M52B28 - Vanos fault code

[Jhonno]

Where do I start with rectifying this?

[E30BeemerLad]

What is the code?

Dan put the carsoft on my car at the drag strip and it gave a code suggesting the vanos was working but being lazy.

Dan advised it would be the seals meaning the vanos in not kicking in as promptly as it should.

I don't know what the number of the code was etc

[Jhonno]

Ah bum.. Didn't think to check code No. Does come across as a lazy Vanos as it doesn't throw it straight away.. How much are Dan's seals?

[E30BeemerLad]

seals are only about £20 from Dan IIRC

It's whether you can time it up right which is the hassle

[DanThe]

Oil passes the seals = oil pressure on the piston is reduced = slow vanos

Cant remember the specific fault description the scanner gives

Viton seals are £20 posted from me

[Jhonno]

Easy to fit?

[bss325i]

One of these helps.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sealey-Timing-Kit ... _669wt_905

[DanThe]

One of these helps.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Sealey-Timing-Kit ... _669wt_905

Fck me thats a bit rich

I paid about £9 for one off ebay, only useful when re-setting the timing, not needed if your just removing the vanos unit and refitting without setting the timing. It saves about 10 minutes in reality, the timing can be set without it

[gudgeon]

Out of interest, without paying hundreds for the cam-locking kit, which bits to you mark up before you remove the vanos? I'm assuming cam and sprocket.

[DanThe]

If your not sure, everything that moves, cams/chains/sprockets the lot

[Jhonno]

Have you done a walk through Dan?

[gudgeon]

Fair enough.
I've seen a walk-through with timing, on Pelican I think.
Looks to me like the important bit is that the cam doesn't move in relation to the inlet sprocket (single vanos) but obviously the chain position on the sprockets would also not want to move.

Even the timing doesn't look too tricky, basicly crank at tdc, cams locked at tdc (assume you would need the tool for this), inlet sprocket as far clockwise as possible and the piston retracted as far as possible.

[DanThe]

http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures ... cedure.htm

You dont need to lock the crank or cams, just mark everything and make sure it goes back as it came apart