Member
I'm pretty sure I already know the answer but figured someone here could chime in with a confirmation. The whirring sound originates from the drivers side valve cover area. There was no whirring the first two times the car was started yesterday, on the third startup it immediately started making the whirring noise.
I was already in the process of planning to do the guides and vanos within the next couple of weeks, but I guess that's been moved up a bit. Just have to wait for the G.A.S. tool rental to be available 😐
https://streamable.com/zsk1e
https://streamable.com/988ps
Member
Get a mechanics stethoscope or a piece of tubing in your ear or something and figure out where exactly that sound is coming from. Doesn't sound like timing chain guides to me, sounds like a bad bearing so likely a tensioner pulley or maybe alternator or PS pump.
Artifically Aspirated
Moderator
Remove the belts then start the engine, see if it makes the same sound.
Member
Before you decide to do the timing chain guides, drop the oil pan and look for broken bits of p[lastic in there.
If none found, your guides are still fine, and no need to do the timing chain thing yet-..!!
Member
I forgot to mention I used a long screwdriver to do the same thing and only heard it when touching the drivers side valve cover, couldn't hear it when touching the alternator. I took a video with the accessory belt removed.Originally Posted by MotorMouth93
Bonus startup rattle!
https://streamable.com/4bnyb
Artifically Aspirated
Moderator
Wow what a noticeable difference with the belt removed.
Time for guides.
Member
It does sound like time for guides. I'd add that when I did my second 540's guides I pulled the pan and found nothing but went ahead with the job anyway because the car had 150k and the parts were in my hands. Once I got the covers off I was glad I had kept going as the upper guides had deep grooves and the lowers had lots of cracks. I must have been right on the edge of having things break off and fall into the pan. If you're ready for the job you might as well tackle it now.
I will say that on my first 540 the pan had so many pieces of guides in it the oil pickup was blocked and it was starving the pump so sometimes you can tell if you need guides by pulling the pan.
Speaking of brittle plastic you may have seen something here about it but the oil separator is another part to replace while you're there. Mine felt like it was made of eggshells.
In addition to the GAS tools you'll need to have a way to get the crank bolt off but other than that I don't remember anything out of the ordinary for this job.
Good luck!
Artifically Aspirated
Moderator
^--a thin wall 32mm deep well socket to remove the vanos solenoids.
Member
E10 and E12 e-torx. Counterhold tool (homemade is pretty doable) and 3/4" drive breaker bar with long pipe and 27mm (or 1 1/16") 3/4" drive socket for the jesus bolt. Plan on a lot of time. Then, add some more time.
Member
ECS Tuning sells a VANOS solenoid sprocket for $20, most deep well 32mm sockets aren't deep enough.
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...333sch01a~sch/
Member
This ^ worked flawlessly when I did mine. I ended up just buying Schwaben's entire kit with the cam locks, comes with the socket.
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben.../022844sch01a/ Dont remember it being this expensive though
Member
Dang, at that price you might as well just buy the GAS tools.
Member
I have almost everything I need to get started, popped the valve cover off to see if I could get a visual confirmation. So yeah, confirmed
Photo Jun 21, 5 56 22 PM.jpg
Member
So what did you visually confirm - exactly on that pic ??
Member
All the guide materal jammed between the chain and the case.
t6dq7Be.jpg
This was a couple months ago
d61mmYM.jpg
Member
just did this to my 540it. My chain guides were not broken but the chain skipped a tooth on the gears because the tensioner was shot (and it may have been the original chain 230k miles) so I replaced everything (big chain, cam chains, Vanos, all guides, checked the lifters, spark plugs and got a new tensioner for it) because I was already in there doing work. It took longer than I originally anticipated (about a month) but it is now all put back together. My trans cooler is leaking bad so I need to replace that before is goes back into rotation as the daily driver
Member
My 03 540i is being done at 160k miles. Runs like a champ and still quiet but why risk going further. I was going to DIY but still expensive and time consuming so having indie BMW shop take it on, and I like getting a 1 yr warranty on the work. Shop time is gonna cause some butt hurt but I’m keeping the car. Ordered rebuilt VANOS units as well so should run like new when done.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
PCA HPDE Instructor
current:
2004 M3 convert 6sp man - low mileage beauty!
past:
1995 BMW M3 3.2
2004 M3 convert SMG
2003 BMW 540i6 Alpine White M sport (I want her back!)
Member
My engine happened to skip a tooth on the chain at a car show so I had to 2 pedal it the couple miles home hoping nothing catastrophic would happen. Also if you are in the DC area and need the special tool kit required for the job I am willing to let you borrow the kit I bought
Member
Just got car back from timing chain/guide job, runs great and super quiet now. The dr VANOS units seem good. At 160k my guides were brittle and pieces were starting to break off, caught it at the right time.
PCA HPDE Instructor
current:
2004 M3 convert 6sp man - low mileage beauty!
past:
1995 BMW M3 3.2
2004 M3 convert SMG
2003 BMW 540i6 Alpine White M sport (I want her back!)
Member
Quick update, couldn't quite finish it last night
IMG_2922.jpgIMG_2947.jpgIMG_2952.jpg
Member
Looks like good progress. You have more plastic on the U-Guide than I did (all gone on mine and it failed on a very short commute home from work and wasn't driven again). I hope you have a positive outcome soon!
Yea, I love dem strippers
Replenish,
Are you doing this job for the first time? I am pretty handy with a wrench, but, how difficult is this job? Are you also re-doing your vanos?
Member
The job is more time consuming and tedious than it is difficult. If you can follow directions carefully you'll be fine.
Member
What MotorMouth93 said, with an emphasis on time consuming. I am just finishing mine up and I have tracked my time. I am at 57 labor hours and counting and that does not include studying and parts procurement. I did a whole bunch of "while you're there" stuff that all needed to be done and if you have to take it off then it may as well be new or in good shape when it goes back on.
I have been wrenching on cars ever since apprenticing with a BMW Master Tech around 1980. I have done pretty much all of my own repair and maintenance on my little fleet for the past 3+ decades. I have rebuilt some simple 4cyl engines and maintained over a dozen different Audis over the past 30 years. The 540i TCG job was like doing 10 Audi timing belt jobs, all at once. This was a big intimidating job, but it was not as bad as I thought.
The good news is the job is all very straight forward wrenching, mostly easy actually. The how-to support from folks on this forum, YouTube videos, G.A.S website (use their tools, they are awesome), Beisan Systems website, etc. all are incredible. Part of what took me longer is I do have some physical limitations (spine issues) so for a while I was limiting myself to 3-4 hours at a stretch. Then as I got closer done, and a lot more anxious, I powered through a couple of 8-9 hour days last weekend to get over the hump. Still sore, but happy because I got to hear my engine run for the first time in 2 months.
Anyone with decent mechanical and organizational skills can pull off this job, just know it will be costly and take a lot of time. Ask for help when needed, there are many here who have done many of these and are very helpful.
Member
It lives https://streamable.com/wdlh4
Got it put together enough to run it for a couple of seconds. Like an idiot i didn't seat the air injection pipe in on the drivers side, tightened the bolt, and ended up bending the mounting ear. So that's why it's loud as hell. As if that wasn't dumb enough I cracked the welds holding the bent ear trying to straighten it back out.
I am a very smart guy.
Photo Jul 12, 7 32 51 PM.jpg
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks