Vanos seals, plugs and VCG today.

[Scott ZHP]

Figured while I had the drive belts off for the OFHG and CCV work, might as well rebuild the Vanos and replace the plugs. Just turned 78k miles on my 03.

2346023459

[ELCID86]

Awesome.


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46f member

[johnrando]

Nice

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[Vas]

Great job

[Dr Dynamite]

Looks clean

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[TheFinanceGuy]

I love seeing valve trains!

I need to do my VANOS seals too. Just haven't had the time.


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[ELCID86]

I love seeing valve trains!

I need to do my VANOS seals too. Just haven't had the time.


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+1. Maybe in the spring...


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46f member

[Scott ZHP]

All done, just need to reinstall the engine covers. Runs like the proverbial scalded cat. :rockon
No more oil spots in the driveway, yay! Well, at least not from the E46.

[ELCID86]

All done, just need to reinstall the engine covers. Runs like the proverbial scalded cat. :rockon
No more oil spots in the driveway, yay! Well, at least not from the E46.

Lol. Awesome. (I've had my covers off for a bit as I thought I'd get to my Vanos sooner than later...).


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46f member

[Scott ZHP]

Lol. Awesome. (I've had my covers off for a bit as I thought I'd get to my Vanos sooner than later...).




Believe it or not, the challenging part of this job was the valve cover gasket, lol. Gasket wouldn't stay put in the groove on the cover. I had to use a few dabs of RTV to hold it in the groove.

That, and the old gasket was so brittle it broke into tiny pieces getting the two strips covering the spark plug bores. Spent twenty minutes fishing tiny plastic bits out of the nooks and crannies of the cover. Used Gunk and compressed air to get it really clean.

[Stewbie]

That, and the old gasket was so brittle it broke into tiny pieces getting the two strips covering the spark plug bores. Spent twenty minutes fishing tiny plastic bits out of the nooks and crannies of the cover. Used Gunk and compressed air to get it really clean.

I was lucky when I did my VCG and only had one little piece that played hide and seek with me. :)



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[BMWCurves]

I was lucky when I did my VCG and only had one little piece that played hide and seek with me. :)

Glad to hear you won that game. I sometimes have to unexpectedly play it when I bump a socket into the engine bay by accident :facepalm

[ELCID86]

Glad to hear you won that game. I sometimes have to unexpectedly play it when I bump a socket into the engine bay by accident :facepalm

I had to put my son's golf on on Ramos last night and drop the belly pan to go hunting for a Torx bit and screw... Finally found both!


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46f member

[Scott ZHP]

Truth be told, I knocked one of the captive nut clips off of the firewall when I went to reinstall the cabin filter housing. Magnet-on-an-antenna tool fished it out. I'm sure I have some hardware lurking on the belly ban too.

[JanMatt]

hmm... so vanos is easier than VCG in your experience? that's comforting for a noob :). done the VCG... vanos is on the list for 2016

[ELCID86]

Vanos isn't too bad as long as you follow the instructions and remember two bolts are righty-loosey... :-/


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46f member

[danewilson77]

Vanos isn't too bad as long as you follow the instructions and remember two bolts are righty-loosey... :-/


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46f member
And they're plastic.

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[johnrando]

VANOS is not bad, just lots of steps. VCG is not bad at all. OFHG is fine. CCV is a PITA.

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[ELCID86]

VANOS is not bad, just lots of steps. VCG is not bad at all. OFHG is fine. CCV is a PITA.

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CCV is one of the few things I haven't done (or had to do)


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[NoVAphotog]

CCV is one of the few things I haven't done (or had to do)


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic
+1

I think that it's accelerated with short trips... Which your commute definitely isn't.

[ELCID86]

+1

I think that it's accelerated with short trips... Which your commute definitely isn't.

Plus I have the cold weather one from PO.


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[bosszhp]

OP how big of a difference did the VANOS seals make? My car has 209k miles and I'm assuming original VANOS seals so the sub 3k torque is basically non existent. Getting them done at my Indy right now so I guess I'll find out soon.

[NoVAphotog]

OP how big of a difference did the VANOS seals make? My car has 209k miles and I'm assuming original VANOS seals so the sub 3k torque is basically non existent. Getting them done at my Indy right now so I guess I'll find out soon.

Big difference. Even at 75k. You'll have a whole new car! :p

[Scott ZHP]

OP how big of a difference did the VANOS seals make? My car has 209k miles and I'm assuming original VANOS seals so the sub 3k torque is basically non existent. Getting them done at my Indy right now so I guess I'll find out soon.

Difference is noticeable; even more so after a hundred miles or so. As mentioned, low end torque is improved.

Just for reference, it's a good idea to prime the vanos unit. There's a bleed hole in the top of the vanos, between the two piston housings. Fill this with oil to help purge air. Probably not strictly necessary, but it's there, so...

