William's 330Ci ZHP Maintenance and Project Thread

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Originally Posted by Sockethead

When I did my valve cover gasket, I started torquing to spec but it didn't "feel" right so I did the rest by hand... That was 90k ago
FYI most ft pound torque wrenches can't accurately torque to a setting that low unless specifically design for lower settings

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This. I typically use my calibrated left hand torque wrench on the valve cover.

Sent from my S8+

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Originally Posted by slater

if you pull the plastic hose end off where it connect at the front corner of the VC, and have a peek inside.... that will tell you a lot. if there's mayo goop, you should replace. now, that said, it's summer and there likely won't be any, but it's worth a check.

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This guy?

Attachment 30709

This is what it looks like in mine, there appears to be goop (sorry for the crappy phone pics):

http://i.imgur.com/gpOHsEj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ovp4cUF.jpg

I always assumed my CCV would be gross given the driving I do and that of the previous owners. I really don't want to do the CCV for a while, and when I do, I plan to do the pilot O2 mod or a catch can OR the CCV mod from G.A.S.

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Originally Posted by slater

doesn't matter, really. whatever you can find at your FLAPs.

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What is this "FLAPs" you speak of?

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Originally Posted by slater

ha, oh man... nice one.

aaaaand to think i did have TWO M54B30's here ready to go in TWO Touring bodies! for shame.... hahahaha.

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Doing the wife's first to work out all the kinks for yours? Good man.

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Originally Posted by slater

yep, exactly. i think the torque spec is something like 7lb-ft or something, but they do hit that stopping point then - if you use new grommets then the wee about of torque will hold the VC down a lot better. :)

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That's so little torque. New grommets will be used, so hopefully that'll help.

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Originally Posted by danewilson77

I have 230K on mine with no warpage. Plus that VCG is pretty beefy and would still seal well with any small warping that may occur. I do not support his claim.

Sent from my S8+

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Great, thank you! Since I hadn't heard it anywhere online, I wanted to see if you guys had any experience with it. It appears my mechanic, a very good guy who hasn't tred to oversell me on anything, is overly cautious from his own experience (he said he's had three overly warped M54 valve covers that would not seal with new VCGs).

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Originally Posted by Sockethead

When I did my valve cover gasket, I started torquing to spec but it didn't "feel" right so I did the rest by hand... That was 90k ago
FYI most ft pound torque wrenches can't accurately torque to a setting that low unless specifically design for lower settings

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What didn't feel right, too little or too much torque? And yeah, I have a smaller torque wrench but didn't realize spec is 7 ft-lbs

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Originally Posted by danewilson77

This. I typically use my calibrated left hand torque wrench on the valve cover.

Sent from my S8+

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:rofl

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

Great, thank you! Since I hadn't heard it anywhere online, I wanted to see if you guys had any experience with it. It appears my mechanic, a very good guy who hasn't tred to oversell me on anything, is overly cautious from his own experience (he said he's had three overly warped M54 valve covers that would not seal with new VCGs).

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Heard the same from a few mechanics (if it's warped the VC will still leak)

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

Great, thank you! Since I hadn't heard it anywhere online, I wanted to see if you guys had any experience with it. It appears my mechanic, a very good guy who hasn't tred to oversell me on anything, is overly cautious from his own experience (he said he's had three overly warped M54 valve covers that would not seal with new VCGs).

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I have a feeling mine might be like that as well. My ex-BMW tech friend told me the same thing; he's had to replace a few valve covers before due to warpage. My VCG is newer (replaced late last year) yet I still see oil coming out from the side leaking onto the O2 sensor.

CCV looks ok -- no mayonnaise. If you're feeling bold, you can blow into it and see if you hear it bubbling in the oil pan. That'll tell you if the little dipstick tube is clogged.

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

This guy?

This is what it looks like in mine, there appears to be goop (sorry for the crappy phone pics):

I always assumed my CCV would be gross given the driving I do and that of the previous owners. I really don't want to do the CCV for a while, and when I do, I plan to do the pilot O2 mod or a catch can OR the CCV mod from G.A.S.

