Do-it-yourself vanos m52 repair

Repair kit installation procedure Single Vanos for M50TU and M52 motors is not very difficult and does not require special skills in engine repair. For installation, it is desirable to have some special tools to facilitate the procedure, but in the absence of them, repair is quite possible. The two most important points in this procedure: correctly set the timing phases and correctly install the vanos on the motor after repair. How to do it all correctly is described below. If you doubt your abilities, we recommend that you contact the service station, which will be able to perform this procedure using the instructions given.

Vanos itself is located in front of the cylinder head (cylinder head). In order to get to it and dismantle it to install the repair kit, you must remove the valve cover and remove the thermal coupling. These procedures are well described in the BMW TIS.

Special tool

To install a vanos repair kit on M50TU and M52 motors, it is advisable to have special dealer tools, as in the photo above: a camshaft lock (11-3-240), a flywheel lock (11-2-300), a sprocket scrolling tool (11-5-490 ), a chain tensioner lock (11-3-292) or just a nail of a suitable diameter.

But even in their absence, the installation of a repair kit is quite possible, but you have to sweat when installing the vanos in place in order to correctly set the timing phase (see TIS BMW).

Removing Vanos

Having removed the valve cover, we need to set the piston of the 1st cylinder to TDC, so that the marks on the crankshaft pulley and the timing cover match.

The motor can be scrolled with a wrench or head 22 clockwise.

The camshaft cams will be approximately in this position.

The top plane of the exhaust camshaft square will be parallel to the plane of the cylinder head.

Check the alignment of the labels.

After the marks have coincided, you need to fix the handwheel in this position using a special tool (you can use a conventional drill of a suitable diameter and length).

The latch hole is located on the left side of the engine under the starter motor. First remove the plastic cap with a screwdriver.

Install the camshaft retainer.

Unscrew the valve on the vanos hydraulic hose (key 19). Note: Replace the two sealing washers when reassembling.

Remove the lifting eye of the motor by unscrewing it from the head of the block.

Disconnect the vanos solenoid electrical connector. To do this, press down on the metal clip and pull on the connector.

Remove the retaining washers with fine nose pliers. Pull out the cable cover.

M52 only: Unscrew the vacuum pipe.

Lower the tube so that it does not interfere with the removal of the vanos.

Unscrew the two plugs in the vanos body to access the bolts securing the timing sprocket (key 19).

Place a rag or paper towel between the sprocket and the vanos body to avoid accidentally dropping the bolts.

Unscrew the 4 screws securing the sprocket (Torx E-10).

Press the chain tensioner pad in order to press it in, insert the retainer into the hole (you can use a nail of a suitable diameter).

Unscrew the 6 nuts securing the vanos to the motor head.

Cover the A / C and alternator belts with a paper towel to avoid getting oil on them. We remove the vanos from the engine. To do this, install the special tool (11-5-490) on the exhaust camshaft sprocket, pull the vanos forward towards the radiator while turning the sprocket clockwise with the tool. Please note that the sprocket must be unscrewed from the camshaft as indicated above for the instructions. In the absence of a special tool, you can gently turn the sprocket using a screwdriver inserted into the timing chain.

We disassemble vanos and diagnose it:

Remove the bolts securing the vanos cylinder cover to the body.

Remove the cover together with the piston and helical gear from the body.

Now you can diagnose and inspect the unit. First, visually inspect the piston for cracks or chips. Next, you can diagnose the tightness of the assembly. To do this, insert the piston into the cylinder and move it along the working stroke. Remember how easily the piston moves in the cylinder with the old O-rings.

Next, let's proceed to diagnostics of the bearing in the vanos piston.

Check for backlash, as shown in the photo above: wiggle the helical gear in different planes. Only the presence of a radial play is allowed, which is necessary for the correct functioning of the unit. Axial play is not allowed and means that the bearing is loose and needs to be repaired.