[bosszhp]

My Indy just called, they're doing my VANOS seals and they said they needed to replace my VCG, but the day before I took it in I put (or attempted, didn't go exactly as planned) a new VCG on and didn't torque the bolts down because I was taking it to my Indy the next day. They said that even reusing the day old one may cause a leak, is that accurate? I find it a little hard to believe since the VCG is only a few days old with less than 30 miles on it and it wasn't torqued down. Thoughts on this? I told them to just reuse the one I put on there.

[fredo]

They may not warranty the VCG work unless they provide the parts.

[bosszhp]

They may not warranty the VCG work unless they provide the parts.

Yeah that's what they said on the phone so I'm guessing that's the only reason they wanted to replace it, I think they only wanted to charge me for the gasket, in other words ~40$, maybe I should have played it safe and let them do it :dunno Still seems like a waste since the gasket they are reusing is literally brand new.

[Scott ZHP]

Only issue I can see is if the new-ish gasket somehow got kinked when you originally installed it, which is dountful. Did you supply them with a new vanos gasket, and all of the seals? There are 2 large round o-rings, 2 square cut teflon seals and a pair of tiny o-rings on the vanos piston caps.

[bosszhp]

Only issue I can see is if the new-ish gasket somehow got kinked when you originally installed it, which is dountful. Did you supply them with a new vanos gasket, and all of the seals? There are 2 large round o-rings, 2 square cut teflon seals and a pair of tiny o-rings on the vanos piston caps.

Yep, gave them the seals and anti rattle kit in the original Beisan Systems bag, never opened it.

[ELCID86]

Still need the Vanos gasket. Beisan doesn't include it.


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[bosszhp]

Still need the Vanos gasket. Beisan doesn't include it.


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

They don't? Well sh*t. Indy has her right now, can they do it without that gasket? Had no idea about it.

Edit: Just saw the snippet mentioning the vanos gasket on their procedures page, must've overlooked it since I wasn't DIYing this job :facepalm If it's required for the job I'll just let them order it and keep my car even longer lol Going to call the dealer when they're open and see if they stock it along with the VANOS oil hose/washers.

[ELCID86]

They don't? Well sh*t. Indy has her right now, can they do it without that gasket? Had no idea about it.

Edit: Just saw the snippet mentioning the vanos gasket on their procedures page, must've overlooked it since I wasn't DIYing this job :facepalm If it's required for the job I'll just let them order it and keep my car even longer lol Going to call the dealer when they're open and see if they stock it along with the VANOS oil hose/washers.

Yes. Needs to be done. They need to order it. I still don't know why Beisan stopped including it. And yes, crush washer also (x2).


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[bshovers]

For those of you that have done the OFHG DIY is there a particular DIY you used or prefer? Come spring I would like to tackle my OFHG, VCG, and belts. Seems like the smart thing to do while the belts are off and theres room to maneuver.

[Scott ZHP]

For those of you that have done the OFHG DIY is there a particular DIY you used or prefer? Come spring I would like to tackle my OFHG, VCG, and belts. Seems like the smart thing to do while the belts are off and theres room to maneuver.

There a several youtube videos that give you a good overview. I prefer to remove it from the engine altogether. The old gasket rarely comes out in one piece and you really want to remove all traces of old gasket from the channel it sits in. Same thing for the mating surface on the engine itself.

Just remember to remove any rags or shop towels you stuff into the engine to prevent debris from entering. I remember a kid on E46F a couple years ago who had his buddy do the OFHG job and he was pretty sure he forgot to remove a blue shop towel from the engine. That didn't end well.

It's also a good idea to replace your vanos oil line/hose while it's out.

[bosszhp]

Quick question to those of you who have replaced your VANOS seals; how long after did you notice the biggest improvement? I noticed a slight improvement immediately but nothing too pronounced. I have about ~75 miles on the new seals so far and I'm aware the break in is around 200-250 miles so I haven't done any spirited driving yet.

[johnrando]

I replaced 4 things at the same time so sadly I'll never know how worked.

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[Dave1027]

You'd think at $60 for a few tiny o-rings they could throw in the gasket. Sad.

[ELCID86]

You'd think at $60 for a few tiny o-rings they could throw in the gasket. Sad.

Yes. Or charge $8-10 more... Not the most progressive customer service. But he is always quick to answer install questions. I guess he has a reason for not including it.


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[bosszhp]

Update to my last post, seals are fully broken in thanks to the trip I took down to meet Joop at Palm Beach C&C. Did some spirited driving on the way home and she definitely has been waken up. Pulls much harder from around 2500-redline. Hard to believe she's about to roll over 210k soon!

[ELCID86]

Update to my last post, seals are fully broken in thanks to the trip I took down to meet Joop at Palm Beach C&C. Did some spirited driving on the way home and she definitely has been waken up. Pulls much harder from around 2500-redline. Hard to believe she's about to roll over 210k soon!