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yep, that's the one. doesn't look horrible, but you definitely need to give it the beans, and take it for some extended drives.

to be honest, after gary @ G.A.S.' findings about too much vacuum applied the the crankcase (letting air and contaminants in through the rear main seal), i would be hesitant to do the catch can or "02pilot" mod without a vacuum regulator in place.

the G.A.S. CCV allows for slightly higher-than-stock vacuum levels. about 25% of what the catch can/"02pilot" mod will.

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

What is this "FLAPs" you speak of?

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Friendly Local Auto Parts store. :)

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Originally Posted by holyc0w

Heard the same from a few mechanics (if it's warped the VC will still leak)

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Originally Posted by az3579

I have a feeling mine might be like that as well. My ex-BMW tech friend told me the same thing; he's had to replace a few valve covers before due to warpage. My VCG is newer (replaced late last year) yet I still see oil coming out from the side leaking onto the O2 sensor.

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Makes sense to me. I am just surprised I haven't heard much about it. Perhaps now that our cars are getting on 11+ years, more will start popping up. Hopefully not though.

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Originally Posted by ZHPizza

CCV looks ok -- no mayonnaise. If you're feeling bold, you can blow into it and see if you hear it bubbling in the oil pan. That'll tell you if the little dipstick tube is clogged.

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Nothing like a little mouth to mouth for my car, eh? To be clear, I should hear bubbling or no? I'm not particularly familiar with the CCV plumbing.

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Originally Posted by slater

yep, that's the one. doesn't look horrible, but you definitely need to give it the beans, and take it for some extended drives.

to be honest, after gary @ G.A.S.' findings about too much vacuum applied the the crankcase (letting air and contaminants in through the rear main seal), i would be hesitant to do the catch can or "02pilot" mod without a vacuum regulator in place.

the G.A.S. CCV allows for slightly higher-than-stock vacuum levels. about 25% of what the catch can/"02pilot" mod will.

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Interesting, I didn't know your position had changed on those mods you had done yourself! Do you know what kind of testing Gary did i.e. how does he know those mods produce too much vacuum at the crankcase?

Remind me, when is your G.A.S. unit going in?

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Originally Posted by slater

Friendly Local Auto Parts store. :)

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Ahhh...makes much more sense than what I had in my mind (Fucking Lazy Ass Parts(store))

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

Interesting, I didn't know your position had changed on those mods you had done yourself! Do you know what kind of testing Gary did i.e. how does he know those mods produce too much vacuum at the crankcase?

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he actually built a test rig for it - i think there's a video on his website. pretty cool. after seeing that.... yeah, i am intrigued for sure, and definitely more 'on the fence' about the catch can setup if left unregulated. the stock CCV is definitely still a steaming pile of dung for anyone living in a climate with temps that get below freezing.

the magic amount of vacuum required would be nice to know - enough to help those low-tension rings to seal better, but not enough to allow the RMS to be flexing enough to let air/etc in.

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

Remind me, when is your G.A.S. unit going in?

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i would love to install it now, but i think i'm going to wait until the motor swap happens. we'll see. the M54B25 in the red Touring is using a crapload of oil right now, so i might do it soon just to see....

Yep, should hear bubbling as you're essentially blowing into the oil pan. The valve in the CCV opens under vacuum from the intake manifold. I actually broke that hose when I was blowing into mine, but it was cooked in Florida for 10 years, so brittle af.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/att...1&d=1302596015

Excellent thread here full of information and test procedures. Note that we do not have the vacuum line on our CCV's, but everything else is the same.

And here is Gary's test for too much vacuum that Peter was referencing.

Get to work, son!

Side question: What was the difference between your OE door panels and the ones from the M3? Leather type?

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Originally Posted by ZHPizza

Side question: What was the difference between your OE door panels and the ones from the M3? Leather type?

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I've seen both. Yeah it's like leather vs nappa leather

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Originally Posted by ZHPizza

And here is Gary's test for too much vacuum that Peter was referencing.

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thanks dude. i'm curious if we can run the M52 rear crank seal or not...

You guys are invaluable :thumbsup

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Originally Posted by slater

he actually built a test rig for it - i think there's a video on his website. pretty cool. after seeing that.... yeah, i am intrigued for sure, and definitely more 'on the fence' about the catch can setup if left unregulated. the stock CCV is definitely still a steaming pile of dung for anyone living in a climate with temps that get below freezing.

the magic amount of vacuum required would be nice to know - enough to help those low-tension rings to seal better, but not enough to allow the RMS to be flexing enough to let air/etc in.

