[Mike K]

UPDATE OCT 2021:

I just returned from a 2200 mile vacation from Chicago to Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota in our 2011 e91. The car performed without a hitch and we got about 28 mpg for the trip. Really fun & scenic BMW drives in the Black Hills to be sure! Super smooth roads in SD too.

I'm not saying I'm "outta the woods" with my faulty Vanos bolts issue, but with the repairs I have profiled in this thread, along with changing the Motul oil every 3750 miles I'm feeling quite a bit better.

I also am changing the oil filter every $1875 miles to make sure I'm getting any stray particulate from the chowed exhaust Vanos bolts too. That and a Liqui Moly engine flush on each of the quick oil changes are my regime for now.

I'm planning on dropping the oil pan to hunt down the three missing bolt heads and also doing the water pump & t stat job in the spring of 2022. Fingers still crossed but feeling much relief!

[SCS55]

Originally Posted by Mike K

UPDATE OCT 2021:

I just returned from a 2200 mile vacation from Chicago to Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota in our 2011 e91. The car performed without a hitch and we got about 28 mpg for the trip. Really fun & scenic BMW drives in the Black Hills to be sure! Super smooth roads in SD too.

I'm not saying I'm "outta the woods" with my faulty Vanos bolts issue, but with the repairs I have profiled in this thread, along with changing the Motul oil every 3750 miles I'm feeling quite a bit better.

I also am changing the oil filter every $1875 miles to make sure I'm getting any stray particulate from the chowed exhaust Vanos bolts too. That and a Liqui Moly engine flush on each of the quick oil changes are my regime for now.

I'm planning on dropping the oil pan to hunt down the three missing bolt heads and also doing the water pump & t stat job in the spring of 2022. Fingers still crossed but feeling much relief!

Thx for the update, that's great news and the car looks sweet. + 1 on the Motul…. I changed mine two weeks ago with Motul 5W40 Gen 2, cut open the filter (nothing found), and sent a sample to Blackstone. Good luck on the water pump and T stat refresh, it's very easy to do on the N52.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by SCS55

Thx for the update, that's great news and the car looks sweet. + 1 on the Motul…. I changed mine two weeks ago with Motul 5W40 Gen 2, cut open the filter (nothing found), and sent a sample to Blackstone. Good luck on the water pump and T stat refresh, it's very easy to do on the N52.

Thanks SC555! It was your posts and other helpful folks too about this same issue that encouraged me to proceed with the repairs. I appreciate you man!

[SCS55]

Here is my oil analysis with (3 bolt heads sitting in my pan). So far so good. This sample was Castrol 5W30 Euro Blend. I'm currently running Motul 5W40.

[TheGoodTheBadTheUgly]

Hello guys, I come from the N54/N55 platform and I am trying to diagnose my friends 2011 E90 328i.

I have found many symptoms similar to what is described in this thread but I didn't hear any VANOS rattle so far. The whining seems to appear 10 minutes in everytime I start the car. On startuo there is only rough idle, no whining noise at all. Did it use to take time to start whining for you too or was it instant?

Another thing is it throws two VANOS intake codes. I tried cleaning and swapping the solenoids but code still appears on intake.

Do you guys think its only a dead PCV/Valve cover or there is something more like your situation behind it?

[Mike K]

As the OP, the whistling would start after a few minutes and the engine was up to temperature. Rough idle, noisy clatter and only a check engine light with no other codes.

Has your friends 328i had the faulty Vanos bolts recall or replacement under the 10 year warranty? Once you open up the VC you’ll see for yourself. Faulty torx bolts have a center “security” center pin.

[SCS55]

Originally Posted by Mike K

As the OP, the whistling would start after a few minutes and the engine was up to temperature. Rough idle, noisy clatter and only a check engine light with no other codes.

Has your friends 328i had the faulty Vanos bolts recall or replacement under the 10 year warranty? Once you open up the VC you'll see for yourself. Faulty torx bolts have a center "security" center pin.

^^^This +1^^^
My squealing started fairly instantly followed by the engine chattering a few days later. I too swapped Vanos Solenoids to no avail. In the end, the fix was a new Valve Cover (mine cracked during removal) and replacing the Vanos adjuster screws and that solved everything. A little pricey for the VC and a tedious screw replace procedure, but completely doable.

[Frankenstein_135]

Originally Posted by Mike K

UPDATE FROM BMW NA: My BMW NA "genius" Colin called to say that "the engine in my e91 is not in the recall range". I told him I'm still proceeding with the NHTSA formal complaint as my 2011 e91 engine IS actually in the recall range and contains the faulty bolts. But he couldn't tell me what the recall range actually was. I don't think he knew..

He did finally apologize for insisting my engine was a 4 cylinder however! A small victory. If the NHTSA complaint folks get back to me, I'll post updates here.

In the meantime 2009-2011 e91 folks, check thos Vanos bolts and save yourself a major headache!

Hi Mike, any updates on the complaint? I'm having the exact same issue and was told that my car is not included in the recall and that I have passed the 10-year extended warranty for the VANOS bolts. Thinking about filing a complaint as well.

