rattle still present after replacing vanos seals AND rattle repair kit .....

[Jesse M]

Me and my buddy tackled this a couple weeks ago, not a big job at all. He's really good, built many motors and I trust him 100%. Anyway, we replaced the seals, and the rattle repair kit both from beisan systems. Great ship time btw. .. Fired it up and the noise was gone .. for about a day. Later came back. What gives? Anyone ever experience this before? lol I really don't want to do this job again.

The sound is still coming from the front of the VC at EXACTLY 2k rpm. And you can hear something jingling at idle. ****ing annoying.

[kayger12]

I feel your pain. I had a new Vanos unit put in under CPO and the rattle was back a few weeks later.

Are you sure it's not your DISA making the noise at idle?

[Jesse M]

I feel your pain. I had a new Vanos unit put in under CPO and the rattle was back a few weeks later.

Are you sure it's not your DISA making the noise at idle?


Ugh I didn't even want to go there .. That's not cheap. But I still am having a weird torque curve :/ I feel power drop off at 2.5k - 4 then it flys .. which accurately describes a faulty DISA. Damn.

[johnrando]

I feel your pain. I had a new Vanos unit put in under CPO and the rattle was back a few weeks later.

Are you sure it's not your DISA making the noise at idle?

Sorry to hear that Keith. I recall the thread discussion where I know you were hoping for a longer run before having to do it on your own outside of CPO. Not sure why they would rattle so soon Jesse, but I'm interested to hear what you find.

[Jesse M]

I have a CEL for a lean mixture too. Luckily It's only the intake boot. :D $18 and I'm on my way. Damn cars. lol

[meeceboy78]

Ugh I didn't even want to go there .. That's not cheap. But I still am having a weird torque curve :/ I feel power drop off at 2.5k - 4 then it flys .. which accurately describes a faulty DISA. Damn.

no they are not cheap, but they are pretty easy to replace at least. something you and your buddy can easily do.

[mimalmo]

you need the beisan anti-rattle kit. replacing the seals isn't enough.

[az3579]

you need the beisan anti-rattle kit. replacing the seals isn't enough.

He said that he already did the anti-rattle kit.

[Jesse M]

I did do the rattle kit, sir.

[Jesse M]

I mean the M54 isn't like the S54 ... we don't have loose cam gears .. -__- what else could be the culprit.

[Jesse M]

Found out it was a loose bracket connected to the exhaust manifold head shield after doing my headers. lol vanos is fine.

[kayger12]

Found out it was a loose bracket connected to the exhaust manifold head shield after doing my headers. lol vanos is fine.

Hmmm. Gonna check this myself.

Not that I did headers- but still gonna check around for other culprits.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[papa_g]

I am getting the rattling sound only on cold start up. I actually never stood in front of the engine to pinpoint the source of the sound, but it is also only for a half second and sounds like 'marbles in a tin can'. Can i be pretty sure the vanos is the culprit?

[Sockethead]

If you google e46 VANOS rattle, you see some YouTube videos, compare your sound with them...

[papa_g]

If you google e46 VANOS rattle, you see some YouTube videos, compare your sound with them...

You know, i'll be honest, it sounds different. I should have recorded the sound, but it is just a very sharp, loud, half second rattle on cold start (like 4 hours).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29fdzGxsBr0
Sounds exactly like this, but I don't know if it is truly the vanos.

Hot/warm starts don't have even a hint of it. Now I am thinking, should i even bother sending my unit to dr. vanos, if it may not even be the source of the sound. The only problem is, I don't want to put the engine back together, diagnose the sound, find out it IS the vanos, and have to tear open my valve cover again to take the vanos out.

[BMWCurves]

Personally, that sounds like stuck valves that then get moving again, but I'm not particularly well versed in diagnosing abnormal engine sounds

[Dave1027]

I would not mess with the vanos unless you are absolutely sure that is what is causing the noise. Could it be something like this:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76452

[papa_g]

Personally, that sounds like stuck valves that then get moving again, but I'm not particularly well versed in diagnosing abnormal engine sounds

If it is indeed what you are saying, do you know what the fix is? Maybe I will hold off on the vanos for now. I will do a couple cycles of drain and fill with new oil, and who knows, maybe some new oil will fix it.

[Dave1027]

If it is indeed what you are saying, do you know what the fix is? Maybe I will hold off on the vanos for now. I will do a couple cycles of drain and fill with new oil, and who knows, maybe some new oil will fix it.

Try it with Shell Rotella T6 oil. It has better cleansing agents and may help out sticky lifters.

[papa_g]

Try it with Shell Rotella T6 oil. It has better cleansing agents and may help out sticky lifters.

Ok what do you think of this hypothetical scenario:
I refill with Shell Rotella T6 5W-40, run it in the car for a week, drain and fill with the Pentosin 5w-30 LL-01 i have laying around.

[Dave1027]

Ok what do you think of this hypothetical scenario:
I refill with Shell Rotella T6 5W-40, run it in the car for a week, drain and fill with the Pentosin 5w-30 LL-01 i have laying around.

Actually, I'd do it this way. Get a can of BG EPR motor flush and run that through the motor. Then immediately do an oil change with the Shell Rotella T6 and leave it in for 5k miles. Than after that go back to your Pentosin.

Running the T6 for only a week won't accomplish much by itself.

[papa_g]

Actually, I'd do it this way. Get a can of BG EPR motor flush and run that through the motor. Then immediately do an oil change with the Shell Rotella T6 and leave it in for 5k miles. Than after that go back to your Pentosin.

Running the T6 for only a week won't accomplish much by itself.

Hmmm, yeah I actually already decided against doing a motor flush. Don't want to risk doing more damage than good.

[Dave1027]

Hmmm, yeah I actually already decided against doing a motor flush. Don't want to risk doing more damage than good.

There is no risk as long as the directions are followed. I flushed my motor and it is flawless. But whatever.

[papa_g]

There is no risk as long as the directions are followed. I flushed my motor and it is flawless. But whatever.

To each their own. I was initially going to do a flush, even bought the motor medic fluid, but then decided against it after seeing so much opposition on the forums. I will leave it as a last resort, after consulting with some more people, after the more important issues have been dealt with.
Thanks for your help though. What made you choose BG EPR as opposed to other types of flush?

[Reasoned1]

Ugh I didn't even want to go there .. That's not cheap. But I still am having a weird torque curve :/ I feel power drop off at 2.5k - 4 then it flys .. which accurately describes a faulty DISA. Damn.

I recently had to repair my DISA due to to regular rattle (only had 49k miles on it and actually looked pretty good still). Used the G.A.S. repair kit ($70) which provides reassurance, too, that DISA parts won’t fall into the engine.

[papa_g]

I realized I never got back about my problem. The sound I was hearing at cold start was indeed sticky lifters. After 2 oil changes, I never hear that sound anymore. BUT now I am back to discuss that I also am hearing a VANOS rattle at 1750 rpm, even after doing the beisan anti-rattle kit. I even checked the pistons after installing the new rings, and there was very minimal axial play; much less than originally. OP, is there anyway you could elaborate on the loose heat shield connection?