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Yeah, it sounds like the CCV is a very poorly designed solution from the numerous threads I've read about it. #HotGarbage

I wonder if Gary has done more testing to figure out a good range for proper vacuum. I assume the G.A.S. CCV solution is aimed at that range.

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Originally Posted by slater

i would love to install it now, but i think i'm going to wait until the motor swap happens. we'll see. the M54B25 in the red Touring is using a crapload of oil right now, so i might do it soon just to see....

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That's what I figured. Sigh...

http://i.imgur.com/EhqOqMe.gif

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Originally Posted by ZHPizza

Yep, should hear bubbling as you're essentially blowing into the oil pan. The valve in the CCV opens under vacuum from the intake manifold. I actually broke that hose when I was blowing into mine, but it was cooked in Florida for 10 years, so brittle af.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/att...1&d=1302596015

Excellent thread here full of information and test procedures. Note that we do not have the vacuum line on our CCV's, but everything else is the same.

And here is Gary's test for too much vacuum that Peter was referencing.

Get to work, son!

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Thanks for that. Helps visualize both the plumbing and the actual issue at hand. To be clear, is that video supposed to show too much vacuum caused by some modification? Or a failing RMS? Because otherwise it shouldn't be sucking in the smoke under normal conditions, right?

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Originally Posted by ZHPizza

Side question: What was the difference between your OE door panels and the ones from the M3? Leather type?

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Originally Posted by YoitsTmac

I've seen both. Yeah it's like leather vs nappa leather

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Yup, leather type (Napa vs. Montana). Otherwise everything should be the same, and appeared so when I swapped my door cards (link to my interior swap DIY). The used M3 door cards I bought came with H&K speakers which I'm not sure were standard on all M3s. I swapped my speakers from my ZHP door cards because the previous owners were a middle-aged couple, so the speakers probably had more life in them than the ones coming from an M3 owned by a 20-something year old mobbin' around with his "squad":

Attachment 30712

#CallingTheKettleBlack

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

I wonder if Gary has done more testing to figure out a good range for proper vacuum. I assume the G.A.S. CCV solution is aimed at that range.

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not sure, but i did ask him about it the first time we talked about his CCV design. he said it does pull more vacuum than the stock CCV... if i remember correctly, something like 8-10inHg. a new, stock CCV pulls anywhere from 3-6inHg (a tired/clogged one will pull close to 0inHg, or worse - produce positive pressure - which equals blown gaskets), and a catch can with a standard PCV valve will be pulling around 15inHg. a HUGE difference.

so, yes, in short - i am very curious to see how gary's CCV performs!

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

Thanks for that. Helps visualize both the plumbing and the actual issue at hand. To be clear, is that video supposed to show too much vacuum caused by some modification? Or a failing RMS? Because otherwise it shouldn't be sucking in the smoke under normal conditions, right?

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that video is showing what a catch can setup without a PCV would be doing - it's connected directly to intake manifold vacuum. introducing a PCV does limit vacuum somewhat, depending on the PCV - but not much.

M/E Wagner makes a super cool adjustable PCV valve, that i REALLY would like to try with my catch can setup. it's $129 though - if it works, it actually would put the catch catch setup on par cost-wise with the G.A.S. setup. and gary's is way cooler than mine! :cheers

Hey, wondering about the wheel and tire package.
What size and composition tire are you running? I like the "meaty" look of it.

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Originally Posted by Tatarin

Hey, wondering about the wheel and tire package.
What size and composition tire are you running? I like the "meaty" look of it.

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They're square Apex Arc8 17x8.5" ET40 wheels in Hyper Black finish, wrapped in 245/40R17 Continental ExtremeContact DW tires.

All of my VCG, VANOS oil seals, and VANOS oil line replacement parts have arrived. Now I just need to read through the Beisan Systems guide a few times to get familiar and a cooler day to work.

Side note: For those of you that use a collapsable sun shade for your windshield, what do you use?

