How to fix the common VANOS seal leak on an N46 4 cylinder petrol engine. PLEASE NOTE I NO LONGER DO REQUESTS AS I DONT WORK FOR BMW ANY MORE BUT IM STILL HA…
BMW VANOS Seal Replacement 3 Series E46 and E90 How to DIY: BMTroubleU
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probably not. you’ll have starting troubles and running troubles, but all thats required to fix it is to switch them back.
will i still be able to drive my car if the plugs happen to get switched.
were the revs bad before you took them out? make sure youve got them both plugged in AND theyre plugged into the correct solenoid. if theyre plugged into the opposite ones the car will be making intake adjustments on the exhaust side and vica versa. also ensure youve got both seals on correctly (small green ones and large black ones.
Hi, thanks for the video. As far as I can tell I’ve followed the instructions to the letter. Popped the solenoids back in and turned on the engine. She’s not happy! The revs keep dropping and climbing and almost cuts out. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong? One of the solenoids is very loose and can easily be pulled out, yet no matter how hard I push it won’t lock in? So I’ve just assumed that’s the way of them and re bolted the clamps back on. Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
I have the same car just wondering whats the size of the camshaft sensor screw size and what tool i need tu take the camshaft sensors off.
yea, the leaking plug sleeve seal is show in my 3 series common issues video and the same type of seal leak is shown in more depth in the e53 common issues video. by the fault codes though it sounds more like the shifter- the handle you use to shift from P to R to N to D has a few components, plugs, switches etc. check those out first. if you go to a dealership they will have a few test modules on their specialized equipment just for this problem
Thanks for your prompt reply. I have noticed trans fluid leaking from harness connector plug at the back of trans but when I removed connector it didn’t appear to have oil in the terminals. I think the best bet would be to get the guy to go back to the workshop that did the vanos repair as they certainly don’t appear to have found the cause of the problem looking at the burnt out connector. I hear that there are cases of this damaging ecus. Thanks again for all your time
yea, its hard finding wiring diagrams on anything. ‘mitchell on demand’ is the best ive seen so far but costs through the roof so it may be intelligent to contact workshops around to see if they use this or something similar if you need a diagram. obviously a burnt out plug needs to be repaired and its cause determined and rectified so it doesnt happen again. regarding your shifting issues it will be more to do with your EGS fault, probably related to your auto shift gate if anything
As VACC have not had much info…
Hi mate, I have a E90 N46 issue, its had a new VANOS motor recently by another w/s. Any more than 1/4 throttle applications on take off will shift it self in to neutral, rev up to over 4000RPM, rev back down and then slam back in to drive. The codes it throws are, 2A70 Valvetronic servo motor, 2A5B eccentric shaft sensor and 2DCA No message from EGS. I have found the two pin connector plug on the vanos motor burnt out, can this be causing the issues. Do you know where to get wiring diagrams.
just an oil leak mate. the oil does get into the plug and wiring connections but ive seldom seen it cause a big problem
What symptoms did your car show?
Will this affect low end power, stalling? Or merely cause an oil leak?
thanks going to change it
sounds like the pcv (or ccv whatever floats your boat) especially if its stuck open, vanos seal leaks dont usually cause running issues. bmw pcv’s are rubbish- theyre in a hard place to get to (especially late e46 and e90 models) and you cant tell in any obvious way that its bad unless youve got running issues or a pressure tester. my old ford was easy as pie- pull it out of the rocker cover and shake- if it rattles its good. bmws have a diaphragm type pcv and it sucks.
Hi i have a 2002 bmw 318ci same engine as this when first started runs rough like its going to run out of petrol but when up to temputure its fine but then starts reving upto 2k then back down. i have read its a comon problem with this engine ccv valve when i have it running and remove oil filler cap engine wants to stall for a second its had maff cleaned new throtel body so going for ccv valve but vanos seals also look like leaking. there is only 1 fault code coolent temp low input p1111
Hi, I have the N42 engine myself and after pulling the vanos units out i noticed there were no black O rings at all. When i put the the new O ring in I couldnt fit it in. It was simply to big or thick.
if you can draw some coolant up to check the colour that way it would be preferable- if its rusty looking or a colour other than green or blue change it soon. leaking vanos seals are easy to change as i showed in this video- be sure to clean out the electrical plugs with any evaporating cleaning spray. you are right to check the oil off the dipstick- it may have a blown head gasket if the dipstick starts to show milky oil and the previous guy could have just changed the oil in it.
BTW this is an Automatic 318i Saloon. Thank you again!
Hi again, thanks for your reply; I’ve not been to a garage yet. But today I was checking the engine bay and found 2 things.
1. The right side Vanos seal looks like its leaking as there is muck drip going down from that section.
2. The coolant reservoir has light brown gloopy liquid around the screw cap and on the sides… However I checked the engine oil cap and oil dipstick and it is perfect golden oil with no obvious contaminant. Starting to think this guy temp fixed a dud to sell 🙁
cant say for sure yet– taking it out probably just puts the whole system into safe mode. it still could be wiring, the motor or cam gear. you’ll have to take the rocker cover off to replace the eccentric shaft sensor anyway so check it all while youre there. i know if theres oil inside the sensor it’ll need replacing, so check that- but again rc off to check & replace. i havent seen any chains go slack before and i dont want you wasting money on parts that arent gonna fix this
Hi mate,I have pulled off the plug at the eccentric shaft sensor,started the engine and the lights went out,no eml or engine light,so is the sensor at fault or shall I try renewing the tentioner see if the chain has gone slack,when I pug the sensor back on it throws up the eml,vvt motor sets rolls forward then when it rolls back it brings up the eml,you can hear the shaft roll back it’s like a clunk sound then eml on when it does this.