Install the anti-backlash washer from the repair kit

Attention! Washer installation must be done prior to installing new O-rings.

Fix the piston in a vise as shown in the photo above. Use special soft sponges or wooden spacers. Be extremely careful not to damage the piston surface or overtighten the vice, as the piston is very fragile.

We unscrew the vanos piston cover with a head of 18 (in some motors there may be a head of 17). The thread is ordinary, you need to unscrew it counterclockwise.

Having unscrewed the cover, we put the piston in an upright position and fix it in a vice.

Next, take out the needle bearing.

We unscrew the bearing bolt. Attention . There is a left-hand thread. Unscrew clockwise (Use Torx T30 sprocket).

We take out the central bearing race.

Remove the piston from the gear axis.

Then remove the outer bearing washer.

Thoroughly clean the bearing parts with a brake disc cleaner (thinner or benzine).

Insert the bottom washer into the piston.

Reinstall the anti-play washer from the repair kit.

Reassemble the bearing parts in reverse order. Install the bolt with the Torx T30 sprocket. Attention! Left hand thread! Screw the bolt counterclockwise! (tightening force 8Nm).

Replace the upper bearing and washer.

Replace the piston cover.

Secure the piston body in a vise.

Tighten the piston nut. Do not tighten it to the final torque, as you may have to disassemble the bearing again to fit.

Sometimes the nut of the piston dial bearing is tightened so tightly that when unscrewed (especially with a head with a high engagement) it can tear off its edges.

We manufacture new vanos piston nuts to replace the damaged one. The photo shows an old (damaged nut) and a new one.

Now we need to check for the presence of the required radial play. Then rotate the piston axially, thereby checking the rolling resistance of the bearing. After installing a new washer, the piston should rotate on the bearing without much resistance. If the bearing is very “tightened”, then it is imperative to adjust the bearing center race (see “Adjusting Tightened Bearing” below). If the piston still has an axial play and it is very easy to rotate on the bearing, then you need to adjust the installed washer from the repair kit (see below "Fitting a loose bearing").

Fitting a Tightened Bearing:

Disassemble the bearing again and remove the center race (the washer that is between the two needle bearings).

Place a sheet of sandpaper (P400) on a hard and level surface and sand the washer on both sides. Grind the washer evenly on sandpaper for a couple of minutes, clean it, assemble the bearing and again check how the bearing turns. If necessary, repeat the trimming procedure until the bearing spins without much resistance.

Loose bearing fit:

Disassemble the bearing again and remove the outer washer (the washer that was installed from the repair kit).

Place a sheet of sandpaper (P250-P400) on a hard and level surface and sand the washer on both sides. Grind the washer evenly on sandpaper for a couple of minutes, clean it, reassemble the bearing and again check the axial play and whether the bearing is pinched during torsion.If necessary, repeat the adjustment procedure until the axial play disappears, but the bearing should rotate without much resistance.

When the fit is achieved, tighten the bearing cap to 40 Nm.

Replacing the O-rings from the repair kit

Having eliminated the vanos bearing play, you can start installing new sealing rings.

Carefully cut the old o-rings with a suitable cutting tool. Be extremely careful not to damage the working surface of the piston!

After you have cut and removed all the o-rings, wipe the piston with a paper towel and clean the ring groove well.

Install the rubber ring into the groove first.

Check that the rubber ring (it has a circular cross-section) is not twisted in its place.

If the installation is carried out at an air temperature below 20 degrees Celsius, then it is necessary to put the Teflon ring in warm water (40-50C) for a couple of minutes to make it elastic. Then wipe the ring dry and install.

Pull the Teflon ring gently and slowly from one end of the piston to the other.

Lubricate the housing cylinder and the piston itself with new rings well with engine oil. Insert the piston into the cylinder at an angle of approximately 30 degrees and rotate it into the cylinder.

Rotate the piston in the cylinder several times and move it up and down so that the ring takes the shape of a cylinder. Repeat this operation until the Teflon ring stops turning in its groove.