I use the bav auto "ultimate" sunshade or whatever they call it. Works great. I can definitely notice a difference in cabin temps.

https://www.bavauto.com/catalog/prod...hoCW28QAvD_BwE

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Originally Posted by webster

I use the bav auto "ultimate" sunshade or whatever they call it. Works great. I can definitely notice a difference in cabin temps.

https://www.bavauto.com/catalog/prod...hoCW28QAvD_BwE

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I've seen that and considered it. Unfortunately, the problem I'm foreseeing is that the coupe and sedans are slightly different in terms of their windshield (coupe is larger and more raked, I believe) so they require different sunshades or else the sedan version will be too short and fall over in the coupe.

Another option I considered is this, anyone familiar with them? Supposedly it is specifically made for each body type of E46.
http://www.autoanything.com/driving-...0A2051710.aspx

I've been looking at these types since they collapse a lot smaller, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Custom-Access...=sunshade&th=1

I have the Covercraft product for a number of my cars. There are different patterns, ex., with or without rain sensors. Not as compact as the fabric ones you linked to, but they both work well, depending on which style you prefer. I rarely have passengers, so just fold up the UVS100 and have it on the passenger floor.
Search eBay for UVS100 - you'll sometimes catch a bargain there.
https://www.covercraft.com/us/en/pro...FdOCswod7dEBpw

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

I've seen that and considered it. Unfortunately, the problem I'm foreseeing is that the coupe and sedans are slightly different in terms of their windshield (coupe is larger and more raked, I believe) so they require different sunshades or else the sedan version will be too short and fall over in the coupe.

Another option I considered is this, anyone familiar with them? Supposedly it is specifically made for each body type of E46.
http://www.autoanything.com/driving-...0A2051710.aspx

I've been looking at these types since they collapse a lot smaller, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Custom-Access...=sunshade&th=1

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I had a coupe and now a sedan and the sunshade fits both fine.

I've used those flimsy amazon kind and they're rubbish.

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Originally Posted by webster

I had a coupe and now a sedan and the sunshade fits both fine.

I've used those flimsy amazon kind and they're rubbish.

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Interesting the BMW one fits both sedans and coupes. I've heard otherwise from a few people.

My parents have the flimsy ones and they work pretty well, but they bought them locally and I can't find them locally or online.

WRT sunshade. I think I got mine from AutoAnything. Shiny on one side...


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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." - anonymous E46 fanatic

Minor things:

• Washed the car which it badly need.
• Vacuumed and wiped down the interior which I hadn't done since I picked it up from storage in my friend's barn.
• Swapped my BMW all weather mats for my carpeted mats.
• Washed the BMW all weather mats and put away in storage.

Received my Orient Blue Metallic shark fin antenna. It has unused, original adhesive stuck on the bottom which I'd hate to tear away, but I think I have to in order to remove the actual antenna itself which I don't need. Then I need to figure out if I either want to stick it to my car with adhesive of some sort or with rare earth magnets separated by felt to keep it from scratching the paint underneath.

Also purchased a new ECS Tuning aluminum water pump pulley from the classifieds here to replace my original plastic one. Should arrive shortly. EDIT: came in the mail today.

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Originally Posted by ELCID86

WRT sunshade. I think I got mine from AutoAnything. Shiny on one side...

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Great, thanks everyone for the input!

When do you plan on doing the vanos job?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by san

When do you plan on doing the vanos job?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Not sure. Hopefully next week. I have a friend coming into town tomorrow so I have no real time for car maintenance until he leaves.

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Originally Posted by BMWCurves

Not sure. Hopefully next week. I have a friend coming into town tomorrow so I have no real time for car maintenance until he leaves.

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Prioritizing so-called "friends" over the ZHP? Sigh...

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Originally Posted by anandoc

Prioritizing so-called "friends" over the ZHP? Sigh...

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I know. Who needs friends anyways?

Mileage: 56,957

Had some free time today so I decided to replace my factory plastic water pump pulley with an aluminum one from ECS Tuning (ECS Tuning part no. 001977ECS03A, link) that I purchased from Ridgey (link).

