Vanos rebuild - First job to do?

J

JayUK

Member
 Cardiff
Hi all,
New owner of a 2004 Z4 2.2 160,000 miles on her.
First of many questions on here I'm sure :oops:

Been looking through the forums and so far I can see 3 things that will need to get sorted.
Roof Motor reposition, DISA rebuild & Vanos rebuild.

Out of these, I'm guessing the Vanos rebuild is the first to do?
The symptoms are something I recognise, lack of low end power and then a surge after around 3000rpm

Despite all the guides saying it's an easy DIY, I have no tools and no confidence in doing that!
So I'll likely find a BMW independent near Cardiff to do that, unless anyone local fancies doing it? :thumbsup:

Would it be worth getting DISA done as well at the same time?
 
Hi mate

Others will chip in I’m sure

DISA first if that fails it will do damage- not difficult at all

Hood motor is less urgent but still essential-

Vanos is the best performance thing you can do especially if you are on 160k- how is your diy mechanics? I did it on the driveway and it was good fun to do- and the improvement is night and day

Happy to help
 
bigwinn said:
Vanos is the best performance thing you can do especially if you are on 160k- how is your diy mechanics? I did it on the driveway and it was good fun to do- and the improvement is night and day
Click to expand...

:rofl: laughable, and no tools either really.
I've seen mention of standard tools, but I'm the only standard tool available! :D

Maybe I should have a go, but don't want to make it worse then spend more repairing!
 
Plenty of folk on here have already done the vanos so plenty of help- and write ups a plenty

Plus all the usual resources like YouTube were a massive help in planning doing it
 
I'm in Cardiff.
Will have a look at some of the guides, see what's needed.
The wife isn't happy with me thinking of tinkering with 'her' fun car 😂
 
Tell her it will make a huge difference! If my missus could spot it anyone could!

Seriously it’s doable on the drive with the basic tools- do your research and ask for opinions

Get your DISA checked tho!
 
I agree it is a basic spannering job in the main to do the Vanos. A couple of fiddly bits but they come down to patience.
However, if you have zero mechanical experience you will not be starting with any confidence and with some jobs its more about being comfortable with wielding the tools.
If the car is ok to be laid up for a couple of weeks then I would say have a go.
However, it will still run ok without the Vanos being done for a while so maybe you'd be better to leave that until we're out of lockdown?
Then you can find out if there's anyone local who could help? Either get them to do it while you watch and learn, or if they're willing, you start it, record each step and if you get stuck, call them to help.
In the meantime though, the DISA is pretty straightforward. It is the thing that could knacker your engine if it fails. So I'd suggest get hold of an overhaul kit (X8R was the one I used), watch the demo videos on youtube, speak to some of us who have done it and see how it goes.
If nothing else, doing that successfully will build your confidence in your abilities.
 
I would agree with enuff_zed regarding the DISA. Have a crack at that, its super straightforward and will give you the confidence to do other things... like the Vanos. Which is not necessarily more complicated, just will be more time consuming :thumbsup:
 
Looked at the X8R DISA rebuild video.
I'm pretty sure I can unclip & unscrew from the engine and then rebuild the flap etc, so that will likely be the first thing to do.
Will have a look at the Vanos videos as well.

Thanks all :)
 
Just worth emphasising that you have to be careful with the DISA when removing. If the pin is loose it could be very detrimental to an engine.
 
Mine only had 52K on it when I got it so I decided to do a DISA rebuild too. When I took the DISA out I found that it had already been replaced with a non-BMW DISA. My rebuild kit was from German Auto Solutions (GAS) here in the states. Anyway I called GAS and he siad the rebuild kit would not work on the aftermarket part (it was a Viaco brand) GAS told me that the aftermarket DISAs were less reliable than the BMW part. I ended up buying and installing a new BMW DISA. I kept the rebuild kit but I don't plan on a rebuild for some time as the BMW part should last a good while.

Just telling you my story so if you find the one you remove is not an original BMW part...you may not be able to rebuild it.
 
I've got that covered... if you need one OP I can sell you my spare for £10. I bought it by mistake (fits 2.2 and 2.5 models).
 
kis said:
I've got that covered... if you need one OP I can sell you my spare for £10. I bought it by mistake (fits 2.2 and 2.5 models).
Click to expand...
Thanks Kis, a spare what? :)

Just to add to the fun of Z4 ownership, I have the christmas tree lights and speedo not working in the terrible rain we had recently.
Haven't driven her since, so just hoping it'll go away and then look at the speed sensor next time I get it worked on
 
JayUK said:
kis said:
I've got that covered... if you need one OP I can sell you my spare for £10. I bought it by mistake (fits 2.2 and 2.5 models).
Click to expand...
Thanks Kis, a spare what? :)

Just to add to the fun of Z4 ownership, I have the christmas tree lights and speedo not working in the terrible rain we had recently.
Haven't driven her since, so just hoping it'll go away and then look at the speed sensor next time I get it worked on
Click to expand...

A spare DISA unit mate Old-Duckman previously mentioned:

"When I took the DISA out I found that it had already been replaced with a non-BMW DISA... aftermarket DISAs were less reliable than the BMW part. I ended up buying and installing a new BMW DISA."
 
Ahh ok, got you. Think my brain has run out with too much week left. Thank you
So I could just slot that in and not worry about the repair option, might be an idea!

Providing she behaves after the rain. Though I guess a speed sensor replacement / clean is probably the way to go at the moment
 
Tackle it bit by bit, I've often heard that if you try overhaul it with several things, it can be hard to troubleshoot if then you run into issues... i.e. you changed so much and you're not sure what actually worked/made a difference. I hope that helps and makes sense!

It may help to create a list of priorities and then worth through them. IMO DISA and VANOS should be at near the bottom of those lists, theres many other things which should take preference. You said it's been pretty well looked after with documentation, so I'd check it's had the basic maintenance, oil, coolant, brakes, basically all fluids. If you can't see history of them (typically coolant, brakefluid) then get them done. Including overlooked gearbox and differential oil changes/flushes, with the mileage I think the car has had (150k+), it could do with doing (assuming it has never been done).

Then you can move onto wear items such as belts, spark plugs, tyres, wipers, etc.

Then you can start thinking about DISA, VANOS, roof motor relocations, etc. I say this because so long as you're DISA is working, you won't run into any problems. If it's broken obviously it'll jump up your priority list. The VANOS and roof can really be left till much later down the line. A bad VANOS won't give you mechanical problems... the roof motor will be fine as long as you keep on top of clearing the drains (I'd remove the rubber grommets) to make it more free flowing. If its currently working then it will still work provided the drains are kept clear...

:thumbsup:
 
I would agree with all that [ref]kis[/ref] has said. However, given how easy it is to remove the DISA and check it, why not do that? At least then you'll know whether it's about to fall apart, or even better, been modded already.
 
Thanks both, I'll have a look at the DISA and see what state it's in.
Kis, happy to take a spare unit if you're looking to get rid of it, at least I have a unit to play with then either as a straight replacement or using the upgrade kit on it.
It's had an engine & gearbox oil change, next up is like the wheel speed sensor to investigate. Then get all the other fluids changed
Will take a look at the roof motor as well, and try to see if that needs help draining
 
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