My thread: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1959160

[Mike K]

So far no traction on the NHTSA complaint. I think if more e91 folks take the few minutes to file a complaint, it could indeed help. In the meantime, check and replace those faulty security pin Vanos torx bolts!

[bryanjb]

Originally Posted by Mike K

So far no traction on the NHTSA complaint. I think if more e91 folks take the few minutes to file a complaint, it could indeed help. In the meantime, check and replace those faulty security pin Vanos torx bolts!

Mike,

My E91 is very similar to yours, except being an Xi. It is up for the winter, but first thing this spring I will be checking those bolts. Glad its worked out for you. I'm glad you helped get this on my radar, so thank you.

I'd like to see this thread kept alive. I may preemptively file a NHTSA complaint to add depth to their database.

I'll be posting back here in a few months at the most with my findings and / or work.

[Mike K]

Thanks Bryan. Yeah along with the inexpensive Vanos replacement bolts, I did the VC, ESS sensor, Vanos solenoids and filter cleaning, plugs, and coil packs.

But how us e91 folks got left out of this recall is beyond me!

I keep dreaming that the NHTSA will take some action on this, but not holding me breath. Additional complaints is the only way it will ever happen.

[SCS55]

Update here….. last week my intake cam adjuster started making the same rattling sound and evidently threw a "Camshaft A over re tarted" code. As I should have done a year ago when I did the exhaust cam bolt upgrade, I took the valve cover off and all 4 bolts were migrating off. :30 minutes of replacing the bolts and a new VC gasket back on with no issues.
Bottom line…do both cam adjusters while you are in there!

[Mike K]

UPDATE 11-15-23 BMW has FINALLY issued recall #23V-707 to replace the faulty Vanos bolts 2 years on from this original thread! Get yours repaired on their nickel!

Run your Vin on the BMW Recall site here:

https://www.bmwusa.com/safety-and-emission-recalls.html

Let us know how it goes?

[bryanjb]

Originally Posted by Mike K

UPDATE 11-15-23 BMW has FINALLY issued recall #23V-707 to replace the faulty Vanos bolts 2 years on from this original thread! Get yours repaired on their nickel!

Run your Vin on the BMW Recall site here:

https://www.bmwusa.com/safety-and-emission-recalls.html

Let us know how it goes?

since BMW NA now has our wagons on the recall, I asked the local stealership whether those of us who completed the work prior might be reimbursed, and their reply was "no, but you might want to check with BMW NA"

anyone tried this with results?

the other implication is that none of the user completed recalls would be certified as complete, since they aren't (usually) completed by a BMW certed technician (with work standards that usually are below mine...)

[Mike K]

Indeed. The last thing I want is the stealership poking around in there after I successfully repaired it years before the recall. Not in a trusting mood after my experience with BMW NA.

Still want to clear the recall tho..

[connorreddington]

Want to cross post this. I just got done changing the valve cover a few hundred miles ago. Same symptoms. Whistling noise (I could hear from a quarter mile away...) that went away when I pulled the oil cap. Then a few days ago, VANOS failure. Is the PCV somehow related to the VANOS failure? This is my wife's car, so I don't drive it much.

Originally Posted by connorreddington

My wife’s car died while driving home the other day. Threw 10 codes, including 2a82, 2a7c, 2a98, 2a9a, and a bunch of misfire codes. My first thought was solenoids and cam shaft sensors. Swapped those, nothing. Still getting 2a9a. Not even attempting to start, just cranking.

Pulled the oil cap, and found the intake cam not spinning when she hits the starter. I can’t see the exhaust cam, but I do see the springs moving, so I know the timing chain is intact. Plus I’m only getting the 2a9a intake code, not its exhaust equivalent.

Next step I guess is pulling the valve cover, and seeing what actually failed. And a bore scope to see if the intake valves made friends with the cylinders. It happened on a downhill, so I’m hoping that she was coasting, and there was no interference…

Anyways. Sheared VANOS bolts? Could the large bolt on the end of the cam fail? I changed the valve cover about 100 miles before this happened. Did I mess something up? Random coindence? I didn’t know to look for the VANOS bolts when I had the valve cover off.

https://youtube.com/shorts/q7NmBjwqW...0__kYlUKOlBzYg

[StradaRedlands]

Originally Posted by connorreddington

Want to cross post this. I just got done changing the valve cover a few hundred miles ago. Same symptoms. Whistling noise (I could hear from a quarter mile away...) that went away when I pulled the oil cap. Then a few days ago, VANOS failure. Is the PCV somehow related to the VANOS failure? This is my wife's car, so I don't drive it much.

Another data point: I just had PCV and valvetronic motor both go bad on our E70 with a N55 motor. Got a reduced power CEL and some Valvetronic codes, and the whistling noise from the PCV at the same time. Mechanic hoped that it was all related to the PCV, but of course wasn't and needed to get the Valvetronic motor replaced. So, just throwing more stuff out there to keep everyone thoroughly confused!