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      04-07-2020, 09:11 AM   #1
maupineda
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BMW Z4M Vanos Rebuild - DIY'ish

Hi there,

this lockdown thing has given me the time to work on something everyone recommends doing, and I don't know if it the VANOS issue is perhaps too exaggerated, or not. But since I love the car and plan to keep it for long, I am doing the VANOS this week.

I don't pretend to do a DIY as a whole, but to provide reference information and images that I have found difficult to get.

So let me first detailing the parts I am getting

1. S54 Valve Adjustment Kit - With Gaskets ES#1893858 as I will be doing my valve adjustment while the cover is off

2. Camshaft Alignment Tool ES#199268

3. ALIGNMENT PIN ES#199978 (This has to be Z4M Specific)

4. Vanos Unit upgraded bolts (not the sprockets, but the ones that attach the unit to the engine
- 07129905554 x3
- 07129905537 x2

5. Vanos Connector (I was stupid enough to break mine while unplugging it
- 61138383300, see this video in youtube, is excelent.


6. Vanos Hub and Sprocket upgraded fasteners
- 07119913589 x12
- 07129905536 x12

7. Vanos Gasket

8. Chain Tensioner Bolt Crush Washer (07119963418 x1)

9. Tensioner Guide Bolt Crush Washer (07119963342 x1)

10. High-pressure oil pipe banjo bolt crush washer (07119963072 x2)

11. Oil Return pipe crush washer (07119963129 x2)

12. Vanos Hub Diaphragm spring from S62-V8 (11367833218 x2)

13. Beisan Systems seal kit

14. Beisan Systems Oil Pump Disc

15. Beisan Systems Rattle Fix Kit and Tools

And there are more items like tools, etc. but I wanted to list out just the parts

Next, I removed a few things to facilitate the Vanos unit removal/installation.

As you can see below, without the cooling fan there is way more access to the crank pulley, which allows for easy rotation of the engine for timing procedure

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Next, you take the cam cover out, and move the harness for the coil packs, O2 sensors, etc. out of the way, you can easily put that aside towards the far RH corner of the engine bay

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Last edited by maupineda; 04-07-2020 at 09:28 AM..
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      04-07-2020, 11:30 AM   #2
maupineda
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Continuing the preparatives for the VANOS Overhaul and Valve adjustment, I have removed the cam cover and I was pleasantly surprised that the engine was very clean inside, I bought the car last September and you never know how she lived despite the overall condition, but I have to say the engine would not look so clean if she had not been well looked after

In the next photo, you can see how it looked right after removing the cover, also those brownish areas wipe off super easy and the clean aluminum is exposed, a real indication that at least she has seen fresh oil regularly, which helps with the overall condition of the engine, so I am now less worried about finding problems as I take the VANOS Unit apart

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Even the back of the cover was very clean with some dirt splash on some areas, but these marks would clean off by just wiping the surface

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I also could check for the exhaust hub and it is complete, I would need to wait for the unit to come out to see if there are some marks, which I can see there are, I think is the nature of it. I also check the back of the sprockets and the fasteners look all the way in, so maybe I don't have any lose, or broken one

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      04-07-2020, 02:13 PM   #3
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Good stuff. I'll be keeping an eye out on this thread because I've also been wanting to do the valve adjustment and VANOS during this time too. I'm still trying to work up the confidence to do it. For whatever reason, I've been really nervous about working on this car. First BMW I've owned... 2 weeks ago I replaced a timing belt on a 300ZX with no problems at all, first time to do a timing belt 💪.... Anyways, looking forward to what else you put up.
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      04-08-2020, 07:49 PM   #4
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Not much progress today, but I did receive all the parts and tools, so I could check my timing, and I have to say the exhaust was slightly out, with the cams fully retarded, timing tool pin goes fine on the intake side but on the exhaust side it does not go through completely, I should be able to take care of that (I hope )

Now, one thing I can share here is that when removing the VANOS unit, the dowel pins make it very tough to pull out, I had to wrap in a cloth a 3/8 extension and use it to pry carefully, I advise to only loosen the 10mm bolts so that when the unit snaps off the dowel pins it does not pull too much on one side (undo the bolt to allow ~5mm), it happened to me as I had placed the long solenoid screws as guides and when the unit snapped I was fearing I may have bent something, good luck it is all fine!

