Just thought I would drop a few lines in case it might be useful to somebody.
Two years ago I bought a couple of Febi Bilstein Vanos solenoids as a preventative measure to be fitted at the same time as a new water pump and thermostat.
The day after fitting them, the car started sounding like a bag of spanners, so we limped back to the mechanic who reinstalled the original Vanos units and normal service was resumed. At the time, I was not aware that replacing the solenoids was anything other than "plug and play" and I don't know for sure whether my mechanic thought the same as well and so just swapped the old for the new.
Anyway, fast forward to a month or so ago and the the Zed was starting to feel more sluggish than usual almost by the day, and after struggling to make it up a particularly steep hill, I plugged the Creator 310 into the OBD2 and it pulled up codes for a faulty Vanos (exhaust) solenoid.
This time round I took no chances and ordered two genuine BMW Vanos solenoids from Sytner of Shrewsbury and did a bit of on line research.
A video on YouTube by BMW Doctor on refitting Vanos solenoids seemed well explained so I made a few notes based on the video ahead of fitting them:
BMW Vanos Solenoids Replacement and Coding:
The fault code on the DME needs to be cleared after fitting new solenoids.
Using the scan tool:
Go to Diagnose > Health Report to see if there are any fault codes for the Vanos solenoids
Clear the fault codes.
Go to Special Function > Drive > Delete Engine Adaption Values
Choose either F1 or F2.
F1: Reset Adaption Values and Versions (Encoding) BMW Doctor usually uses this one
F2: Reset Adaption Values
F3: Reset Learned Versions
F4: Termination
Switch off the engine and let the car go to sleep.
To calibrate the Valvetronic motor go to:
Drive > Learning Valvetronic Limit Positions.
Without this the car’s revs will not maintain steadiness. You should hear the Valvetronic motor making it’s adjustments.
I think BMW Doctor also recommends to update the DME software if you have a "silver top" engine, which mine hasn't.
Anyway, the end result is that the Zed is transformed after the refit. The BMW solenoids were expensive at £150 each but fitting them was £60 (including Lanoguard-ing underneath the car as well).
The car is a lot more responsive now and reminds me of my old Eunos 1800. A bit more like a go kart than a barge.
So, for anyone who is thinking of doing the same, maybe be aware that there are additional steps to take as well as replacing the solenoids themselves.
And before anyone advises me to ditch my mechanic (again) - I will not
.
Cheers.
Two years ago I bought a couple of Febi Bilstein Vanos solenoids as a preventative measure to be fitted at the same time as a new water pump and thermostat.
The day after fitting them, the car started sounding like a bag of spanners, so we limped back to the mechanic who reinstalled the original Vanos units and normal service was resumed. At the time, I was not aware that replacing the solenoids was anything other than "plug and play" and I don't know for sure whether my mechanic thought the same as well and so just swapped the old for the new.
Anyway, fast forward to a month or so ago and the the Zed was starting to feel more sluggish than usual almost by the day, and after struggling to make it up a particularly steep hill, I plugged the Creator 310 into the OBD2 and it pulled up codes for a faulty Vanos (exhaust) solenoid.
This time round I took no chances and ordered two genuine BMW Vanos solenoids from Sytner of Shrewsbury and did a bit of on line research.
A video on YouTube by BMW Doctor on refitting Vanos solenoids seemed well explained so I made a few notes based on the video ahead of fitting them:
BMW Vanos Solenoids Replacement and Coding:
The fault code on the DME needs to be cleared after fitting new solenoids.
Using the scan tool:
Go to Diagnose > Health Report to see if there are any fault codes for the Vanos solenoids
Clear the fault codes.
Go to Special Function > Drive > Delete Engine Adaption Values
Choose either F1 or F2.
F1: Reset Adaption Values and Versions (Encoding) BMW Doctor usually uses this one
F2: Reset Adaption Values
F3: Reset Learned Versions
F4: Termination
Switch off the engine and let the car go to sleep.
To calibrate the Valvetronic motor go to:
Drive > Learning Valvetronic Limit Positions.
Without this the car’s revs will not maintain steadiness. You should hear the Valvetronic motor making it’s adjustments.
I think BMW Doctor also recommends to update the DME software if you have a "silver top" engine, which mine hasn't.
Anyway, the end result is that the Zed is transformed after the refit. The BMW solenoids were expensive at £150 each but fitting them was £60 (including Lanoguard-ing underneath the car as well).
The car is a lot more responsive now and reminds me of my old Eunos 1800. A bit more like a go kart than a barge.
So, for anyone who is thinking of doing the same, maybe be aware that there are additional steps to take as well as replacing the solenoids themselves.
And before anyone advises me to ditch my mechanic (again) - I will not
.Cheers.