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  • Vanos Pressure limiting Valve Oil leak

    Hi guys, i've got a small oil leak from the Vanos pressure limiting valve

    (Number 2 on :- http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...75&hg=11&fg=15)

    I'm not very well acquainted with Vanos units so i'm not sure if there are any stumbling blocks in removing that part to replace No's 3,4,5 on the diagram? also is there anything i need to know if i wanted to replace the Filter on the front too (No 23)? I know there's lots of pressure going on in the Vanos unit but no idea if there should be any pressure built up behind either the filter of the limiting valve that i ought to know about?

    Also is there any specific torque settings or number of turns etc that i should do refitting them?

    any help would be great, thanks guys!

  • #2
    details here on vanos repair may help?

    http://www.z3mcoupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13363

    Comment


    • #3
      Planet,,,there is a lot of pressure behind both plates sometimes the gasket fails and you can get seepage..not a hard job to replace,i don't know the correct torque settings for this,and sometimes people do them up too tight which stretches the small thread on the bolts sometimes the cause of the leak.there is a lot of discussion regarding the tiny filter..however removal is easy and simply needs to cleaned..no problem, it will hiss and a small amount of oil will come out however i cant see this causing any of your problems...

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      • #4
        I'm not too familiar with the VANOS but from what I understand if there is oil leaking from the end plates it suggests the solenoid seals are worn as oil shouldn't be behind these end plates?

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        • #5
          Originally posted by c_w View Post
          I'm not too familiar with the VANOS but from what I understand if there is oil leaking from the end plates it suggests the solenoid seals are worn as oil shouldn't be behind these end plates?
          Its not the solenoid cover plates that are leaking they are all fine to look at, its the the pressure valve situated at the very right (stood infront of the bay) it is a 22mm headed cylinder just bellow the oil feed pipe, next to the Throttle position sensor.

          thanks for the advice folks, seems like it shouldn't be any bother to do. it does make me think though as the whole Vanos unit was replaced by BMW a couple of years ago under its previous owner and its only about 8k in that time, should i be worried? there are no other noticeable Vanos symptoms, the only complaint is that small weep from the Pressure Valve...

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Dave P View Post
            details here on vanos repair may help?

            http://www.z3mcoupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13363
            cheers Dave, that's a great resource!

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Planetxking View Post
              cheers Dave, that's a great resource!
              no worries

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Planetxking View Post
                Its not the solenoid cover plates that are leaking they are all fine to look at, its the the pressure valve situated at the very right (stood infront of the bay) it is a 22mm headed cylinder just bellow the oil feed pipe, next to the Throttle position sensor.
                Sorry, I was posting in reply to Kwoffa.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by c_w View Post
                  Sorry, I was posting in reply to Kwoffa.
                  ah no worries

                  anyway, i'll order the seals monday and report back how i get on! thanks guys

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                  • #11
                    UPDATE!

                    so I got round to sorting this out at the weekend and it ended up that it was the oil pressure pipe assembly (11361404986) Part 9 bellow, that was leaking, i made a video of it too, bit long but you get the idea. There is no specific seal, as it were, for that pipe when its plumbed into the Vanos unit, it just seats into the Vanos and that's it! I have to be honest i didn't really feel too confident in that as a sealing mechanism but there you go, i spoke to a couple of Vanos experts and they said not too worry, it does seal fine. and so far it has!

                    http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...76&hg=11&fg=15

                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwQWs...ature=youtu.be

                    word of WARNING! though, if you ever have the need to replace this pipe, be ready for a long day. it is possible to do leaving the throttle bodies on and just removing the air box, but if i was to do it again i would definately take the first two TBs off. it took me over 2 hours from disconecting the old pipe, to reconecting the new one. the pipe has 6 kinks in it at various angles and going in all directions. it was like doing brain surgery by going in at the knee!! just for laughs i asked BMW what it would cost to replace, they said 4-6 hrs... £110+vat p/h.... the pipe was £20.14+vat. say n'more!

                    Oil leak, sorted.

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                    • #12
                      glad you got it sorted, did you manage to sort the idle?

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                      • #13
                        Idle is still a work in progress, its intermittent and only lasts for the first half a mile if it does occur. so far i've changed vac lines, the cap on the T peice that was very cracked and well on its way out, cleaned the MAF and ISV with electrical cleaner, cleaned the throttle bodies and airbox and replaced the O-rings on the airbox-TBs. while i did the above work i also changed the oil temp sender as my Gauge has been a bit erratic but it seems that after that it is the gauge at fault so thats now on the list. i also spotted that the front mounted electric fan wasn't kicking in, tested the fan which worked fine so have ordered a new temp switch coming tomorrow. i'm thinking change the spark plugs next as i'm not sure when they were last done and i had one out to have a looksee and they could prob do with a swap.

                        any suggestions of any other avenues to explore?

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                        • #14
                          I had a lumpy idle which turned out to be a bad solder connection on a solenoid. Once fixed the idle was much improved and car drove MUCH better!

                          Very easy to check and fix so worthwhile doing it ( I know quite a few other people have had this so it is not uncommon).

                          Remove the plastic cover from the front of the vanos ( use small 10mm socket to remove the 2 nuts).

                          You will see 2 plug connectors - unplug these and check the resistance on the leads to the solenoids between the middle and outer pins - should be around 3 Ohm.

                          If it isn't (i.e. open circuit or high resistance it will need a spot of solder on the solenoids), there is a guide somewhere....

                          Could also be worth checking / replacing your TPS?

                          Comment


                          • #15
                            Originally posted by M1ke View Post
                            I had a lumpy idle which turned out to be a bad solder connection on a solenoid. Once fixed the idle was much improved and car drove MUCH better!

                            Very easy to check and fix so worthwhile doing it ( I know quite a few other people have had this so it is not uncommon).

                            Remove the plastic cover from the front of the vanos ( use small 10mm socket to remove the 2 nuts).

                            You will see 2 plug connectors - unplug these and check the resistance on the leads to the solenoids between the middle and outer pins - should be around 3 Ohm.

                            If it isn't (i.e. open circuit or high resistance it will need a spot of solder on the solenoids), there is a guide somewhere....

                            Could also be worth checking / replacing your TPS?

                            Hi Mike, thanks for the input, will try this tomorrow, just to clarify, am i testing the lead from the solenoid to its own plug or the plug attached to the loom that plugs into the solenoid connection on the vanos? in other words am i testing the solenoids or the wiring loom? hope that makes sense!

                            Cheers

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