Also, when pulling the unit off, the pressure regulator will interfere and won't allow pulling the VANOS unit out, the TIS mentions to use a set of pliers and snap it off the VANOS unit so you can just slide it out.

In the next photo, you can see how the pressure regulator is getting in the way

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Here you can see how I attached the pliers, I used shop towels to protect from scoring, this part does not slide or move in and out, and that section is just there hanging as a bridge, so scoring it is not a big deal as it does not cause a functional problem, this is why the TIS recommends using pliers, never the less, do everything possible to protect it, I also covered the area below in case it came loose and fall.

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After I pulled the regulator out, I used a tie strap to hold the pliers while I fish the unit out

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Then I could finally pull the VANOS out

The rest of the evening I basically spent time cleaning and removing the seals, my Besian kit has not arrived, but I have torn down and prepared the VANOS for reassembly with the new seals.

Tomorrow I will be doing the valve adjustment and then change the sprocket bolts and screws, and if I am lucky and the Besian Kit arrives then I can start the re-assembly of the car.

Last edited by maupineda; 04-08-2020 at 09:26 PM..
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      04-08-2020, 09:23 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maupineda View Post
5. Vanos Connector (I was stupid enough to break mine while unplugging it
Hehe.. is there anyone who didn't?!

PS: enjoy the process! And don't reset VANOS adaptation right after assembling it back
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      04-09-2020, 01:06 PM   #6
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I have completed the valve adjustment, it seems she had been done before because all Exhaust side was tight, set at ~0.2mm instead of the ~0.3 so I had to adjust all the exhaust side. intake required only 3 shim changes, at the end I was able to set all 24 valves to spec, but I had to mix and match shims as I took them out, so a few of the intake shims ended up on the exhaust side, but I was left with no useable shims if I had one more valve to adjust I would of not have more shims to finish the job. most of the adjustments I did, required 2.32mm shims.

Next, I will take the sprockets apart to replace the fasteners and change the spring diaphragm behind the hubs.

I also added my timing marks for reference. I marked even the spline shafts that connect to the VANOS unit so I have all possible references, I also aligned the exhaust camshaft so now the pin slides right through on both cams

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My car already had the upgraded fillister screws (Torx)

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Last edited by maupineda; 04-09-2020 at 04:19 PM..
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      04-09-2020, 02:31 PM   #7
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Book marking this link for my future DIY! Thanks for all the tips and tricks.
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      04-09-2020, 04:29 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maupineda View Post
I also added my timing marks for reference. I marked even the spline shafts that connect to the VANOS unit so I have all possible references, I also aligned the exhaust camshaft so now the pin slides right through on both cams
Marks won't help you at all. Just follow the Beisan instructions to every single letter and you'll be fine.
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      04-09-2020, 07:11 PM   #9
maupineda
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vt100 View Post
Marks won't help you at all. Just follow the Beisan instructions to every single letter and you'll be fine.
Oh yes, they will
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      04-10-2020, 04:28 PM   #10
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How tedious of a DIY job is this? Mechanical engineer by trade and diving in deeper on the maintenance side of things.

So far that has meant brake rotor/pad swap, brake caliper rebuild, euro header + wiring reroute and of course fluid changes. Still scared to open up the engine...
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      04-10-2020, 04:38 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 86Zed View Post
How tedious of a DIY job is this? Mechanical engineer by trade and diving in deeper on the maintenance side of things.

So far that has meant brake rotor/pad swap, brake caliper rebuild, euro header + wiring reroute and of course fluid changes. Still scared to open up the engine...
It's manageable. But you need to be very, Very, VERY careful. Especially when setting timing.
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      04-10-2020, 04:38 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maupineda View Post
Oh yes, they will
you didn't read the instructions yet, did you?
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      04-10-2020, 04:58 PM   #13
maupineda
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 86Zed View Post
How tedious of a DIY job is this? Mechanical engineer by trade and diving in deeper on the maintenance side of things.

