The dreaded VANOS rattle

[Mikey52]

Well, my car has had the 'marble' rattle since I bought it, I knew that the rattle wasnt a problem and up until recently it wasnt that loud.

I thought it was my timing chain tensioner, so I had that replaced last week and now it's rattling worse. I am guessing it has gotta be the VANOS, it basically rattles really badly now whenever I coast down while in-gear. It's making driving with the windows down not fun anymore.

Now I am curious, how much would replacing the VANOS unit run me(parts and hours for labor) AND would that solve the rattling, or just minimize it?

[badmonkey]

I just had my Vanos unit replaced, WOW what an improvement. I recently also replaced the lower chain tensioner (slight improvement), then the secondary tensioner (no noticable change). A new Vanos will cost ~$250, and about an hour for labor. I had mine replaced while having my DSR cams re-indexed.

[EstorilBlauM3]

The noise will be gone. I've had my VANOS replaced twice already. The other items in there like the tensioners, sprokets, and chains were replaced too. After the repairs all the noise was gone.

[Mikey52]

Well damn, that's not a bad price at all. I was worried the unit would cost like 500 bucks or something.

Anyone have the part number for what I need?

[EstorilBlauM3]

The part number for my 96 was: 11-36-1-748-819

[Mikey52]

Thanks!

[M3Style95]

i just had mine replaced it was $550 how did you get your so cheap. labor was like 4 hours or so

[badmonkey]

$550 labor if they are charging you $550 an hour!

[Dinan330ic]

'marble' rattle??? What the hell does that sound like???

It's a possibility that your cat is bad. Or you're running lean.

[M3Style95]

shops around here suck ass. every time i get a quote on BF.C its always 2 to 3 hundred bucks cheaper then what it really is. i went to 4 bmw shops in town and 550 was the cheapest. the $stealer wanted 700..

[m_specs]

i dont get it.. how do you know if your vanos unit has gone bad?? what do you look for other than a "marble rattling" sound?

[Caymandiver75]

What is it exactly that causes the sound? I know its the vanos, but how does that cause the marble in tin can sound?

[///Mracer]

Another VANOS question - Lets say that you have the noise but performance seems to be OK. If the VANOS is not changed, can it cause additional problems down the road or does the noise just get louder and performance start to drop?

I think I have some noise from my VANOS also (95 w/ 72K) but I do not want to fix it at this time and my cars seems to have the performance like always.

Hmm.....

[badmonkey]

My Vanos would stick occasionally, along with a dramatic increase in noise over the last 5000 miles.

[LY95]

Some people get a CE light when their VANOS is messed. Usually switched on around 5-6K RPM when you're getting on it.

[HellrotM3]

Mine seems to make the "Marble in tin can" sound as well. More on a cold start and idle. More often than not, the sound disappears after reaching optimal operating temps. Does this sound like a VANOS problem to you guys?

[EstorilBlauM3]

The "marble in tine can" noise would occur when I would rev the engine. The first time around, the noise happened around 2.5K-3K RPM. The noise was loud and would slow down when coming off of the rev. The second time around, the noise would occur at 1.5K RPM and slow down when coming off the rev. When the mechanic took the VANOS unit off, the teeth on the sprocket that would mate with the camshaft was worn and would have play. This excess play would cause the "marble in a tin can" noise. At the same time my VANOS was replaced, all tensioners, sprokets, and chains were replaced too. These items were replaced because the mechanic colloed the so called order of operations on this type of noise. I got a break on the price for everything so I was happy. The motor is quiet and smooth once again.

[Mikey52]

Originally posted by Dinan325ic
It's a possibility that your cat is bad.

Not a possibility...

Anyone know the best place to get the unit? I assume the $tealer is not going to be the cheapest.

My rattle has become much much worse over the past few weeks, Im not sure if Ive felt any performance loss but the noise is really getting on my nerves. The car rattles whenever Im off the throttle in-gear at pretty much any RPM.

[AJIT]

please can you tell me exactly what was replaced i have a bmw e36 evo m3 -have had a brand new vanos unit -still engine noise when engine is started from cold -had a new chain tensioner as well dont know it is primary or secondary tensioner not had the actual chain replaced is that a big job

[AvusBlua M3]

i believe you can get some money for the core of the vanos or some part of it....is that right?

cheapest place=not the dealership....just find a shop

[rbelton]

I'm surprised no one has posted a video clip of the vanos rattle here. Just posting to add to the library for members who are searching and have this issue.

Here's a vanos rattle on an M54 3.0 engine. The noise does vary and I've heard much louder than this.

[E36BMW3series]

I don't see how a shop could only charge an hour for this job. I'm sure the book on a valve cover gasket alone is an hour.


Why not do it yourself though. You have the best possibly DIY available for this.
http://www.beisansystems.com/procedu..._procedure.htm
http://www.beisansystems.com/procedu..._procedure.htm

Best part is you can go a Dr. Vanos unit if you don't feel like rebuilding it yourself, have that part done, and still save money.

Check my sig if you need to rent the timing tools. I recommend replacing the upper chain tensioner and valve cover gasket (plus ALL grommets) while you're in there. Make sure you have a new front vanos metal seal as well. Another while you're there is spark plugs, but those aren't too bad otherwise.

I would fully expect a shop to charge 500-600 for this job.

[boarder2k7]

Question about the Besian kit.

I'm going to be in there and replace the seals on the Vanos unit anyway, should I toss the rattle kit in there as well even though mine doesn't? Unless there's some reason that would be a problem, it seemed foolish not to spend the $30 on the part.

[jayjaya29]

Question about the Besian kit.

I'm going to be in there and replace the seals on the Vanos unit anyway, should I toss the rattle kit in there as well even though mine doesn't? Unless there's some reason that would be a problem, it seemed foolish not to spend the $30 on the part.

I would definitely do the rattle kit. You'll need the soft vise jaw liners as well (along with the 18mm socket but you can grind one of your own if you have a grinder/dremel).

[E36BMW3series]

Question about the Besian kit.

I'm going to be in there and replace the seals on the Vanos unit anyway, should I toss the rattle kit in there as well even though mine doesn't? Unless there's some reason that would be a problem, it seemed foolish not to spend the $30 on the part.

I haven't ever done it before, but both times I've done the seal it's been a "because I'm in there" and I didn't mind going back in if a rattle developed. I say it depends on how willing you are to do the job again.