Rattle BMW 540i 2000 M62TU

[LinGG]

hey, greetings from Russia!

what do you think guys it could be? it is pretty annoying and I'm pretty new to BMW scene. so thanks in advance!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM-TZY7yIsA&feature=youtu.be

[Rallim]

It's just the VANOS at idle. It'll never go away, and it's how everyone one sounds.

[LinGG]

Rallim thanks for the answer, so nothing serious then?

[b2ke]

I have a little rattling sound too except not as loud and strong as yours. If I remember correctly it is't too serious up to an extent. Comparing my rattle sound to yours I'd say yours sounds more serious however I'm not sure whether it is serious enough for replacement. I'm planning to replace mine anyways and I've heard the process to do it yourself isn't too hard and long. I just want to replace mine as preemtive maintenaince and I've also heard that its beneficial towards regaining loss performance from over the years.

[Aryana]

Here is the M62TU Vanos replacement procedure.

http://beisansystems.com/procedures/m62tu_vanos_procedure.htm

I'm not sure what the rattle fix is for a M62TU, but here is a link where they describe the same problem on the S62 engine.

http://beisansystems.com/procedures/s62_vanos_rattle_procedure.htm

[LinGG]

I have a little rattling sound too except not as loud and strong as yours. If I remember correctly it is't too serious up to an extent. Comparing my rattle sound to yours I'd say yours sounds more serious however I'm not sure whether it is serious enough for replacement. I'm planning to replace mine anyways and I've heard the process to do it yourself isn't too hard and long. I just want to replace mine as preemtive maintenaince and I've also heard that its beneficial towards regaining loss performance from over the years.
to be honest the real sound is not so loud. on video it works like tractor! =) the main idea of the post was to define what is the source of that rattle sound

[tmvE39E53Z32TT]

Is that at cold start up? Does it go away after warm-up?
If so, your timing chain guide tensioner is weak. Replace it.

[LinGG]

Is that at cold start up? Does it go away after warm-up?
If so, your timing chain guide tensioner is weak. Replace it.
no, it is 90 degrees (I hope it is the right tempreature when the temp arrow on a dashboard is in the middle)

[Mless5]

It is VANOS piston rattling. Replacing seals mentioned in few links above will not make it go away, but it might get a little better.

[AquilaBMW]

OP - That is almost certainly your VANOS making that noise. If you are handy at DIY, it is worth it getting the Besian kit and replacing the seals. I would also do as suggested and replace the timing chain tensioner that sits on the passenger side of the engine right below the Valve Covers. If you haven't replaced it yet, it is good $100 insurance. Also - what type of oil are you using?

[mxchris727]

Sounds very much like an exhaust leak

[LinGG]

OP - That is almost certainly your VANOS making that noise. If you are handy at DIY, it is worth it getting the Besian kit and replacing the seals. I would also do as suggested and replace the timing chain tensioner that sits on the passenger side of the engine right below the Valve Covers. If you haven't replaced it yet, it is good $100 insurance. Also - what type of oil are you using?
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BMW 0w30 LL 01

[LinGG]

OP - That is almost certainly your VANOS making that noise. If you are handy at DIY, it is worth it getting the Besian kit and replacing the seals. I would also do as suggested and replace the timing chain tensioner that sits on the passenger side of the engine right below the Valve Covers. If you haven't replaced it yet, it is good $100 insurance. Also - what type of oil are you using?
BMW 0w30 LL 01

[CABimmer]

My timing chain guides sounded kind of like that. I rebuilt my vanos at the same time. huge job though. took about 20 hours

[larrym3711]

I should probably record my 540 engine sounds. You would be amazed at how QUIET a good 540 sounds that is mechanically good. There is virtually NO mechanical noise ...just fan noise...either from the mechanical fan or the external cooling fan (which is still mostly just "air"sounds).

larrym3711
2001 540iA Sport

[CABimmer]

agreed, mine is the same at 160k miles

[ViolinARC]

That sounds like a diesel!

Mine is quiet except for a very occasional rattle at start and I'm close to 195k. I suspect it's oil pressure related because my rattle goes away immediately when it does occur. In my case, it most likely is the failed VANOS seals allowing loss of oil pressure to the unit but as soon as the oil pressure builds...sweet V8 sound without any clatter.

