S54 VANOS bolt death DIY

[Itsablurr]

Its pretty well known in the M3 community that there is an issue with (primarily) intake-side VANOS gear bolts coming loose/shearing, ultimately failing, and potentially causing engine annihilation. It was originally thought to be only later S54 cars, but some as early as 2002 have shown evidence.

Rather than paying $6000 to have a tech R&R with all of the specialized tools, timing equip, etc., this is a DIY writeup found on M3forum for the mechanically inclined by member 'excessive' and a master tech friend with a cost of about $50 in parts, and no need for specialized tools. I took the original DIY and put it into PDF form for easy downloading and printing to have by your side while performing an inspection, and service if necessary.

[Itsablurr]

Part 2 of the DIY attached....

[clintjg]

[Jeremy]

Thanks for posting.

[jsmith800]

I don't have chatter yet, can I wait or am I cheating certain death?

[Ghery]

I don't have chatter yet, can I wait or am I cheating certain death?

S54 only issue

[bmwe30is]

Just an FYI, a member on M3forum.net found out that his cams had moved after the installation. So the DIY is still good but extra care needs to be taken to ensure everything remains aligned at TDC.

Thread here: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=330465

[GoSlow2GoFast]

Is there a TSB on this problem, or the "new and improved" bolts?

~gs2gf

[phrider]

I just got the heads up on this from my mechanic. The early S54's have this issue, too.

[wilhit10]

You need to cam time when the vanos is in initial position.

[mcoupemindy]

If it were me doing the job, I wouldn't be installing any BMW bolts. I would be using a much higher grade bolt to replace as an extra safety net.

[RickySixx6]

Matt,

I know you spoke to me about this when we did the Valve adjustment. What do you think is the typical time frame needed to get this job done?

[SGs54MC]

.

[CBRacerX]

Thanks for this!