You’re a gentleman thank you. I will go off and look at these things.
could be a few things. sounds like either the valves, air flow sensor or intake is dirty, pcv or intake system is leaking or it could be something else. the reason it comes good in N or P is that being in drive or reverse puts a little more load on the engine. try an upper engine cleaner spray first, cheap and might help just read the instructions on the can. you might need something more drastic if the intake valves are really clogged up- like intake off to clean them properly. thats a start.
Hi lloydnyerssaunders, great video thank you. I have a question if you don’t mind – just purchased a 2003 E46 318i Saloon with 50k mileage. The engine sounds like it ticks over well enough – however when in motion and decelerating the engine rumbles/splutters through 2000-500 revs. It’s not noisy – more of a rumble feeling. In D you can feel the idle is bit shakey but rev needle is solid. Stick it in Park or Neutral and it’s much better but you can still feel a tiny rumble. Any ideas?
if youre referring to replacing vanos seals then no, and no. i showed in this video every step you need to know to take the vanos units out and replace the seals
Do you have to remove the fan? And if so, do you need that special tool to do it?
vvt is controlled by the dme and i can guarantee you its fine. ive never seen a dme faulty or have a fault rectified by replacing it- its pretty rock solid. its tempting for people to jump at the ecu for issues but dont- its shit expensive, need coding in at the dealership and unless youve absolutely exhausted all the other options ive given you with at least 3 mechanics leave the dme alone. have you have the rocker cover off and checked the valve gear and motor operation like i suggested?
Hi mate,this car is doing my head in,I only get the code p1062 on my scanner,it seem to me the vvt ecu you is knackerd,because its intermittent fault at the vvt ecu,I can clear it,and it’s ok no eml,then when up to temp it’s eml on and still drives fiine,then come to check code still p1062 & p1031,then I clear them cars ok,eml on then check it again its p1062,what do you think mate,it just drives fine.im at a loss mate.i might just have to get the vvt ecu checked mate,?chris
I have the same N42 engine. Mine also leaks oil and has no power below 2000 RPM. I have no fault codes whatsoever. Do i need to change these seals?
Thanks for your quick respond mate,top man,if I get the same code again I will try what you said mate,and I’m very happy with your advice on this issue.cheers,chris
Hi mate,I did a oil and filter change on it at the weekend,because I have only had the a month,so I don’t know how long the oil has been in the car.and it’s made a big difference in power and smoother,the eml came on later ,but when I switched it of and started again the eml was not showing,drove it round,and it seems to be fine,so I will see what happens mate,the old filter was black so I did not know how long that had been in or the oil,I will let you know how it goes on mate,thanks
also check the plug and wires are all good
intake valve gear and motor operation. *very carfully* unplug your vvt and jump it from the battery jump points *USING A TEST LIGHT* for the positive side (very important). check the motor operation and the movement of the valve gear, there may be something obviously wrong with the way it moves. if the valve gear is all good it may very well be the motor itself. the intake fault it separate and wouldnt cause the eml.
no thats good- youve lost the maf fault now your left with a VVT fault and intake manifold air control valve position sensor. probably not a cam sensor- they arent cam sensor faults. the vvt fault will be whats causing your eml light- its a big dc motor on top of your engine and is responsible for varying your intake valve lift and duration (similar to honda vtec, but way better as its way more variable). checking its operation is going to involve taking off the rocker cover and checking the
Still haveing probs,got new maf,that’s working fine,still got codes p1062p1031,eml light on when warm.when I start the engine,I can hear a click sound,and once it clicks eml light comes then it brings theses codes back,some one said it could be the cam sensor?
why would you buy a sensor from auto-zone for a BMW.. come on dude, go buy a legit BMW sensor because non BMW one’s will continue to give you problems
Thx for the response! High rpm is no problem. The vehicle runs awesome. The previous owner did NOT change oil on time and the system was very dirty.I think your spot on with the electronics and will check that today. Ive got the car on a strict service schedule now. will check the crankshaft cam timing belt as well.
has the engine ever been apart or any chains/sprockets replaced? if so it could be an incorrectly timed chain. i would expect this fault to be continuously set if this were the case, but if it isnt always there (can be cleared but comes back) i’d look closer the the wiring. if its coming on only when you put your foot down hard it could be the chains are stretched. going into a dealership could save you a lot of time too- they have all the gear for testing and a worldwide fault comparing system.
Morning, Ive got a bmw 2006 530xi with P0012 code
– Changed and cleaned solenoids and parts
– Intake cam sensor (from auto-zone)
-flushed engine/Changed oil
– checked coils
* periodically still getting small jumps in rpm while idle (very rare though)
will try to clear the codes and test again.
Do you have any suggestions on what to check next?