Yes, I read the DIY. I added my commentary and the one picture I thought mattered. This job does not need 20 pictures to explain. I mostly wanted to comment on how the tensioner functioned and how that related to the new/old units.
Richard
BMW Convert
Let us redefine "progress" to mean that just because we CAN mod a thing, it does not necessarily follow that we MUST mod that thing.
Great before/after picture, interesting stuff
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Great info, thanks!
I'm not saying you're stupid, I'm saying you have bad luck at thinking.
'05 Saab 9-3 Aero; '80 Bradley GTE, 96V electric; '64 Falcon 'vert;
'78 Glastron/Carlson CV23 '96 K2500 Suburban; '88 Suzuki Intruder 1400
Thanks for the post, I've had the "marbles problem" for a while now, and have been trying to figure out what was behind it. I've suspected a Vanos issue, but this sounds like a reasonable cause. As easy a job as you describe it to be, might as well get after it.
Mike Volpigno
2001 540i / 6
I replaced this a few months back, the rattle went away for a few startups but came back later, and my car still makes the rattling noise on startup Anyone have any suggestions for this? Other than replacing the guides
2009 135i/6 | Cobb Stg 2+ | VRSF Downpipes | aFe Intake | Evolution Intercooler | Evolution CP | Apex ARC8s | BMW Performance Spoiler | Carbon Fiber
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Richard
BMW Convert
Let us redefine "progress" to mean that just because we CAN mod a thing, it does not necessarily follow that we MUST mod that thing.
I just replaced mine today. billzcat did you open both units and compare the springs? The new one had a different design spring and it was about a 1/2" longer than the old.
I replaced mine Wed night, about a 15min job. I had a slight, muffled rattle on startup after sitting 6-8hrs or more. No rattle Thur morning!
Hopefully I get no rattle tomorrow morning when I fire her up.
I'm not saying you're stupid, I'm saying you have bad luck at thinking.
'05 Saab 9-3 Aero; '80 Bradley GTE, 96V electric; '64 Falcon 'vert;
'78 Glastron/Carlson CV23 '96 K2500 Suburban; '88 Suzuki Intruder 1400
No I didn't look at the springs. I could tell it had one because it did have a slight springy-ness but I didn't pull it apart to look.
Richard
BMW Convert
Let us redefine "progress" to mean that just because we CAN mod a thing, it does not necessarily follow that we MUST mod that thing.
Mine is doing this same thing, at least I hope so!
Does it kinda sound like a rod knock / rattling for about 1 second when it's started cold?
Oh yeah, thanks for the explanation / photos!
Thanks for the tip, I have been looking for some PM to do on the car. Any excuse to wrench lol.
You got it! I also noted a considerable improvement when I did my first oil change. I went from whatever goo the PO had put in there for some Amsoil 5W-40 European Formula. It felt good to put good oil in this car. It didn't cure it, but it did reduce the noise ~50%. This job would be the cure.
The DIY explanation has about 2 dozen pictures of the job. The most important one from that DIY is...
...because it shows the location of this part (front, passenger side of engine) and one way of attacking it. If you have a short 1-2" extension, it will be easier than with the wobble joint because you can easily compress the spring as you tighten it into the hole.
Richard
BMW Convert
Let us redefine "progress" to mean that just because we CAN mod a thing, it does not necessarily follow that we MUST mod that thing.
I did some work to my car today and removed it. Definitely needs a new one. While I had it out I stretched the spring a little bit and the rattle at idle got much quieter for a few minutes then back to normal rattle.....ordering one now.
It's probably not going to cure your rattle at idle. M62s naturally have a bit of valvetrain noise, but a full-on rattle at idle might indicate all your guides are bad. The rattle this cure is the the brief rattle on start-up as it builds oil pressure and tensions the chain.
The timing chain guides aren't the end of the world. A friend of mine had a 318i with the M42 motor. Fundamentally, the architecture is pretty similar to the M62. Anyway he got it at 210k with the worst timing chain rattle ever and upon teardown, we found EVERYTHING in the timing chain system was broken/damaged. Guides, tensioner, crank gear, cam gear, chain. Replaced it all and the motor ran like a freakin top even though it had been driven into the ground by the idiot previous owner.
My point here is that while doing preventative maintenance is the right way to go, BMW builds these motors pretty robustly and you probably won't do any irreparable/major damage by not addressing it immediately.
Richard
BMW Convert
Let us redefine "progress" to mean that just because we CAN mod a thing, it does not necessarily follow that we MUST mod that thing.
Can anyone tell me where I can find the DIY for a different E39 motor, ie: M50/2?
Now that it has been a couple months since I replaced the tensioner, I can report that my car is largely cured of the cold start rattle. It used to do it on about 25 to 30% of my cold starts. Now it does it probably less than 10% and the rattle is VERY faint. Well worth doing for me.
2001 540 M-Sport (cdn), ST X (KW) coilovers, H&R 15mm spacers, Eibach anti roll bars (28mm/18mm), Beastpower rear antiroll bar brackets, M5 rear chassis reinforcements (traction rods), Strong Strut front upper strut bar, Dinan Stage 1 software, factory M-Audio subs, Bavsound speaker upgrade, Bluebus bluetooth integration, Stop Tech SS brake lines, ATE coated brake rotors, ATE ceramic brake pads.
I didn't have a cold start rattle but I do have a bit of a rattle once it's warm. I just did this anyway for preventive maintenance. I tightened it down but I did not give it the "solid tug" at the end. Do I need to unbutton it and do this? It seemed to be lenty tight, and I observed no leak from that area.
1991 M5 (in progress)
Restoring an old BMW, God help me.
What I don't understand is why the BMW dealers and independent repair shops are not aware of this fix. Granted it does not seem to fix the problem 100%, but I would guess at least 50% of the time it does...my car started doing it around 60k or 70k, and I did not have it replaced until 130k or so. Obviously this must be a wear part that should be periodically replaced.
2001 540 M-Sport (cdn), ST X (KW) coilovers, H&R 15mm spacers, Eibach anti roll bars (28mm/18mm), Beastpower rear antiroll bar brackets, M5 rear chassis reinforcements (traction rods), Strong Strut front upper strut bar, Dinan Stage 1 software, factory M-Audio subs, Bavsound speaker upgrade, Bluebus bluetooth integration, Stop Tech SS brake lines, ATE coated brake rotors, ATE ceramic brake pads.
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can anyone confirm if this is the same procedure for the M62's?
thanks
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