Press the piston to its lowest position and let it stand for 2-3 minutes.

Then remove the piston. The ring has acquired the desired shape.

Reinstall the piston. Press the plunger in completely. Tighten 5 screws (torque 10 Nm).

Installing Vanos

Clean all parts and surfaces from oil and dirt residues. Install a new gasket.

Install the special tool onto the sprocket. Scroll the sprockets clockwise until they stop. Attention! This operation is indispensable for the correct installation of the vanos.

Attention! The next installation step is very important: before installing the vanos on the motor, press the splined shaft with the piston into the housing. Install the vanos body onto the pins of the block head. Insert the splined shaft into the intake sprocket by twisting it slightly.

In order for the spline shaft to fully enter the sprocket, it is necessary to turn the exhaust sprocket counterclockwise and at the same time press the vanos against the motor. Very important! So that the splined shaft goes into the sprocket in the extreme right position of the sprocket. This will give the correct range to adjust the phases while the vanos is running.

Screw the vanos to the motor. Tightening torque for nuts 8 Nm.

Remove the upper timing chain tensioner retainer.

Reinstall the 4 bolts securing the exhaust sprocket to the camshaft. Tighten the bolts crosswise (Torx E-10) with a torque of 20 Nm.

Replace the plugs on the vanos body.

Reinstall the wiring cover and install the clips with fine nose pliers.

For M52: Install the vacuum pipe.

Connect the electrical connector of the vanos solenoid.

Screw on the motor loop.

Screw on the hydraulic hose using new sealing washers (19mm wrench).

Remove the tool for fixing the camshafts, remove the flywheel retainer, reassemble everything in reverse order using BMW TIS. Be sure to check that there are no oil residues on the belts and rubber hoses.

Be sure to check the oil level after assembly!

It is important to know that the O-rings should be run in approximately 300 km in the urban cycle. Try not to load the engine with high revs and active driving during the break-in period.

Enjoy the smooth running of your motor.

Hello everyone again! I shot and put vanos on m50.I read the instructions all that I found, but there was a misunderstanding. Here we take a pribluda to rotate the gears (a screwdriver :), turn the chain as “forward” as possible, ie towards the inlet. We attach the vanos to the engine by pushing the piston into it. We begin to turn the gears "back" while pushing the vanos. He clings to the teeth and begins to sink into them. And then he fell into place, the piston is still depressed. But you can continue to turn the gears, and then the vanos piston will begin to stretch, and the toothed cup will go even deeper into the intake camshaft gear. In what position should the bolts on the exhaust shaft gear be tightened? With a recessed or a pop-out piston?

The most incomprehensible thing is that I set myself “as it was” with a recessed piston, and on the other wheelbarrow, where I helped to remove and put the vanos, we seemed to tighten the chain all the way, i.e. with an extended vanos piston. And the owner of this car claims that it has become better to go.

TIS is great, I read it. They write there

“Turn chain and sprockets counterclockwise with special tool 11 5 490.”

"Turn the chain with the sprockets by hand in a counterclockwise direction."

Crank the chain with sprockets - all the way? Or not all the way? And this is an instruction about the M52, it works in a similar way, however, the phases of the camshafts may differ.

really is written ambiguously, but people in the topic about the m50 say that the squares of the camshafts should be parallel with the recessed piston. and when I put new seals on the piston, I barely pushed it into the cylinder, so it seems to me that pulling it out by the camshaft sprocket would be problematic.

Here is a pictorial picture - from above the piston is extended (the chain is turned “back” to the stop), from below - the piston is retracted.

It may be problematic with new seals, but if the seals are already ground in, the teeth of the gears should be properly lubricated before installation and use a tool to turn the camshaft gears - in my opinion, the piston pulls out without problems.

During the entire installation and assembly, the piston must be depressed.

Hmm, it turns out that they put everything with a depressed piston.