So far that has meant brake rotor/pad swap, brake caliper rebuild, euro header + wiring reroute and of course fluid changes. Still scared to open up the engine...
the valve adjustment is the most tedious, also removing the what get's in the way can be very time consuming, like the fan, engine cover, wire harnesses, etc.

the damn USPS is now two days late, so I have spent a lot of time cleaning everything within my reach during the waiting time.
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      04-12-2020, 09:04 AM   #14
maupineda
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well, I continue to wait for the Besian items so not much progress, I am doing other miscellaneous items to the car like detailing the engine bay, installing my DKF 300 cell cats ILO of the 100cell ones.

One thing I did want to test my self was the "sweet spot" spline and hub alignment concept, and yes, it does exist and thought I would share the images with the forum. however, the more I learn about the system, the more I think this slight nuance is not important to the system's operation as it is not pointed out in BMW's literature, nor Beisan procedure, regardless, I will follow this concept when putting her back together

So let's jump into the images...

the next photo shows the teeth my spline and hub were originally mated to. this is with the hub rotated to the right (CW) completetly, as you can see, for the spline to go in, the hub would need to rotate CCW a little so the teeth align and the spline can go in.

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I then tested every possible position until I found one that would align the spline and hub teeth perfectly so you basically just push it and it goes without having to move the hub at all, every other combination results in a slight misalignment that requires the hub to rotate CCW to catch the spline, the next image shows how both gearings match one another

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Finally, this image shows how far apart the two locations are, the original alignment vs the "sweet spot" one.

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******* Edit ************

After checking on more detail the TIS document, it seems BMW does make important notes to inserting the spline into the hubs, although its not too descriptive. See below.

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Last edited by maupineda; 04-12-2020 at 10:13 AM..
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      04-12-2020, 10:16 PM   #15
maupineda
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Surprisingly, USPS delivered my Besian kit today and I completed the assembly of the new seals.

The first news is that Besian has created a replica of the OE disc and it seems they now can either supply the new billet item, or a redrilled OE item, in my case I got the new billet replica that has two holes, which are 1mm less compared to the OE item to reduce the play between the disc and the exhaust hub tabs

In this image, you can see the two discs side to side

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Next, the dimensions of the OE disc holes (10.80mm)

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And now the new Besian disc (9.76)

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I finished the assembly of all the seals and disc

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Installing the seals is easy, but it is also stressful as you need to stretch the seals quite a bit and you have this tension as to whether or not you are doing it correctly. The most difficult ones are the inner seals in the intake piston cylinder, I used the c-clip ring pliers as they worked great to maintain the seal compressed as per the Besian manual without having to place the seal in the grove using the same hand to maintain constant pressure while placing the seal in.

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Tomorrow I will have fun finishing the VANOS installation and timing procedures.
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      04-19-2020, 08:13 PM   #16
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Well, my car continues to be in the wait for parts. the DAMN kit of seals from ECS Tuning for the sealing plate is wrong and DOES NOT FIT

So I had to order the set from Beisan Systems and it has not arrived

Here is how she seats for now

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I also gave the engine a quick wipe

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And since no one got interested in my radiator cover I slapped a new roundel on and I am planning on putting it on

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The next photo shows my VANOS adaptations prior to the rebuild, so the timing was really on point, I really hope I did get it right

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Last edited by maupineda; 04-19-2020 at 08:19 PM..
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      04-21-2020, 03:33 PM   #17
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Well, I ended up buying a new sealing plate from the dealer just to be able to complete the car.

The VANOS rebuild was a success

See below my VANOS values, the adaptations seem to be working their way back since the timing changed a bit.

VANOS Values

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The adaptation now is -2.4, before was +1.6 so I think is now learning it needs to reduce the offset that was before, but again, if you see now the values are pretty much on point.

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I am learning my way around this, so if anyone more savvy can comment, the input is welcome.

Last edited by maupineda; 04-21-2020 at 04:00 PM..
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