Vanos Marbles. What to do?

[Lof8]

Between autocross runs today I was idling with the hood up to cool the engine a bit. I'm used to some slight valvetrain ticking after a few hard runs but today I heard something a bit more harsh. I've heard the sound of the vanos unit going described as marbles banging around. That's what I heard today from the area of the vanos.

I shut it down for a few minutes and it was gone when I fired it back up. I didn't hear it again for the rest of the day. How much time do I have before it goes? Do I run the risk of damaging other stuff? Is Dr Vanos the best route to go? I'll do some searching, but mostly just looking for some quick answers.
Thanks

Btw S50 with 92k miles

[Wh33lhop]

Tell you what, if you want, as a personal favorite I'll trade you motors, so you never have to deal with Vanos again.

...But you owe me one.

[accident]

Tell you what, if you want, as a personal favorite I'll trade you motors, so you never have to deal with Vanos again.

...But you owe me one.

hahahaha

[MR E30 325is]

You check the level of your oil?

Probably isnt it, but you dont want to overlook the simple stuff

[MR 325]

You can go with Beisan Systems. My Vanos was rebuilt with their kit and it's silent.

[evil_twin]

Never heard the vanos marbles either. But does it sound almost like chain rattle?

[1991 e30 bmw 318is]

if you go dr vanos get stg2 and be done with it. i am happy with mine.

[giantkeeper]

Never heard the vanos marbles either. But does it sound almost like chain rattle?

Yes mine does....I'm personally looking at Besian and Dr. Vanos (edit, as if there were someone else?? lol!). DV offers a few things in their setup that I did not see on Besian and aside from the price I am leaning towards their product..

Still researching as I've heard timing chain guides and tensioners also being an issue. In my situation there is no apparent power loss or check engine light associated with it, just loud as F between 2500 and 3500-4k rpm. After that all I hear is my exhaust so who knows.

Since I believe in the power of the search function this is for all the noob R3v people that actually use it

http://www.beisansystems.com/products.html

http://www.drvanos.com/index.php?opt...=blog&Itemid=2

as per an email from Dr. Vanos

"Good Afternoon,

I am interested in one of your Dr. Vanos units, and have a few questions. The motor in concern is a 1997 s52. Currently I am deciding between the following: a. Replacing my old VANOS unit entirely with one of your "rebuilt" units, or b. rebuilding my current VANOS, with new parts (seals, rings, etc) from one of your competitors. On to my question.....

I would like to know what makes your "rebuilt" vanos units different from one that I would receive from a BMW dealer. The internal components that cause the VANOS to fail can be replaced (and are available for purchase) individually; making the vanos essentially function like new after replacement. I guess I'm wondering what it is about your units that you feel makes it a better choice to spend upwards of 250$ on a completely new unit instead of 60$ for just the internal replacement parts. Your site makes mention of certain "machining" and "hardening" process that you subject your units to, along with different o-rings but what else is done to these units specifically; your site makes this very vague. I'm just trying to justify spending the extra money on replacing the unit versus rebuilding the current one. If there are other things done to the units, then it may very well be worth the extra money, this is the reason I ask. "

Their VERY interesting response:

"Thank you for your interest.
We offer a fully rebuilt vanos unit for less than half the cost of a new unit from the dealer. Our vanos comes with upgraded seals and O-rings as well as a modified bearing assembly that eliminates the rattling noise. We also improve the oil passages to increase oil flow to the bearings, which helps it run quieter and last virtually forever. All the internal parts are cleaned and polished, then reassembled to provide the best overall fit and tolerances which can help prevent the vanos from abnormal wear or binding together over time. Finally, the vanos housing itself is fully cleaned and bead blasted to make it look like-new again. Our kits come with a new vanos gasket and crush washers as well.

Most importantly if you ever have any problems with the vanos you can contact us for a replacement or repair. We have sold well over 500 vanos kits world-wide and will stand behind our products 100%. "

No. Description Supplement Qty From Up To Part Number Price Notes
01 TIMING CHAIN 1 11311432176 $65.27
02 SPROCKET 1 11211719984 $71.52
03 WOODRUFF KEY 5X6,5 2 07119951480 $0.88
04 SPROCKET 1 11311722841 $62.44
05 GUIDE RAIL 1 11311726480 $15.77
06 Bearing bolt 2 11311748817 $5.27
07 CHAIN TENSIONER 1 11311726503 $95.44
08 Bearing bolt 1 11111722324 $5.10
09 Circlip 8,0 1 07119932863 $0.11
13 Gasket ring A26X31-AL 1 07119963418 $0.25
15 CHAIN TENSIONER 1 11311405081 $153.27

[Lof8]

Thanks for the info. I recall reading that there are some special tools needed to replace the vanos unit. Has anyone done it before and can chime in about the tools needed?

[Lof8]

Thanks for the info. I recall reading that there are some special tools needed to replace the vanos unit. Has anyone done it before and can chime in about the tools needed?

Nevermind, everything is right there on the Dr. Vanos site.

Any thoughts on the stage 1 vs stage 2?

[MaxBell]

This is very interesting. I've never heard of Dr. Vanos. I'm skeptical as to whether he is actually a doctor.

However, please do post back your results when it's all back into the car.

[Lof8]

Tell you what, if you want, as a personal favorite I'll trade you motors, so you never have to deal with Vanos again.

...But you owe me one.

Thanks for your kindness. My engine will be on a pallet to you shortly.:D

if you go dr vanos get stg2 and be done with it. i am happy with mine.

If money was no issue, I'd do stage 2, but I'm not convinced the extra $150 is well spent.

[giantkeeper]

Thanks for your kindness. My engine will be on a pallet to you shortly.:D



If money was no issue, I'd do stage 2, but I'm not convinced the extra $150 is well spent.

If you plan to keep your car for a million years I'm sure the coated gears would be worth a few extra bucks.

I'm going with stage one and replacing the chain guides and tensioners. I'm still pissed that I knew I should have addressed this with the engine out. I was like meh, what are the chances....

[nrubenstein]

I'd start by just replacing the chain tensioner. Don't spend a bunch of money on all that other stuff unless you need to. Plus, this only takes about 5 seconds to do.

[butters]

When I come to this junction, I plan on giving my money to VAC motorsports. Seems like you get "stage 2" work at $250, and from an excellent shop IMO with facilities and knowledge that are hard to top.