The process was pretty straight forward:

1. Remove the three expanding rivets to remove the intake shroud
2. Remove the two electrical connections to the radiator fan on the passenger side of the fan assembly
3. Remove the T25 torx screw on the passenger side of the fan assembly and the expanding rivet on the driver's side of the fan assembly and then remove the whole assembly by pulling up
4. Loosen the four 10mm bolts on the water pump pulley
5. Pop off the dust covers on the two tensioner pulleys, one for each belt.
6. Remove the AC belt by releasing tension on the AC belt via a breaker bar with a T50 torx bit and turning clockwise on the tensioner pulley. Repeat process for the other alternator/water pump belt.
7. Remove the 10mm bolts on the water pump pulley
8. Attempt to remove the water pump pulley but because it's seized to the water pump, slip and bang your hand and curse gods you didn't even know existed.
9. Don't be a wuss and muscle that stupid piece of good-for-nothing plastic water pump pulley off. Giant fuck you, chemical bonds.
10. Compare the old pulley with the new pulley. Cool. They're the same pulley basically (left: old, right: new)
    http://i.imgur.com/ZIuvX6l.jpg
    http://i.imgur.com/SIgSyQb.jpg
11. Put some anti-seize(ure) compound onto the back of the ECS aluminum water pump pulley and put everything back together. Note: water pump pulley bolts call for 10 nM or ~7 ft-lbs of torque. New pulley installed:
    http://i.imgur.com/zMBVFzp.jpg
12. Realize you forgot to put the dust caps back on after you've put the last expanding rivet into the air intake shroud because you've been rocking out to some of Jay-Z's new album
13. Repeat your litany of curses for your own forgetfulness.
14. Remove stuff to put the dust caps back on. Check everything is right this time.
15. Make like Chef Tony and BAM you're done.

Okay. Now onto some questions and then pics for all of you who I didn't bore to death.

• When I installed my GruppeM intake, I never removed the air intake shroud thing. Is there any benefit to keeping it there vs. removing it? The funneled air is aimed sort of at the intake, but its rearward to the cone of the intake so I'm not sure it really does anything other than possibly providing a minor cooling effect to the intake at speed. Thoughts? Shroud installed vs removed:
  http://i.imgur.com/d4lPf8f.jpg
  http://i.imgur.com/fHALkTB.jpg
• I managed to find my lost headlight cover hiding down in the depths of the engine bay. Seems I didn't need to replace it after all :facepalm
  http://i.imgur.com/CjuMvD5.jpg
• I recently purchased a used OEM "shark fin" antenna because I thought it was painted Orient Blue Metallic but upon closer inspection it appears to be Monaco Blue. However, the difference is so slight that it's practically indiscernible. At any rate, I've always liked the look of the shark fin, while I know others do not. I removed the antenna that was inside (I'll save that info for another post) but now I have to figure out how to attach it to the car. There is 3M double sided tape, but I think I'd prefer a less permanent form of attachment such as rare earth magnets (a setup similar to this guy: link). If I go that route, it seems Amazon has some 2x6mm ones for cheap. The question now is what sort of covering or layer of protection from scratching could I use that's thin enough to not make the fin sit up too high? I was contemplating finding some felt from a crafts store, but I'm open to anyone's suggestions.

The car with the fin:
http://i.imgur.com/wyb6KL4.jpg
The car without the fin:
http://i.imgur.com/miqC4jt.jpg
The car with the fin:
http://i.imgur.com/FxOrDQw.jpg
The car without the fin:
http://i.imgur.com/dlW9aGl.jpg

Jimmy Buffet.

I have the ECS Tuning aluminum pulley in my car as well. Its pretty sweet!

I think you should get rid of the air intake shroud thing - it does not seem to have much effect on the Gruppe-M intake. Atleast on my Afe intake, the shroud actually routes into the intake housing so some air is actually getting scooped up and into the intake.

For the shark fin, why dont you use some velcro tapes? Or wait, is it magnetic? If so, just get some really thin felt/velvet tape from Michael's and use that in between the shark fin and the roof metal.

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Originally Posted by ELCID86

Jimmy Buffet.

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https://media.tenor.com/images/967e3...cbf5/tenor.gif

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Originally Posted by anandoc

I have the ECS Tuning aluminum pulley in my car as well. Its pretty sweet!

I think you should get rid of the air intake shroud thing - it does not seem to have much effect on the Gruppe-M intake. Atleast on my Afe intake, the shroud actually routes into the intake housing so some air is actually getting scooped up and into the intake.