Sounds very similar to the tc guide failure my friend experienced with all that constant clatter. Look for the thread titled: My Buddy's 5er Started With a Clatter" for more info. Just be aware that if you let the situation go, you could end up in the same predicament, a sheared guide rail bolt that cost $3500+ to repair. Pull the pan and look for bits of plastic OR it could be a failed VANOS, which is almost (I said almost) unheard of for the V8 and is more common to the I6s.

It's troubleshooting time my friend...

[LinGG]

btw when I start my engine and it is cold there is no rattle at all, it appears only on operating temp (90 degrees I suppose).

[Rallim]

Am I missing something? I'm just hearing the standard TU vanos noises, nothing chain guide related, and I've been through that.

[topaz540i]

i did new timing guides and beisan kit at the same time. It fixed the noise for about a week. My car sounds exactly like o.p.'s at 130k miles.

[ImTheDevil]

Glad to see this video and hear the replies that it's most likely the VANOS system, since my car also sounds like that (although significantly quieter than the video as the OP says of his as well). Having only had my car for two weeks, I'm still learning what sounds are expected. I'm feeling that I'll address my seals when/if I need to do chain guides or if it ends up getting significantly louder.

[hyjaxe]

i did new timing guides and beisan kit at the same time. It fixed the noise for about a week. My car sounds exactly like o.p.'s at 130k miles.

That sucks to hear as I'm currently doing the same repair. Any ideas what's going on with it?

[LinGG]

I'm really messed up now =) someone really sure it is VANOS, some think it is chain stuff... mb there is a pattern of changing parts from low cost to high? for example: tc tensioner, then guides, etc

[ViolinARC]

I'm really messed up now =) someone really sure it is VANOS, some think it is chain stuff... mb there is a pattern of changing parts from low cost to high? for example: tc tensioner, then guides, etc

Lmao...welcome to the confused club. The truth is that both of those issues can cause engine rattle.

Yes...most start by replacing the external chain tensioner and then continue from there if it continues. Pulling the pan to look for plastic bits from the guide rails is usually next and you can guess from there...lol

[cwise12]

I've replaced everything on the front of my engine (main chain, guides, VANOS seals, tensioner, VANOS distribution gaskets, VANOS check valves, cam shaft sealing rings) and my engine STILL rattles like a freakin' banshee on start-up occasionally. It idles kinda quietly, but still has rattle-ish noises.

I've given up on worrying about it. Seems to me that everyones' (except Larry's, lol) engine rattles and makes diesel-y noises. If you don't have horrible sounds or plastic in the pan, just enjoy the car IMO!

[BavarianE39]

Sounds like any other 540 - 740 I've ever heard, all normal.

[ViolinARC]

Sounds like any other 540 - 740 I've ever heard, all normal.

I call BS...listen to this vid. :devillook

BMW E39 engine - no noise: http://youtu.be/cCkDKFHpxcM

It proves you are incorrect. These engines were not built making an s-load of noise so if you have completed all the typical repairs and it's still making a racket, you may have deeper issues imho...

[Rallim]

I call BS...listen to this vid. :devillook

BMW E39 engine - no noise: http://youtu.be/cCkDKFHpxcM

It proves you are incorrect. These engines were not built making an s-load of noise so if you have completed all the typical repairs and it's still making a racket, you may have deeper issues imho...

That's a non vanos motor. Pretty hard for one of those to make vanos noises.

[cwise12]

That's a non vanos motor. Pretty hard for one of those to make vanos noises.

+1, sure does sound nice though. Violin, there's no reason to believe a little noise indicates anything wrong with an M62TU. Lots of noise yes, but a little rumble isn't the worst thing.

[ViolinARC]

That's a non vanos motor. Pretty hard for one of those to make vanos noises.

DAMN raillim...you caught that. I totally missed that fact in my hurry to post. Guess the solution is to drop in an M62 straight up!

Is this more like it?
M62TU 2001.MPG: http://youtu.be/FD4rs8C2prg

[ViolinARC]

Yeah cwise, I know but I swear mine is fairly quiet or maybe I'm deaf? Lol

Is this the typical VANOS noise? This is what I thought was the typical failure cause it sounds like the VANOS piston rattling around in the piston sleeve due to the worn sealing rings...correct?

m62tu running idle noise.3gp: http://youtu.be/fVZnutntsDo

[ViolinARC]

Sounds like any other 540 - 740 I've ever heard, all normal.

"other M62tu 540 - 740"

*fixed* :-D