Z4M Vanos

[GuidoK]

but did that guy's engine survive?

yes

I'm not sure but I think pre 2007 z4m s54 used a different kind of bolt, it was superseded with a torx head style, obviosuly I can't tell from that phot which type those are.

The parts catalog says indeed there are a few types used (the part has predecessors). But I think they were all torx bolts fitted in the z4m and that only the m3 recieved allen heads.
The only thing I can see is that the previous type was 2mm shorter. It's not really clear if any were fitted in the z4m; the latest version was used from 4-2006 upwards according to the parts catalog, but old stock might have been present.
BTW the snapping of the bolts is I think not an part issue, but probably more a fitting issue.
I can't find the exact procedure of fitting those bolts in TIS. Beisan etc specifically says to thoroughly clean with brake cleaner and apply locktite.
That might be different from factory.
The bolts wear because they come loose and the hub they hold in place starts to rattle against the side of the bolts, slowly eating its way through them.

[sharif]

Morning all,

Just thought I'd update this.

I emailed CPCPE 3 times and followed each email with a call and never heard back from them.

Redish were very helpful on the phone but they had a long wait list.

Hack Engineering advised they would need the car for a few days and that ruled them out for me (all other companies I contacted could complete the works within a day).

Most of the companies I spoke with advised the timing chain would not need to be done at this mileage (79k) so I won't be getting this done imminently.

I ended up booking the car in with Everything M3's for the end of the month. Darragh is an ex F1 mechanic and from my conversations with him, I know the car will be in good hands!

I'll update this once the works have been completed with my thoughts.

[sharif]

Evening all,

Just thought I'd update this as I had the work completed by Everything M3's on Saturday.

I had a great experience with them and would highly recommend them.

I dropped the car off at 9am and shortly after Darragh sent me a video of the car and also pointed out that my CPV and diff seal were leaking (which he subsequently replaced).

The vanos overhaul consisted of the following:

- Beisan seals kit
- Beisan anti-rattle kit
- Beisan sealing plate kit
- Beisan upper chain guide rail
- Updated cam bolts
- Updated hub springs
- Rebuilt solenoid
- New gaskets

In addition to the above, Darragh also replaced my pre cat Lambda sensors and retro fitted cruise control.

My initial impression from getting the car back is that the car feels so much better to drive and the power delivery has improved massively - it feels like the car pulls alot harder.

Whilst I was not experiencing any of the symptoms that my Vanos was on its way out, I am glad I got the work carried out.

[MichaelK]

This thread made interesting reading for me. I get a strange noise from my z4m recently.
If I accelerate to 3.5k revs as I let off to change gear theres a quiet vibration kind of noise. I'm now wondering if this is vanos related, especially with the car being on 103k miles.

[Stu Boy]

I had a rattle on my car, If you were around 3k rpm and just feathering the throttle it was quite obvious, if you rolled off or accelerated it would disappear. So I had my vanos overhauled, new seals, modified oil pump disc (holes are slightly smaller) cam chain guide and some other parts all replaced when I had my Insp 1 service last year. It’s now super smooth and the rattle is gone. I think if you end up breaking the drive tabs for the oil pump disc that is quite an expensive part to replace so probably worth doing as preventative maintenance before it breaks. All this was carried out by ETA Motorsport just up the road from Brands Hatch, they certainly know the S54 engine and I would definitely recommend them.

[MichaelK]

If you all dont mind me asking, how much is it these days to have the vanos refreshed? I've had one done in past but that was about 7 years ago on a m3 I owned at the time.

[Stu Boy]

If you all dont mind me asking, how much is it these days to have the vanos refreshed? I've had one done in past but that was about 7 years ago on a m3 I owned at the time.

From memory £1380, this was a full vanos overhaul and inspection 1. BMW outrageously wanted £1300 just for the Insp 1