For the shark fin, why dont you use some velcro tapes? Or wait, is it magnetic? If so, just get some really thin felt/velvet tape from Michael's and use that in between the shark fin and the roof metal.

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I'd rather not tape anything to my car, I think I'm going to try out the magnets first.

Just make sure the magnet is strong as hell. If it's loose enough to move with a finger, you'll get dirt underneath there and when the fin shifts, it'll grind that dirt against the paint. At least if it's a super strong magnet (that requires some force to remove) you won't have to worry about it.

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Originally Posted by az3579

Just make sure the magnet is strong as hell. If it's loose enough to move with a finger, you'll get dirt underneath there and when the fin shifts, it'll grind that dirt against the paint. At least if it's a super strong magnet (that requires some force to remove) you won't have to worry about it.

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That's what I was thinking. I'm going with some rare earth magnets, hopefully they'll do the trick.

Mileage: 58,508 miles

Car is still slowly leaking oil that I attribute to the failing VCG. I really should get around to it and the VANOS, I've just been lazy as hell.

I also finally got around to installing PA Soft on my father's decade old IBM X60 since the laptop that used to have PA Soft was my 13 year old IBM X40 from high school kicked the bucket. I coded out my cold check for the front turn signal bulbs since they the LEDs I bought from Nate (Link) and they would sometimes flicker on start up. No longer (I think)!

Some quick questions for you folks. I cleared codes but these seemed to be persistent. Anyone know what they may be?

SRS
https://i.imgur.com/jr3lrwn.png

IKE
https://i.imgur.com/k7oyqIm.png

ABS
https://i.imgur.com/iIg6V8q.png

EDIT: some shitty phone pics from a nice fall drive yesterday:

https://i.imgur.com/alP4mfa.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/nIjeN1C.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/KnLDMtI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/TM8zZ1S.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/srFWKbJ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/7Wltl8v.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/jr6mnuY.jpg

Mileage: 58,552 miles

This weekend I tackled my leaking valve cover gasket (VCG) and while I was in there I replaced my VANOS seals and VANOS oil line. The repair itself wasn't particularly difficult, but it was time consuming as I took my time and ran into a few hiccups. I used the following guides and videos to assist in the VCG and VANOS:

Valve cover gasket:

• http://www.beisansystems.com/procedu..._procedure.htm
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR_krqKVAAo
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWgMrJcww_Y

VANOS seals:

• http://www.beisansystems.com/procedu..._procedure.htm
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eUVF6OLFFg
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2-tsoSONf4

VANOS oil line:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JauxplR_iKc

Parts purchased (part number, brand):

• VANOS seals repair kit (#BS001, Beisan Systems)
• VANOS gasket (11361433817, BMW)
• Valve cover gasket kit from FCP Euro (11120030496KT, elring [OEM]) - includes the valve cover gasket (11120030496), valve cover gasket gromet (11121437395, x15), valve cover washer (11127838077, 15x), and valve cover oil fill gasket ring
• VANOS unit fit bolt (11361748745, BMW) - unused
• VANOS oil line (11361705532, Rein [OEM]) - includes four crush washers.
• RTV silicone gasket maker (82194, Permatex)

Comments/pictures :
Getting the car backed up and ready for repairs. The garage does not have great lighting inside so I make do with sunlight for most things.

https://i.imgur.com/MUxleTn.jpg

I managed to snap two of the tabs on the plastic engine caps (11121726089), so I'll need to replace those.

The first issue I encountered was that the VCG would not budge from the engine head. It would not budge. I then quickly discovered that the putty knife was nowhere to be found, so I had to make a quick run to the hardware store to get one so I could separate the gasket from the head. It was a tough battle, and I realized why: once I got the gasket off, the gasket's rubber had fused with the metal. The VCG's rubber was incredibly brittle and left hardened chunks all over the place (see next picture). I fished around and found some pieces of the VCG that had snapped off and fallen into the area below the spark plug holes the cams.

https://i.imgur.com/RRSMrOg.jpg

I ended up using a shop vac jerry rigged with some narrow caliber tubing to see if I could suck up any plastic lost to where my fingers couldn't go. I didn't pick up any bits with the vacuum, but I think the engine will be fine. My only fear is that some chunk will clog up an oil return hole somewhere, so fingers crossed that doesn't happen.

