Vanos Rattle

moranor@axis · Feb 28, 2012

This is a very nasty sound that comes from the vanos unit :yuck: it happens at 1800-2200 RPM but call also happen at idle when its really bad... It is normally not serious but can be very annoying and can lead to wear on the cam gears which when will need replacing when they are warn badly :argh: and its not a cheap piece...

because of the witchcraft of the vanos most of the rattle comes from the vanos pistons removing the vanos piston bearing axial play significantly reduces the rattle at a low cost :rollsmile: and should be considered if there is noise coming from the vanos when you replace vanos seals

Single Vanos rattle kit
BMW 6-cylinder engines M50TU, M52, US S50, S52, 1992-1999
3-series E36 93-97, 5-series E34 93-95 / E39 96-98, 7-series E38 95-98, Z3 Roadster 2.8 E36 96-98, EU Z3 Coupe 2.8 E36 96-98, US M3 E36 94-99, US Z3 M E36 98-99

Double Vanos rattle kit
BMW 6-cylinder engines M52TU, M54, M56, 1998-2006
3-series E46 98-05, 5-series E39 99-03 / E60 & E61 02-05, 7-series E38 98-01 / E65 & E66 02-05, Z3 E36 98-02, Z4 E85 02-05, X3 E83 03-06, X5 E53 00-06

e36 M3
S50b30
S50b32

Philip Foglar · Feb 28, 2012

Actually looking on Youtube if I can find some examples of these noises, also for my own interest, but will post what I find! :thumbs:

moranor@axis · Feb 28, 2012

thanks Philip i was going to do that next... its described as marbles in a can noise :rollsmile:

Philip Foglar · Feb 28, 2012

Found a few - first two are pre the Rattle Kit fix...

[video=youtube]

[video=youtube]

This shows essentially what to look out for when stripping the Vanos for repair:
[video=youtube]

Horrible video, but another example of the noise...
[video=youtube]

moranor@axis · Feb 28, 2012

thanks alot Philip Foglar when i was listening to these i was shocked people let it get that bad

sclass · Feb 28, 2012

Isn't it a diesel-esque noise??

moranor@axis · Feb 28, 2012

sclass said:
Isn't it a diesel-esque noise??

yip sounds like a diesel but does not drink like one :yuck:

Philip Foglar · Feb 28, 2012

Yep! Especially that last one! That's bad!

I must take a proper listen to the E46's engine once all this other nonsense has been sorted out, now that I have heard some proper examples. But I reckon since I want to do the seals it only makes logical sense to install the rattle repair kit! :thumbs:

moranor@axis · Feb 29, 2012

Philip Foglar said:
Yep! Especially that last one! That's bad!

I must take a proper listen to the E46's engine once all this other nonsense has been sorted out, now that I have heard some proper examples. But I reckon since I want to do the seals it only makes logical sense to install the rattle repair kit! :thumbs:

this is a good idea because the axial play does not always make a rattle at the same rpm... you might have rattle at a rpm where it is hard to hear it... seeing as the vanos is out for the seals anyway it is a good idea to fit the rattle kit then to avoid having to take the vanos out again

Philip Foglar · Feb 29, 2012

The one that worries me from the DIY point of view, it seems you need an impact wrench to do the rattle repair, not sure if there is another way around this...

moranor@axis · Feb 29, 2012

If you have a compressor its a good thing to have anyway :rollsmile:

there is no way to hold the piston so it wont rotate when you open it up so i can see why they recommend one you might get lucky and get it off with a bit of a struggle without one...

I would go to a friendly workshop they should help you undo and tighten if you ask nicely

Coisman · Mar 1, 2012

imp:
This is exactly the kind of job I wont be able to do myself... :nonono:

frikkieh · Mar 1, 2012

I thought it was only the e36's that suffered from the rattle noise :thinking:

moranor@axis · Mar 1, 2012

frikkieh said:
I thought it was only the e36's that suffered from the rattle noise :thinking:

It will be more common on the e36 because they are older... but it is also very common with the newer e39/e46 motors... bmw did do some work to try reduce rattle but they did not eliminate the problem...

early e36 were terrible so they fitted a Diaphragm Spring this helped alot to reduce rattle... all later vanos had this spring

what the kit does is reduce the clearance inside the vanos piston to eliminate the movement that causes the most common rattle... if the gears are worn then you will still have some rattle, but you have to leave the rattle for a very long time before you damage the gears in most cases...

moranor@axis · Mar 1, 2012

Coisman said:
imp:
This is exactly the kind of job I wont be able to do myself... :nonono:

why not :rollsmile:

B16A4 · Mar 1, 2012

any new developments on the S50B32 euro rattle kit??

moranor@axis · Mar 1, 2012

B16A4 said:
any new developments on the S50B32 euro rattle kit??

have not heard anything will email now to see whats going on

Philip Foglar · Mar 1, 2012

Apart from the rattle kit, what sort of "shelf life" do the seals have? With the potential oil leak issue resolved I may only do the valve cover gasket later on and then both the Vanos seals and rattle fix. :thumbs:

moranor@axis · Mar 2, 2012

they come in sealed packets im guessing they should last at least a year uninstalled, but i will confirm with Beisan Systems

moranor@axis · Mar 2, 2012

The O-rings have a 20 year shelf life. The Teflon rings donâ€™t deteriorate so its not really a problem :rollsmile:

Vanos Rattle

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