S54 Possible cam bolts failure sound? or normal

[apexhittinbull]

Car has 22,000 miles

Started up today found the noise bit too much or concerning.
Are my cam bolts shearing and failing?
S52 on E36 I had long ago never sounded this loud

Here is a video link to cold idle

And Hot idle after trip to lunch and back

Is it time for Valve adjustment/Vanos rebuild/Cam bolts replacement already?

Your opinions are greatly appreciated.

The car was inspected for pre-purchase at BMW retailer, notes Vanos operates well.

Car build date is May 30th, 2006
The engine built in Munich, of course, can be earlier.

[SaltyNC]

That certainly sounds like the noise I was getting. Mine started out a light knock that would go away once the car was warmed up. It quickly got worse. It was loose bolts on the VANOS intake side sprocket. It means the bolts have worked themselves about half-way out. Mine has a build date of March 2006, so very close to yours. It's a little early for the valve adjustment, but while you are doing the VANOS, the valve cover will already be off.

Beisan Systems offers some great kits. I feel like my VANOS is now rock-solid.

Here is the sound I was getting:

Salty

[NickyC]

Wow thanks for posting those videos, they sound almost identical. Certainly not a rod knock obviously, so this must be the tell tale sound of loose VANOS bolts. I'll definitely keep an eye out for this noise, and if it ever occurs I'll get my car towed to the shop pronto. Thanks again!

[apexhittinbull]

Thanks so much for sharing, Salty NC.
Confirmed the loosening cam bolts now.
your compartment removal is very well written as well.

But wow, the pre-purchase inspection cost was $149..
I wonder how dealers check for vanos operations and if this mechanic had any knowledge or experience I could have saved money.

[SaltyNC]

Originally Posted by apexhittinbull

Thanks so much for sharing, Salty NC.
Confirmed the loosening cam bolts now.
your compartment removal is very well written as well.

But wow, the pre-purchase inspection cost was $149..
I wonder how dealers check for vanos operations and if this mechanic had any knowledge or experience I could have saved money.

Glad to be of assistance. If the car was warm when the tech did the PPI, it would be tough for them to identify the VANOS by listening to it. They would have to remove the valve cover, and I don't think that is normally done on a PPI. It seems like VANOS work is required eventually on most of the S54's, so it more than likely would have eventually had to have been addressed regardless.

When we did the VANOS on my S54, we did everything. We replaced all seals, we replaced the oil pump disk with the smaller holes, replaced the bolts and used Loctite, installed anti-rattle kit, and used the "springs" from the S65 engine, and swapped the VANOS solenoid with one that Beisan epoxies to reduce solder failures. Now, I don't worry about the VANOS at all, and the car was much smoother and more powerful after the upgrade. I had an RPM dip when I would crank it in the morning so much that I learned to give it a little extra throttle to keep the RPMs up. That went away completely after the VANOS upgrade.

Good luck with your VANOS repair.


Salty

[mattfwalters]

Originally Posted by SaltyNC

Glad to be of assistance. If the car was warm when the tech did the PPI, it would be tough for them to identify the VANOS by listening to it. They would have to remove the valve cover, and I don't think that is normally done on a PPI. It seems like VANOS work is required eventually on most of the S54's, so it more than likely would have eventually had to have been addressed regardless.

When we did the VANOS on my S54, we did everything. We replaced all seals, we replaced the oil pump disk with the smaller holes, replaced the bolts and used Loctite, installed anti-rattle kit, and used the "springs" from the S65 engine, and swapped the VANOS solenoid with one that Beisan epoxies to reduce solder failures. Now, I don't worry about the VANOS at all, and the car was much smoother and more powerful after the upgrade. I had an RPM dip when I would crank it in the morning so much that I learned to give it a little extra throttle to keep the RPMs up. That went away completely after the VANOS upgrade.

Good luck with your VANOS repair.


Salty

+1 to everything Salty said here - bottom line is that a VANOS refresh along these lines, as well as a valve lash adjustment, is just a good thing to do with a new-to-you S54.

It's also not that difficult if you're not pulling the cams, just time-consuming.

[apexhittinbull]

Opened it up, finished Beisan seals, oil pump, sealing plate kit.

Purchased Beisan Anti-Rattle Kit as well, but decided against installing it, my spline shafts have no axial play at all.
Exhaust spline shaft has ever so slight axial play with a hard pull.

at 23,000 Miles Bolts can be loose as much.

[SaltyNC]

Exactly how my bolts looked. Glad you got it early.

Salty

[Beedub]

some really silly little mistakes on this engine that are really costly....

OP how difficult was the install..... ???

[ZAR4MC]

Good save!

[yousefnjr]

Originally Posted by apexhittinbull

Opened it up, finished Beisan seals, oil pump, sealing plate kit.

Purchased Beisan Anti-Rattle Kit as well, but decided against installing it, my spline shafts have no axial play at all.
Exhaust spline shaft has ever so slight axial play with a hard pull.

at 23,000 Miles Bolts can be loose as much.

I did the same, didn’t feel like I needed to install the rattle kit and sold it here for a few bucks instead.

beisan, can’t recommend them enough

[apexhittinbull]

Originally Posted by Beedub

some really silly little mistakes on this engine that are really costly....

OP how difficult was the install..... ???

I just finished and she starts up normal if took a bit longer cranking and idles normally.

I let it reach 170F~ish and there is no "you're doomed" light on.

-I was overwhelmed mainly because of timing might get bit loose, and made an appointment with the indy shop before I found a great deal on the whole timing toolkit over the Thanksgiving and decided to tackle it myself.

-I would say it is not too hard if you take it slow and go bit OCD, for each of the 24 vanos bolts to be tightened with it open I swiped my hand every time with a shop towel, and marked the hub, chain, tooth, splines, carefully with multiple shots.

-Biggest O S moment was when I dropped a Wally shim doing the valve adjustment and couldn't find its where about. Found it by the door to the crankcase and shop towel, managed to put a magnet on it and pulled it.

-And I dropped a bolt only after she started up, I dropped a bolt for the strut brace, guess seeing she starts well sorta put me attention off.

Need a shower and a cold lager, and a back massage uh

[gpraceman]

Glad I found this thread. This verifies to me that I should check out my VANOS while I have my '06 Z4MR opened up for the Inspection II valve adjustment. Currently, I don't hear any unusual noises but I'd rather be proactive.

[Vanne]

yup wow, those were pretty darn loose, good catch mate

[bkM3]

hate to bring this thread back from the dead but i believe im experiencing the same sound on my e46 m3.

thoughts?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jZ00RraEBos

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pvU4xaUe6Dw

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7-_E1BErJHE

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by bkM3

hate to bring this thread back from the dead but i believe im experiencing the same sound on my e46 m3.

thoughts?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jZ00RraEBos

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pvU4xaUe6Dw

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7-_E1BErJHE

Hey, if the thread is relevant to your situation, bring it back.
It certainly sound similar, don't keep driving it, order the bolt kit and swap them out, it's BMW expensive to have them break.

[bkM3]

Originally Posted by grannyknot

Hey, if the thread is relevant to your situation, bring it back.
It certainly sound similar, don't keep driving it, order the bolt kit and swap them out, it's BMW expensive to have them break.

thank you, i appreciate it

[bkM3]

it turns out the knock/rattling sound was loose vanos bolts as well as one that completely broke. looks like we caught it before it did any damage,
this thread was a lifesaver. thanks guys

here is a video

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by bkM3

it turns out the knock/rattling sound was loose vanos bolts as well as one that completely broke. looks like we caught it before it did any damage,
this thread was a lifesaver. thanks guys

Well done.