To clean up the head I gently used a combination of my putty knife, trim removal tools, my fingernails, microfiber towels, and brake cleaner to get most of the old VCG off of the head. It was tedious work to say the least and took up a significant amount of time.

Once I had that cleaned up I removed the VANOS unit which wasn't too bad. I had purchased a spare "VANOS unit fit bolt," (the one that is counter threaded) because the Beisan guide said it was easy to strip, but I had no problems there. I placed down a lot of plastic bags and towels over my belts and basically anything below the VANOS unit, so no oil spilled on that area.

Once the VANOS was out I set about replacing the seals.

https://i.imgur.com/S5hG04u.jpg

Once I the VANOS unit disassembled, it was apparent that my seals were in need of replacement. There was significant play between both the piston and the VANOS unit intake/exhaust cylinders and the piston and the VANOS cover cylinders. I removed the old seals, taking care not to nick the piston with the knife which was not an easy task, especially for the second underlying o-ring. It was cold out so I had to heat up the outer teflon rings in some warm water before installing them. I found the smaller teflon rings more difficult to install without messing up the shape compared to the larger rings, but they were compressed to their proper shape via Beisan's fitting procedure.

One annoying aspect was that Beisan listed several additional parts you might consider replacing when performing the VANOS seals replacement, but did not list the VANOS cover gaskets, the ones that go between the VANOS unit and the intake/exhaust VANOS covers. I'm not sure they have individual part numbers or not, but other replacement kits (e.g. this kit from Amazon) do include those gaskets. I had to make do with reusing my old ones.

Reassembly and reinstallation of the VANOS was easy enough. I cleaned up the unit and the mating surfaces as best I could with brake cleaner and some towels. Next I replaced the VANOS oil line that looked to be in perfectly good shape but I was advised to do it while I was in there. It was simple enough to do, just there was no room to torque it down to spec so I just went by what felt right, plus there were crush washers on both sides of the banjo bolt so I felt safe giving it some love.

https://i.imgur.com/zkutRcc.jpg

I removed the old VCG (so brittle!) from the valve cover, cleaned up the valve cover a bit, and installed the new VCG (so bendy!). I placed a small layer of RTV sealant (linked above) where the VANOS met the head and on all the corners of the half moon areas of the head, front and rear, and let it cure for a few minutes. Next I reinstalled the valve cover, taking time to torque down the bolts in a cross-star sort of pattern, using new rubber grommets and washers in the process.

The rest was just reassembly.

IMPRESSION:
The break in period is approximately 200 miles, but even with my short drive this evening the engine was much smoother when it first started up/was cold (my car would sometimes bog down or judder when it's really cold and at low RPM), and had noticeably increased low-end torque. It's not like I have suddenly 30 ft-lbs more torque, but enough to be noticeable. I had to drive my father's ZHP down to the hardware store for the putty knife, and I noticed that his car had more low-end torque than mine. Now my car feels like it has the same, if not more low-end torque than his car.

EDIT: After ~40 miles since the replacement I have noticed that I have to use less throttle input to get the car going, which I attribute to more low-end torque. The car was also approximately have a quart low on oil, which I topped off.

So overall, I needed to replace the VCG because it was leaking, but I am very pleased with the VANOS seals replacement so far.

Seemed like a lot of work. Must be glad to be done with it. My car with 167k miles is so down on low end torque that is almost embarrassing when I see other cars pull away from me at a stop light. I should get this done on my car ASAP but I’ve been saying that for about a year now. I should’ve replaced the vanos line too when I replaced the ofhg but I didn’t :facepalm


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Great write up William, Thanks for including all the links and part numbers.

nice work, william! it feels good to knock out repairs like that - and as you can see, even though your car has crazy low miles, age still takes its' toll on rubber bits.

what kind of light do you have in the garage? are there any standard bulb sockets? i saw this sweet 3x LED light thing for a standard bulb socket in the latest BAVauto catalog... might be a good idea for an older garage (i would have bought them if i didn't already install 5 x twin-T8 flourescent fixtures ;)).

Nicely done!