After seeing the concern regarding these bolts, I decided to change these bolts for peace of mind. I have experience working on various cars but I would have to say, this is the deepest in the engine I've gone...and I loved it. I have done differential swaps, clutch jobs, turbo kit installs and a timing belt on a NON interference Mazda. It was a little scary playing with the timing on a 8k+ motor and at one point I got a sick feeling to my stomach and wished I hadn’t even messed with it. But I had a friend who is very experienced with BMWs helping me out and I completely trusted his judgment & skill. I also did tons of research on how to perform this task before attempting it as well. It took us approximately 4.5 hours start to finish with a fifa game in the middle.
My car is a 2007 Z4M Coupe with a production date of 12/2006 and had 22,272 miles when I performed this procedure. I purchased my car at the beginning of April and didn’t notice any “marble in the can” sound or an enormous amount of engine rattle but after performing this, my engine sounds a lot smoother. This may just be in my head but I really think it is smoother. I also feel more confident in the strength of my engine. My bolts weren't finger loose and there wasn't any damage to them and they seemed to be torqued to spec when I removed them. When I got down to them, I expected to see hex bolts but mine were torx and looked exactly like the new bolts I was replacing them with. I replaced all 12 anyways with loctite and torqued them to spec, maybe a little more. I buttoned her back up and hand cranked the engine a few times to ensure there wouldn't be a piston valve collision.
Do not attempt this if you are not experienced in working with engines. Do this at your own risk. I assume no responsibility for your actions and cannot be held accountable for any damage you do. This is for informational purposes only. Also, I created this post from my experience and research I had done online. I am not trying to steal anyone’s information and take credit for it. I am just contributing so that others may be informed.
I used the following guides/ information:
- Excessive’s DIY on M3 Forum: Great guide which helped out enormously while researching this and while actually performing the “repair”. Excessive has done the community a great service. Also the other posters in the thread provided helpful pictures and information.
http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=321494
- A bunch of TIS including the TIS on DrVanos website
http://www.drvanos.com/docs/e46m3install.pdf
- Alchemist753’s DIY Replace VANOS Solenoid Pack on M3 Forum: Since I was tearing it apart, I decided to throw a new gasket and filter in here.
http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=292233
I purchased the following parts:
- 1 Vanos Gasket 11367831938
- 1 Vanos Solenoid Gasket 11367831906
- 1 Vanos Filter 11361401971
- 12 Bolts to replace 07129905536 (Part number 07119919965 was superseded by part number 07129905536.)
- 2 copper vanos gasket rings 07119963072
- Hi temp gasket sealant
- Blue Loctite
I used the following tools:
- BMW Special Tool 12 6 050 & 12 6 411 from special tool kit 12 6 410
- Flywheel Lock (You need the shorter one. The one we had was too long and we ended up using this Torx Bit that looks like this but longer
http://www.ukfixingsdirect.com/cdata...72_1167359.jpg and you attach a 10 mm to.)
- T25, T30 Torx
- 5mm Hex socket
- Various Metric sockets & open ends (most notably 7mm & 24mm)
- Torque Wrench
- Sharpie
- Other various tools (Needle nose Pliers, socket extensions, screwdrivers, beer, hammer, chainsaw, etc..)
First thing I did was remove the shroud at the front of the bay that covers the radiator and fan. On the Z4Ms, we have an electric fan which makes it a bit easier to remove. Bad part is, behind the fan, we have support bracing that is a lot closer to the engine than the M3. This made it a little more difficult to work around but was easily doable. I then removed the ignition coil cover and started removing the coils...
Then we inserted our "Flywheel Lock" alternative to keep the engine from spinning.
Next we started the process of removing the VANOS unit. Remove the 5 bolts holding it on, hook up the BMW Black Box tool and start button mashing to relieve the pressure. (Note: on the Z4M there is a plastic clip that holds the hood release cable that must be removed for the VANOS to have room to side out far enough.) Once the VANOS released the pressure, it slid forward and we had enough room to reach the 7mm & 10mm CCW threaded bolts that connected to the helical gears.
A shot with the VANOS unit removed. Scary but sexy.
We made marks with a sharpie and then removed the intake side. Like others have said, when you remove this cover, it will turn because the gears are helical. Make a note of how far the spline gear is sticking out of the cam so when you replace it, the markings will line up. After removing this, your camshaft is not connected to the timing chain. As you can see in this shot, my bolts were already the Torx style.
Notice the rag in the timing cover to prevent anything from falling down there.
I didn’t get any photos of the intake side or the rest since I was more concerned about putting it back together right. But I basically did the same thing to the intake side and reassembled with the new gaskets. After she was put all back together, I pulled the flywheel lock and cranked her over a few times to make sure she didn’t bind up indicating piston valve collision.
I hoped in the car and started her up. She’s ALIVE! I give her a few revs. Sounds strong. Sounds like a beast! THEN, out of the corner of my eye! A yellow light pops on! I almost have a heart attack but thankfully it was only the low fuel light. I take her for a spin and it runs beautifully. I swear it is quieter but I don’t see why since my bolts were tight and the new torx type.
I hope this info helps some people out. I am now completely in love with my S54.