WPC Rod Bearing Time

[NickyC]

Originally Posted by SaltyNC

NickyC, it actually diminishes in loudness as I accelerate, and it completely disappears soon after the engine is cranked and begins to warm up.

Salty

Ok, then I wouldn't say it's a rod knock (though I didn't really mean loudness, I meant if the knocking sound picks up speed as you give it gas). I've had two rod knocks on S54 cars (01 model year cars), and the sound picks up in intensity as you give it gas. It's a sickening noise, and it's pretty unmistakable. The sound also doesn't go away when the engine is warm, it's just there and the engine is done.

I'm not sure what I'm hearing in your video though, as I said my motor sure doesn't sound like that. Best of luck with everything!

[racerbruce]

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

the other significant factor is proper warm up.
My indie says more than half of the rod bearings he does are on DD non-tracked cars. (S65 & S54)

Unsure if this helps unload the lower end after cold start up, but I keep it under 1,500 RPM in my neighborhood for appx 1 mile....any thoughts re lower RPM after a cold start - thank you.

[SaltyNC]

I wanted to give a quick update on the knocking I was hearing. I just parked the car for awhile. I've been extremely busy and didn't have time to deal with it. The car is currently at the shop, and amazingly the diagnosis is vanos. They put a stethoscope on it, and that strange noise was coming from the vanos. I've never heard a vanos sound like this. Video is back on first page if you're interested in having a listen. I don't normally purchase extended warranties, but I did for the Z4MR, and I'm glad I did. It's an exclusion only warranty and covers about everything. So, new vanos, and then we'll do rod bearings soon. After the car sat for a month+, I put just a little oil in the top end and cranked it up, and the sound was much quieter. It barely was knocking at all, and I increased the RPM a little, and it went away completely, so I drove it to the shop, and it drove fine. I have no idea how to explain any of that. It will be interesting to find what is going on in the vanos once they get it off. Maybe my timing chain guide is shot. Does the S54 timing chain slap if the guide is damaged?

Salty

[StickMon]

Hey! I was just about to PM you since I hadn't heard anything and feared the worst.
My timing chain guide was pretty well frazzed, and I didn't notice any noise.
What did make noise was the bolts holding the spline inside the intake camshaft. 3 out of 6 had the heads sheared off, and the other 3 were looking pretty sad.
This was when I bought the car. Probably why the P.O. dumped it.
The bolt heads are trapped behind the sprocket, and can't go anywhere. They just rattle around.
Sounded like shaking a coffee can full of marbles.

[SaltyNC]

Stickmon, thanks for the checking in on me, and for the information on what you experienced. I was treating the situation like Schrödinger's cat. If I didn't look at the problem... ;-)

Since we have the warranty, the mechanic thinks the warranty company will want him to use BMW parts. But I'm thinking that would mean I would likely need to do this all over again in a few more years, and I don't want to do that. I would think the warranty company would be OK with using a Dr. Vanos refurb or similar with the beefier hub, better bolts, better components, etc, and still be much cheaper than the BMW OEM replacement. I hope I can talk them into that, more like a preventative measure that helps the warranty company in the end. I could get the Dr. Vanos rebuilt vanos, new guide rod, the D300 hub, and still be way less than the BMW unit.

Salty

[XMetal]

Originally Posted by StickMon

Sounded like shaking a coffee can full of marbles.

Mine sounded like that from the get-go even with all the hub bolts intact and tight. It didn't get quieter until I did the Beisan disc, seals, and anti-rattle kits. My original disc showed very little scuffs, so I'm not too sure what was the main contributor to the "marbles in a can" sound

[SaltyNC]