Maybe someone on the same engine tried to do this and that?

after installation, remove the vanos hose and blow it with a compressor, first give 12 v to the valve. you will see your move.

The move will be in both cases. Only it will be either between “earlier” and “0” or between “0” and “later”. The valve, one must think, will not bend in both cases, but it should work in different ways.

It annoys me so much, because since the moment of purchase, my car has an unstable idle speed, and I have already exhausted all possible measures to combat it, and this problem is widespread.

Judging by this cart about M52

.. the vanos must be “off” (piston retracted) when the shafts are on the retainers. We will assume that this also applies to the M50.

Well, logically think - everything is correct, at rest he is at zero, when he presses the oil he leaves.

and again about the main thing - I insert the vanos, scrolling so that the spline shaft engages with the key on the star, everything - the vanos is in place. can already be screwed on. But some twist even further until the piston comes out of the vanos and goes inside. Who is right?

before inserting the vanos, we expose the shafts, fix. Vanos itself - the piston is fully inserted into it. (we make sure that he does not get out in the process). turn the star clockwise from the front until it stops (here we also make sure that the stop is the end of the slot in the star and not a screwed-in bolt in the neighboring star) put the vanos and press it down, helping to move the chain back a little counterclockwise with a key, but as little as possible so that it just goes in. all!. insert the fur tensioner, tighten the star.

Post has been editedAlco: 18 June 2016 - 14:03

and again about the main thing - I insert the vanos, scrolling so that the spline shaft engages with the key on the star, everything - the vanos is in place. can already be screwed on. But some twist even further until the piston comes out of the vanos and goes inside. Who is right?

I decided to share my practice of repairing this wonderful unit

For several months now I was worried about the rattling in the VANOS area. The symptoms were as follows:

1. During the twentieth century, a dull buzz was heard in the vanos area.Starting from 1700-1800 rpm, the sound became clear and similar to the rattling of plastic.
2. Diagnostics gave the error "Vanos is mechanically clamped / crushed"
3. The car accelerated worse than the 318i. There was a clear lack of normal traction at low revs (up to 3000 rpm)

After he took up the replacement of the O-rings.

Personally, I didn't cut the rings. He lifted it up with a needle and carefully removed it. I cleaned the dimple, put the new rings in place in the reverse order (carefully so that the rings were not upside down), lubricated with engine oil, and inserted the updated piston into place at an angle of 30 degrees. about. He left it for a couple of minutes, took it out, looked that everything was normal, and put it back in with more ease, put everything into place. I recommend that you immediately erase the errors associated with the operation of the engine, so that the updated unit immediately starts working normally.
After the repair, oddly enough (I am very skeptical about everything NOT factory), it was impossible not to notice that: 1. The rattling disappeared. 2. The revs are recruited smoothly and quickly both on the spot and while driving! During acceleration, not sickly presses in the flesh up to 4 gears. As the developer promises, you need to drive about 320 km in city mode for the repair to give a full result - up to 10 liters of fuel economy with the same driving style, good traction at low revs up to 3000 rpm.
Read more about the entire repair process on the Beisan Systems website.

When you insert the vanos “automatically” the shafts are not exposed. It's just that you first brought vanos to the very maximum and then to the very minimum. the stars are spinning. And then when you start tightening the shafts previously exposed by the ruler, the exhaust shaft can go away, so that this does not happen, there is a special profit that acts simultaneously as a shaft lock and a horizon, as if the ruler is yours.
In general, I am not against the ruler, but with the device made by the turner for everything, I gave 1500 all this goes faster and more reliable.

Added after 1 minute
Yes, and it is not convenient to move vanos without a special handle .. How can you move it with pasatizha or a screwdriver ??

It's like you disassembled everything, took off the boss, replaced the gasket, replaced the chains, I had to cut the bolts in the cylinder head, cut everything, put it out, and you call a tow truck and take it to the service, like put out the shafts for me)))