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      07-13-2010, 02:20 PM   #1
Blind32
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Replaced My Vanos Bolts this weekend

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.
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      07-13-2010, 02:46 PM   #2
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Thanks for the great write up! Looks like scary fun.Now just got to plan that trip down to Dallas so you can help me do mine
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      07-13-2010, 03:04 PM   #3
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Then with that experience he can do mine

But yeah great writeup! Always good to see the clean German internals of our engines...
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      07-13-2010, 05:48 PM   #4
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wow.. major props for jumping into this!!!!!

This info▼ is really good to have documented.

Quote:
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 expected to see hex bolts but mine were torx and looked exactly like the new bolts I was replacing them with.
That means that there was a production change from at least your build date forward.
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      07-13-2010, 06:18 PM   #5
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yeah, thanks for posting this up. When it comes to this I don't think I'm as brave as you. Would love to know when that production change came. I'm late October '06.
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      07-13-2010, 07:41 PM   #6
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^ yeah +1, it'd be nice to know the change date.
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      07-13-2010, 09:09 PM   #7
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Since these engines are built in Germany I suppose the build date of the engine is way earlier than the build date of the car. Correct?
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      07-13-2010, 09:11 PM   #8
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I would think so.
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      07-14-2010, 04:29 PM   #9
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Outstanding write up and info. This is an awesome contribution to the forum.

Looks like I will be doing this soon, thanks for paving the way.
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      07-15-2010, 08:18 AM   #10
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Thanks all. I left out somethings that are hard to explain without speaking verbal. Feel free to PM me with any questions and I'll try to answer them the best I can. A phone call might be in order tho.

The only "scary" or dangerous part is right after the 3rd to last picture. Once you start loosening those outer helical gear "caps" that cover the bolts you are trying to get at, you are playing with the timing. Make your markings and take a picture of the position of the inner helical gear spacing. When removing the outer helical gear cap, it will rotate. When replacing this helical outer cap, you have to compensate for the rotation by starting ahead of your marking. This is where that picture comes into play so you know the position of the inner gear to make your marks line up.

You can also do it another way, which I figured out when I started on the exhaust cam. I believe this way is easier and less tricky. Make your markings & take pictures of that inner/outer helical gear gap. Then keep the inner gear at the same position and just pull both pieces out. Refer to #3 in this picture
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...04&hg=11&fg=25
The inner helical gear has diagonal teeth on the outer end and straight teeth on the end that goes into the camshaft. If you keep that inner/outer helical gear distance the same or know approximately what it is, you just pull straight out, change your bolts, then slide it back straight on. The distance between teeth or thread pitch of the straight teeth on part #3 is pretty large so your markings will either line up or be way off if the inner/outer gear gap is correct or pretty close.

I wish I would of taken a video of me playing with those helical gears. They really are amazing pieces of work.

Also there is a big washer type thing between the outer helical cap and the cam gear that you have to line up.

Last edited by Blind32; 07-15-2010 at 08:49 AM..
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      07-16-2010, 10:30 PM   #11
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The bmw locking pin might seem optional but I assure you it's not, its precision machined to lock the damper in place with nearly zero tolerance, substitutes are not acceptable for something like timing, people say it's "optional" but that's only to hold the engine in place while you bolt something in place to keep it from turning (which it is also used for), but not when setting timing and the engine needs to be in the exact right spot to start with and in the exact same spot after the first revolution.

The bmw pin has such a tolerance that you will "miss" the lock and have to go around again several times sometimes.
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      07-20-2010, 11:35 AM   #12
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Week and half later of daily driven. ~400 miles after repair (hard miles, multiple 8k rpm pulls). Still no problems at all. Stronger than ever.
God I love this car.
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      12-26-2010, 05:57 PM   #13
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Blind32 can you post a shot of the BMW tools? I get the flywheel lock but the other bits would be helpful .
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      12-26-2010, 09:01 PM   #14
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oiujhnm,lokjnmjk,mnbhyuikmnjiuhgbnm,m njuhyghjmnbhgvxshbjn
sorry I was wipping the jizz off my keyboard......
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      12-27-2010, 08:32 AM   #15
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I was wondering where you picked up the special tools.

I had to pull apart my M54 Vanos to replace the O-Rings, and this appears to be a very easy procedure but timing seems to be the catch without the special tools.
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      12-27-2010, 09:23 AM   #16
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Is this Vanos fastener problem common to e46 M3's and E85/6 M's? I need the Inspection 1 valve adjustment done in the spring and should plan to be ready for this too. Has Ron Stygar checked his? My build was just after his?
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      12-27-2010, 10:22 AM   #17
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Yes, there is a build date in '07 when the bolt revision was made.
there are a few threads on the 'fest.
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      12-27-2010, 02:09 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by inTgr8r View Post
Yes, there is a build date in '07 when the bolt revision was made.
there are a few threads on the 'fest.
Searched and can't find anything over there?
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      12-27-2010, 02:57 PM   #19
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I'll see what I can dig up...
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      01-04-2011, 11:12 AM   #20
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this is by far one of the most interesting threads I have seen on this website....
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      06-19-2012, 10:00 AM   #21
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Just thought I'd update since I saw a post about this recently. @ 51k Miles now and still running strong daily driven and 4 track days.
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      04-22-2014, 05:14 PM   #22
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What did you use the tool kit 12 6 410 for ?
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