Just a quick update. The exclusion only warranty I bought was a dud. I was afraid of that. They initially denied the claim, because they said I supplied some BMW OEM oil to the indy when I first got the car and had all the fluids replaced. Uhh huh. Sure. I explained that I was babying the car and doing more than required. And when I argued that, they said the indy shop said the components were dry and had no oil on them in the vanos. Funny how that works, since they had only isolated the knocking with a stethoscope and didn't remove the cover, so the warranty adjuster was caught in a lie. I knew then the company was no good. They then claimed it was because I changed my own oil, even though I showed two receipts for oil purchases from ECS and receipts for oil analysis, showing the oil had been changed. It's not like I have a stable of vehicles using 10W60. They wouldn't return calls, etc, etc. So, I'm cancelling the warranty. I'm sure no matter what, they would have found an out on paying even if I hadn't changed my own oil. At least I'll get some money back. I knew better before I ever bought the warranty, but the dealer said they were legit. So, without the warranty, I was looking at an original quote of a very large amount -- insanely large, to be honest. I'll share details privately if anyone is interested. I didn't think it was within reason, so I retrieved the car, offered to pay for the diagnosis, gave the assistant at the indy shop $20 for having to call the tools at the warranty company, and parked the car again.

I am in NC, and Beisan Systems is in Raleigh, NC, so I called Raj at Beisan, and spoke to him. I'll tell ya, you can't beat customer service at Beisan. Raj is a gem of a man. I knew the Beisan upgrades were going to be the way to go for me. I am borderline on doing this myself, but I think I'm going to use an indy Raj highly recommends. Raj even works with this guy when trying new things, prototyping, etc. Even though labor cost is a bit more than I was quoted, overall cost is much lower than the initial quote, and we may get in there and realize it wasn't vanos knocking, but maybe a valve or something else, and this guy is a pro on the S54. So, maybe all is well that ends well. We'll see. Parts are in route now.

Thanks again to all that have shared their knowledge directly with me and through DIYs, etc. on the forum. It has been such a huge help. Looking forward to getting this done and back on the road.

Salty

[SaltyNC]

I don't know if this will be helpful to anyone, but here are the parts I'm replacing to do the vanos, chain guide, and bolt replacement. I figured while it was off, I might as well do the entire thing so once and done (hopefully). I am hoping my exhaust hub tabs are intact and can use the new oil disk. If not, I'll have to order one of those $800 puppies.

Beisan Parts
BS023 - S54 Rebuilt Vanos Solenoid Coil Pack (requires core exchange)
BS024 - S54 Vanos Sealing Plate Repair Kit
BS021 - S54 Vanos Seals Repair Kit
BS022 - S54 Vanos Rattle Repair Kit
BS025 - S54 Vanos Oil Pump Disk (requires core exchange)

BMW Parts

11121437395 - Valve Cover Seal Washer - Qty 2
11127832034 - Valve Cover Gasket (was replaced two years ago but might need it) - Qty 1
07119963129 - Oil Drain Hose Copper Crush Washer - Qty 2

1317830159 - Timing Chain Tensioner Rail (Upper timing chain guide that gets worn) - Qty 1
07119963418 - Gasket Ring for Tensioner Assembly Bolt - Qty 1
07119963342 - Timing Chain Tensioner Copper O-ring - Qty 1

11367833218 - Vanos Diaphragm Spring Set (from S65 engine as recommended by Raj for anti-rattle in S54) - Qty 2 sets

07129905536KT3 - Vanos Hub Bolt Replacement Kit
11367831938 - Vanos Gasket
07119963072 - Oil Accumulator Pipe Copper Crush Washer - Qty 2

Complete oil change kit (oil, filter, o-rings, crush washer) and a couple of extra liters of oil


BMW Tools
83300495528 - BMW Z4M S54 Flywheel Locking Alignment Pin


Parts/Tools Not Needed
* 11361401971 - Very small vanos mesh oil filter (had already replaced this less than 6 months ago so did not buy again- should be fine and can easily be sprayed clean)

* My crankshaft turning socket is NOT the older 4 Torx bolts, but uses the 27mm hex socket, so no special tool required.


Salty

[XMetal]

One of the main reason I refuse to get aftermarket warranty - I don't want other people telling me what I can or cannot do with my own car and money. I would rather take that chunk of change and toss it in the stock market to gamble it rather than hoping catastrophe to the car so I can beat the warranty company and cross my finger for the payout.

I had done everything on your list (minus Solenoid Coil Pack) the last year. Since the Solenoid Coil Pack was outside of the engine, I figured that I can replace that when it actually fail. Very happy with the Beisan stuffs thus far - highly recommended.