
I'll do this part first since this is what most people will be interested in. Impressions after repair:
Could not be a happier camper. It fixed so many things that I didn't even realize were problems, I had just taken them in stride as quirks of the car. It used to be really weird about letting the clutch out. If it caught the throttle weird the motor would stutter and you'd have to do a little half-doubleclutch maneuver, that's all gone. It used to idle smoother than Ryan Gosling picking up a drunk girl but it would occasionally throw out a random fart or hiccup, like a drunk girl. That's all gone.
Here's the big one, the clattery, shitty rattly sound it used to make when letting off the throttle around 2k is completely gone, it just sounds like... an engine. So weird. I also swear it upshifts smoother, maybe its just the placebo effect but the transition into the next gear feels much smoother now.
The kit says it takes about ~200 miles to break in the new seals before its up to optimal performance and I've only driven about 20. I'm trying not to flog on it too much but the motor does seem like it has more torque. After it's had a chance to break in, I'll give it the beans and see how the powerband has changed.
Now the rest of this crap might be interesting to other BMW-afflicted members but the rest of you don't have to burden yourselves.
Crap I needed:
I bought the Beisan Systems rattle and seal repair "kit" I say "kit" because an o-ring, teflon seal and machined bearing doesn't really constitute a $65 kit, but no one asked me.
Total cost for the project for me was:
$65 for the kit
$40ish for the new valve cover gasket, valve cover bolt washer/gasket thingies, and a new VANOS gasket
$20 for the modified socket (worth it, you DO NOT want to go shredding up the cap on the vanos piston) and vise liners (also worth it)
$140 at Sears (If you have all the necessary tools you can skip this part, I was just overdue to replace some missing sockets and rachets and I had to pick up a smaller torque wrench)
Finally I borrowed the cam locking blocks, cam turning tool, and flywheel locking pin, and I used a small allen key in lieu of the actual BMW timing chain tensioner pin. If you can't borrow them some guy is selling them on eBay for $110.
So, if you've got a full set of tools and can borrow the BMW tools, it'll cost about $125, anything beyond that just depends on what's at your disposal.
Procedure:
I used the guides provided by Beisan to gather tools and walk me through the process. I only deviated in a few areas, for one I just left the front of the car jacked up all weekend instead of going back and forth, and they wanted me to pretzel my expansion tank and fan shroud up on top of the motor so I just removed the stupid thing.
http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures/...cedure.htm
http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures/...cedure.htm
I was planning to do this Friday afternoon and Saturday but I caught a stomach bug and didn't surface until Sunday. I started at 12 on Sunday and a little before 4 I had the unit completely out and was over in Kaan's garage to borrow his vise and break a few of his tools.
With his helpful supervision I broke down the piston and replaced the inner bearing. Then we moved the party to my kitchen table so I could get the teflon seal above balls-cold fahrenheit to actually install it. Sunday morning I went back out around 11 and reseated the piston, spent what seemed like 8 hours scraping off the god awful OEM paper vanos gasket, and then went about my merry way putting my engine back together. I was back inside by 3ish. It could absolutely be done in one day if I didn't have a garage, I'd have just had to start earlier in the day. One warning I have is DO NOT start this project without finding a bench mounted vise you can take the piston too. You'll never get that slippery little thing cracked open to replace the inner bearing and thats what causes all the rattling at low rpms.
Next Steps:
-Wrapping my new headers this week, hopefully installing them with DJ this weekend.
-Front end links and steering rack bushing (trying to chase the rest of the slop out of the wheel)
Now: 07 Porsche Cayman S | 18 VW Tiguan
Then: 18 VW GTI Autobahn | 95 BMW M3 | 15 VW GTI SE | 12 Kia Optima SX | 2009 VW GTI | 00 BMW 540i Sport | 90 Mazda Miata | 94 Yamaha FZR600R | 1993 Suzuki GS500E | 2003 BMW 325i | 95 Saab 900S