The story so far - or how not to go touring in a Z3

[Jon Jeffryes]

Good luck with it all Jon, if I can be of any help just shout.

Tony.

Thanks Tony,

I've just ordered a PCV kit to c hange...just thw double vanos kit to go and that should be all before I start on the bodywork which has collected it's fair share of 'Tesco' trolley rash.

Regards

Jon

 

[Brian H]

Hi @Jon Jeffryes, I'm curious that you feel the need to repair your vanos? do you have any symptoms that lead you to think it needs the seals replacing?

I know the single vanos on the ///M cars suffer from bad seals and growling gears but have not heard of the double vanos on the M54 engine suffering, any info would be appreciated.

Brian

 

[Jon Jeffryes]

Hi @Jon Jeffryes, I'm curious that you feel the need to repair your vanos? do you have any symptoms that lead you to think it needs the seals replacing?

I know the single vanos on the ///M cars suffer from bad seals and growling gears but have not heard of the double vanos on the M54 engine suffering, any info would be appreciated.

Brian

Hi Brian,

Since I bought the car, I've always felt that it was a little underpowered and I have a rattle that starts at 2750 revs through to 3500 revs - sounds a bit like pinking but it is a rattle - that sounds like it is coming from the front of the engine under load. Reading up on the websites - about 75k miles is normal for the Vanos unit to need a rebuild.

I spoke to a local BMW indie today who also suggested that the Double Vanos suffers the same as the single as they used the same seal material which is not robust enough to last the life of the engine....just the life of BMW's warranty!

I might be wrong, but having changed the cam sensors, thermostat, plugs, oil, filters and just about to change the Ocv system, I may as well carry on and do the Vanos whilst I am there.

regards

Jon

 

[andyglym]

Hi Brian,

Since I bought the car, I've always felt that it was a little underpowered and I have a rattle that starts at 2750 revs through to 3500 revs - sounds a bit like pinking but it is a rattle - that sounds like it is coming from the front of the engine under load. Reading up on the websites - about 75k miles is normal for the Vanos unit to need a rebuild.

I spoke to a local BMW indie today who also suggested that the Double Vanos suffers the same as the single as they used the same seal material which is not robust enough to last the life of the engine....just the life of BMW's warranty!

I might be wrong, but having changed the cam sensors, thermostat, plugs, oil, filters and just about to change the Ocv system, I may as well carry on and do the Vanos whilst I am there.

regards

Jon

@Jon Jeffryes heard a lot about the "vanos", what is it mate and what does it do please? My 97 (built) 2.8 has 71k miles on it, runs sweet with no rattles or out of the ordinary sounds, should I get mine looked at? Not sure what it looks like or where it is. Any info would be most appreciated.

Many thanks

Andy

 

[Jon Jeffryes]

Hi Andy,

I'm relatively new here and certainly new to the Z3. I bought mine about a month ago so there will be many on here that are much better qualified and will hopefully correct any mistakes I make.

My car, a 2.2 sport has a double vanos unit, ie. it varies the both the inlet and exhaust cam timing to improve engine performance. I've had similar systems on other sports orientated cars from Alfa's through to Jaguars so I guess it's a well tried system.

The problem as I understand with the BMW system, is it relies on a set of internal seals to maintain the internal oil pressure which harden over time, causing the pressure to drop units to misbehave. They also begin to rattle apparently...I guess due to increased tolerances caused by the seal problems but I'm sure someone will correct me if this is wrong.

The issues I have are a slightly stunted performance and a rattle as described above. My car had sat for a long time before I bought it which is a sure way of killing components hence the need for multiple sensor changes and ultimately the problem with the Vanos unit.

If your car is quiet and running well, I'd apply the commons sense theory I learnt from a seasoned engineer as a young apprentice, many years ago....close the bonnet, walk away and just enjoy the bloody thing ;-)

atvb

Jon

 

[andyglym]

Hi Andy,

I'm relatively new here and certainly new to the Z3. I bought mine about a month ago so there will be many on here that are much better qualified and will hopefully correct any mistakes I make.

My car, a 2.2 sport has a double vanos unit, ie. it varies the both the inlet and exhaust cam timing to improve engine performance. I've had similar systems on other sports orientated cars from Alfa's through to Jaguars so I guess it's a well tried system.

The problem as I understand with the BMW system, is it relies on a set of internal seals to maintain the internal oil pressure which harden over time, causing the pressure to drop units to misbehave. They also begin to rattle apparently...I guess due to increased tolerances caused by the seal problems but I'm sure someone will correct me if this is wrong.

The issues I have are a slightly stunted performance and a rattle as described above. My car had sat for a long time before I bought it which is a sure way of killing components hence the need for multiple sensor changes and ultimately the problem with the Vanos unit.

If your car is quiet and running well, I'd apply the commons sense theory I learnt from a seasoned engineer as a young apprentice, many years ago....close the bonnet, walk away and just enjoy the bloody thing ;-)

atvb

Jon

Spot on info and many thanks Jon. Not a mechanic type so wouldn't consider doing it myself as it looks complex.

Many thanks for the reply.

Andy

 

[t-tony]

When the double vanos is quiet, it's very quiet eh Roy?

Tony.

 

[Jon Jeffryes]

Tony, I think the noise I get at 2750 - 3500 revs under-load is coming from the front of the engine..there is a definite rattle I can hear when driving in lower gears (and at lower speed)....the performance isn't as sharp as I would expect so I'm guessing Vanos...what do ypu think?

Thanks

Jon

 

[t-tony]

Firstly I would do an oil flush and new oil and filter (unless you know the recent oil history) and see if this improves things even if temporarily. Other than that go with your gut feeling, it's usually the right one.

Tony.