Awesome. I so need to do this.


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[Scott ZHP]

I think mine are starting to calm down too; I notice an increase in low-end torque. I have a reader that streams live data, including the inlet and exhaust cam vanos advance/retard angles; wanted to take some before/after snapshots and I forgot. :(

[bosszhp]

I think mine are starting to calm down too; I notice an increase in low-end torque. I have a reader that streams live data, including the inlet and exhaust cam vanos advance/retard angles; wanted to take some before/after snapshots and I forgot. :(

How many miles are on yours? I've got about 500 so far.

[Scott ZHP]

How many miles are on yours? I've got about 500 so far.

Maybe 100-125 miles.

[bosszhp]

Maybe 100-125 miles.

You should start noticing the biggest improvements soon then, probably about another ~100 miles and they'll be seated so you can give it the beans ;)

[Dave1027]

I noticed the beisen vanos seal procedure does not mention the two vanos cover gaskets. They don't need replacing?

This kit, probably what I should have got, has them. http://www.amazon.com/DUAL-VANOS-O-Ring-Repair-M52tu/dp/B00JMG9O1O

[ELCID86]

I noticed the beisen vanos seal procedure does not mention the two vanos cover gaskets. They don't need replacing?

This kit, probably what I should have got, has them. http://www.amazon.com/DUAL-VANOS-O-Ring-Repair-M52tu/dp/B00JMG9O1O

Hmm. I didn't know they existed and didn't replace them and don't recall hearing of anyone who did. What say others?



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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[johnrando]

Sorry, I don"t recall.

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[ELCID86]

Sorry, I don"t recall.

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I really don't even know where they would go. Does the Vanos actually come apart?


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[slater]

I noticed the beisen vanos seal procedure does not mention the two vanos cover gaskets. They don't need replacing?

This kit, probably what I should have got, has them. http://www.amazon.com/DUAL-VANOS-O-Ring-Repair-M52tu/dp/B00JMG9O1O

interesting. i did the lower metal gasket, not the two round-ish ones. i would assume you would get to those if you were doing the anti-rattle kit.

that is a GREAT price for all of that stuff, though!! don't forget those two VANOS bolts, i bought them 'in case' - they apparently are prone to snapping. they also are left-hand thread bolts.

[Dave1027]

I really don't even know where they would go. Does the Vanos actually come apart?

It's these gaskets:

24041

[slater]

It's these gaskets:

24041

ah! duuuuuuh!!

i didn't even think to replace those when i did mine a year ago.

[Dave1027]

ah! duuuuuuh!!

i didn't even think to replace those when i did mine a year ago.

Well, if you have not had any leakage then perhaps it's no big deal to reuse the old gaskets.

[ELCID86]

...don't forget those two VANOS bolts, i bought them 'in case' - they apparently are prone to snapping. they also are left-hand thread bolts.

Yes they are if you turn them the wrong way... I keep one on hand now...

Now I'm wondering why Beisan doesn't include those gaskets.


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"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - an e46fanatic

[slater]

Yes they are if you turn them the wrong way... I keep one on hand now...

Now I'm wondering why Beisan doesn't include those gaskets.

he doesn't include the bolts either. :) however, he does mention getting the bolts, and lower gasket beforehand - but not two two roundish gaskets for inside the assembly.

[Scott ZHP]

The gaskets are steel, I thought they might be shims of some sort. Mine were flat/unwarped. I marked them, cleaned them and re-used them.

[Dave1027]

Did mine yesterday. Still need to put the valve cover back on and button up the rest. My valve cover gasket was leaking so I decided to do the vanos while I was in there.

Hardest part of this job was getting the valve cover off. The bastard felt like it was welded on. The old gasket had turned into hard plastic. The beisen procedure says to use a putty knife to help separate the cover but it did not help much using that. I did use the putty knife to break the old gasket sealer but for the actual separation, I found a wide chisel worked much better.

One other thing to note. The new vanos piston seals/o-rings are really tighter. I was concerned they may be too tight.

[Ssparrow]

Did mine yesterday. Still need to put the valve cover back on and button up the rest. My valve cover gasket was leaking so I decided to do the vanos while I was in there.

Hardest part of this job was getting the valve cover off. The bastard felt like it was welded on. The old gasket had turned into hard plastic. The beisen procedure says to use a putty knife to help separate the cover but it did not help much using that. I did use the putty knife to break the old gasket sealer but for the actual separation, I found a wide chisel worked much better.

One other thing to note. The new vanos piston seals/o-rings are really tighter. I was concerned they may be too tight.

Yup, getting off the valve cover was the hardest part for me too. I thought I broke the damn thing once the seal finally broke... Gasket was so brittle!

As far as those metal gaskets on the vanos, I didn't replace them. I Never heard of anyone replacing them either