Finally Joined the Longroof Club
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91.2k
Well, something was bound to happen eventually.
I got home from work this past Wednesday and noticed a rattling sound coming from the engine at idle. Its an inconsistent/irregular knocking sound and seems to disappear as the RPM's rise. It also seems to get worse as the engine heats up. It sounds very similar to the 'marbles in a can' noise my e36 made before the vanos rebuild. The car also sounds like a diesel at idle, but seems to smooth out if you rev it past 2k rpm. I drove it to work on Thursday and the Service Engine Soon light came on. After work I parked the car as I had to leave town for the weekend.
On Sunday I got some time to start looking into the problem. Pulled codes with my OBD2 scanner and got one, P054B (Exhaust camshaft overly retarded - cold start). I removed all the cowl covers and other plastic crap covering basically everything so I could poke around. I've read that the vanos solenoids can cause issues so I pulled and cleaned them both, and swapped them between left and right to see if any codes or issues followed. Nothing new popped up but I didn't really drive the car, just let it idle and a few revs to actuate the vanos. No change to the noise at all. I also listened around with a stethoscope and determined that all coil packs and injectors are firing as normal, PS pump and alternator are running quiet, idler pulleys are quiet. The timing chain tensioner seems to be transmitting a lot of the noise so I am fairly certain it is an issue with either the vanos or timing chain. Because the sound doesn't get worse when the engine is revved, it leads me to believe it is an issue with the vanos.
It turns out that quite a few cars made from 2010-2012 are the subject of a recall for some bolts on the vanos actuators coming loose or snapping. I called BMW of Milwaukee North and they confirmed that my car doesn't fall under this recall, however it does fall under an 'extended warranty' for this specific issue and that it is still in effect for my car for another 6 months:
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2014/SB-10045283-5967.pdf
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2014/SB-10057335-7958.pdf
They have to do a diagnostic on the car and if it is indeed the vanos bolt issue, the repair will be completely covered. If not, I'll be learning a lot more about the N52...
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Well, something was bound to happen eventually.
Dan
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Extended warranty you say... I hear "redline every gear until the bolt let's loose and get a new engine".
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reading through the docs you posted I found this:
someone said:
The parts list below is only for vehicles that receive one replacement VANOS adjustment unit and VANOS adjustment bolts on the intake or exhaust VANOS adjustment unit.
Part Number Description Quantity
11 36 8 602 263 VANOS Bolt (ISA screw M7x21) 4 *
*Additional replacement bolt(s) may be needed if they do not torque to the correct specification, claim additional bolt(s) as necessary and explain the reason in the claim comments.
why on earth would the bolts 'not torque to the correct specification' ? are they spec'ing bolts that are likely to snap when torqued to spec?
Dan
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reading through the docs you posted I found this:
why on earth would the bolts 'not torque to the correct specification' ? are they spec'ing bolts that are likely to snap when torqued to spec?
Hadn't seen that one. I'm hoping that is mentioned because the driver pocket on the screws is so shallow (The 4 screws below are the ones in question), maybe they could strip before reaching the necessary torque? I wouldn't be all that surprised if that weren't the case though...
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dug into it deeper. it appears those bolts are originally aluminum from the factory. they require an initial torque, then an angle torque. they also have a special torx tool called out (i think its just an odd length, due access clearance). stripping or snapping seems plausible. based on posts online, some of the bolts snap themselves just from the car running. however, it also looks like they've recalled those bolts and replacements are now steel so the whole point may be moot.
repair procedure (which seems to precede the change of bolts to steel)
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2014/RCRIT-14V176-2716.pdf
but, keep in mind I have very little knowledge of new engine codes and if any of this even applies to your N51/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9 engine
Dan
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dug into it deeper. it appears those bolts are originally aluminum from the factory. they require an initial torque, then an angle torque. they also have a special torx tool called out (i think its just an odd length, due access clearance). stripping or snapping seems plausible. based on posts online, some of the bolts snap themselves just from the car running. however, it also looks like they've recalled those bolts and replacements are now steel so the whole point may be moot.
repair procedure (which seems to precede the change of bolts to steel)
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2014/RCRIT-14V176-2716.pdf
but, keep in mind I have very little knowledge of new engine codes and if any of this even applies to your N51/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9 engine
Thanks for the link! I hadn't seen that document yet. What I find interesting is that they don't include the E91 in the actual recall (only extended warranty), even though it lands right in the middle of all the affected models and was produced throughout the affected time range:
My car has the N52K with a build date of 4/2010, so unless they had some special N52K for the wagons it should be the exact same thing as any other e9x with that engine. Maybe since there were a lot fewer produced? Who knows...
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From the TSB
"CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SUPPORT BMW of North America, LLC remains committed to providing exceptional service and delivering an Ultimate Customer Experience. As part of our focus on improving customer satisfaction, your center may claim up to a maximum of $50.00, a goodwill gesture, to “surprise & delight” the customer. Giving customer options can help tailor the service experience to their liking"
Surprise and delight!
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From the TSB
"CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SUPPORT BMW of North America, LLC remains committed to providing exceptional service and delivering an Ultimate Customer Experience. As part of our focus on improving customer satisfaction, your center may claim up to a maximum of $50.00, a goodwill gesture, to “surprise & delight” the customer. Giving customer options can help tailor the service experience to their liking"
Surprise and delight!
LOL. Also at "Ultimate Customer Experience" I'm sure people who come in because bolts are breaking and their car runs like garbage are having a great experience.
@m42b32 the F11 is also excluded. It my be a clerical thing, like the tourings are assumed as part of the e90 cars.
Dan
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BMW just denies the existence of the wagon in their lineup. Much like the holocaust, BMW doesn't want anyone to know they have anything to do with this segment.
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The car has been dropped off at BMW Milwaukee North last night. I just got a call back after an initial diagnostic check and the exhaust vanos actuator is not functioning properly. They can't verify the bolts are the problem and confirm it is a warrantied repair until they inspect the actuator visually, so I've given them the go ahead to pull the valve cover. If you aren't familiar with the newer engines, the valve cover is a much more difficult process than previous generations of engines, so they estimate about 7 hours to R&R. If this issue is indeed broken or loose actuator bolts, everything is covered. If not, I'm on the hook for a pretty hefty bill. I've never been so hopeful something specific on my car is broken...
1 like = 1 prayer
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Did you get $50 worth of stale cookies and room temp coffee when you dropped the car off?
D e l i g h t
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Did you get $50 worth of stale cookies and room temp coffee when you dropped the car off?
D e l i g h t
No
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If you aren't familiar with the newer engines, the valve cover is a much more difficult process than previous generations of engines, so they estimate about 7 hours to R&R.
BMW engineers should jump off a bridge!
Dan
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I had a similar feeling when I dropped my 335i off to find out if the turbos would be covered under the extended warranty. I remember the advisor was very explicit that I would be on the hook for the diag if it was not covered. It wasn't 7hrs of diag but I feel your pain.
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I had a similar feeling when I dropped my 335i off to find out if the turbos would be covered under the extended warranty. I remember the advisor was very explicit that I would be on the hook for the diag if it was not covered. It wasn't 7hrs of diag but I feel your pain.
It feels like such a ridiculous policy but I don't know how they would do it any other way... I've been checking my phone like a psycho all morning.
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It feels like such a ridiculous policy but I don't know how they would do it any other way... I've been checking my phone like a psycho all morning.
Yea, I used to deal with this with insurance claims to. The insurance company would tell a customer the same thing and a customer was never happy but at the end of it neither myself, our insurance company or any customer was able to come up with a better solution. It just sucks.
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