 

[Jon Jeffryes]

Firstly I would do an oil flush and new oil and filter (unless you know the recent oil history) and see if this improves things even if temporarily. Other than that go with your gut feeling, it's usually the right one.

Tony.

Already tried oil and filter (previous oil change was less than 1000 miles previous but the car had sat for some time) so it's a Vanos rebuild I guess.

 

[t-tony]

Unless a BMW specialist tells you otherwise, for your peace of mind Jon.

Tony.

 

[Jon Jeffryes]

Unless a BMW specialist tells you otherwise, for your peace of mind Jon.

Tony.

Well, I have worked out the cost at around £100 if I do the work myself....so worth the investment in time (about 5 and 7 hours) and money for peace of mind I think Tony.

 

[Brian H]

Great little write up here of the vamps seal overhaul process.

http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures/vanos_procedure.htm

 

[Jon Jeffryes]

Thanks Brian,

This is really useful....to bring things up to date. The PCV kit has arrived and I had scheduled to fit it today....However, I had to deal with squeaking rear brakes first. I had changed the rear discs/pads just after returned from Germany but I've had a random but worsening squeak that has been distracting me.

I bought a new tube of Mintex Ceratec anti-squeal paste plus, as I was pulling the brakes apart again, a set of handbrake shoes and a new fixture kit. Stripping out the brakes was easy as they had been apart recently, replacing the shoes was an absolute pita! Lining up the shoes /springs/adjusters/locating pins took more than a little time and patience....most of the afternoon in fact.

The good news is after fitting, adjusting the shoes, adjusting the handbrake cable and refitting the discs/pads using the Ceratec grease...the brakes are now quiet and perform as BMW intended and the handbrake is much more efficient. All in all and worthwhile activity.

The next stage will be to fit the PCV kit over the next couple of evenings. Once that has been completed and tested it's on to the Vanos unit...a lot of activity but having taking the car to the Blackforest once in July..we enjoyed it so much we are off again in September for another adventure....this is what z3 ownership does to sane people

 

[Rob-with-Rosie]

Yet another good story about a zed winning the heart of the unsuspecting owner. That's exactly what happened with me...'Rosie' was bought to see how I would get on with a roadster prior to spending out on a new one...don't want the new car now - more than happy with Rosie!!

 

[Jon Jeffryes]

Yet another good story about a zed winning the heart of the unsuspecting owner. That's exactly what happened with me...'Rosie' was bought to see how I would get on with a roadster prior to spending out on a new one...don't want the new car now - more than happy with Rosie!!

Hi Rob-with-Rosie, I'm Jon with Cecil.....funny how we end up naming our cars - well my wife named the Zed in memory of Cecil the lion.

I had also planned to buy newer...actually a Boxster was on the list, but after a few weeks with the Z3 it's staying

 

[Jon Jeffryes]

Busy Sunday - new Disa upgrade kit fitted with metal blade and cam replacing the (worn) plastic originals. Also replaced the PCV system - the old tubing and valve fell apart on removal! Additionally the oil dipstick tube junction was pretty well gunged up with a thick oily gloop.

I've also replaced the rubber blanking plugs on the intake manifold that were cracked and allowing unmetered air into the engine. All cleaned up and reassembled, the car seems to run smoother with more power and torque....I'm hoping that this is actual rather than auto-suggestion.

The total work time was about 6 hours total (including coffee breaks) and whilst fiddly...the job is not too bad if you are fairly confident with a set of spanners and reasonably patient.

The one remaining question is will the oil consumption improve? I am reading lots on the internet with regard to the 2.2 oil consumption. My car had sat for about a year prior to my purchase and the first 1000 miles saw about 300 mpl consumption. 5000 miles and nearly two moths on I am averaging closer to 800 mpl over mixed driving which is prior to changing the PCV...hopefully I will see an improvement. Most of the issue seems to be at higher revs so it may be a case of gummed up oil control rings although there is no visible smoke from the exhaust or noticeable leakage...the oil is going somewhere strange with only 75k miles and a full service history.


The twin Vanos rebuild kit has also arrived so this is the next job - hopefully this weekend as we are off to Europe again soon. I will also change the engine oil/filter possibly going up a grade to a slightly heavier oil as some of the sages on the web have suggested. Also I will change the gearbox oil which completes the full fluid change on the car in my ownership...peace of mind is worth the investment.

...oh and i now have the seat blocks to repair the rocking drivers seat.......so hopefully the title can change to 'how to go touring' for our second Schwarzwald trip in September!

Jon

 

[Jon Jeffryes]

Great little write up here of the vamps seal overhaul process.

http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures/vanos_procedure.htm

Excellent...I'll be following this for my own overhaul next week!

 

[GazHyde]

Jon, I'd be interested to know if your oil consumption improves. I think I may have the same issue with the CCV being gunged up, and we ran an engine flush through mine just before the oil change a few weeks back. Annoyingly I can't drive mine much at the moment until the clutch is changed, so can't tell you if that has helped quite yet!

Great work on getting your car prepped for the next jaunt

 

[Jon Jeffryes]

Hi Gaz,

I will monitor the oil consumption closely and report back. I will put an engine flush through before changing the oil and filter and rebuilding the Vanos. The consumption ramps up when using the performance or running at European motorway speeds...i.e. above 3500 rpm. I should have a direct comparison with the pre-attention trip in July as I will be using the same route and similar usage planned once I am back in Germany.

However as the car had been used mainly for shorter trips and then had stood for some time before my purchase, I still expect that the oil control rings are possibly coked up. I'm not sure what; other than a rebuild; I can do if this turns out to be the case. Possibly pulling the plugs and filling the cylinders with a mix of diesel and paraffin for a couple of days before the engine flush/oil change may help soften up any deposits...something I will try.

Any other suggestions or advice will be gladly accepted.

Jon