You guys are exceptional! Your ability to make a great training video is so good, I almost wish you switched careers to teaching others how to make a good video! I build and design industrial machinery for a living and have a 2006 X5 sitting in my driveway , I am about 30 minutes from going up and doing the timing chain now. Your video was excellent and a great pre-job sanity check for me! Hats off to you and your team!
Maestro !, beautiful job Kurt.................the vanos system looks complicated, so impressed................have owned 2 beemers, thankfully have never needed to do a head gasket {2 years late}
Fantastic video! Thank you! You forgot to mention: 1. torque for all the nuts and the bolt that secure the vanos unit to the head. Is the torque for all those 10 NM? 2. torque for the chain tensioner. It is 70 NM. 3. torque for the vanos access plugs. It is 50 NM. You also skipped the part when you installed the plastic front timing chain guide and the torque for the external torx screws that hold it down. Could you please let me know what that torque specification would be?
Thanks for watching in answer to your questions 1. Vanos unit to cylinder head bolt torque is 10Nm 2. Chain Tensioner torque when preloading the timing chain for cam timing is 0.7 NM using dummy tensioner. Tighting the tensioner is engine specfic for the M50-56 engines tighting torque is 70 Nm 3. Vanos Access plugs M22 1.5 torque is 50Nm 4. Tightening torques on the guide rails for M6 fastners will be 10 Nm thanks
Yes, thank you! As I said, I am in the middle of doing the timing on the M54. But, I bought an aftermarket full timing kit for the M54, and some of the kit is defective. The tensioner tool, for example, is too short so the threads on the mandril won't engage the threads on the engine head because it is too short. argghhh... So, I had to hack a tensioner tool myself using the actual tensioner. Your video is REALLY good. It clearly shows what to do every step of the way. I would have messed up several things without it, or maybe would not have even tried the repair at all if I had not seen it. So far I have placed the chain back on and removed the holder pin. I will continue on the rest once my micro-torque wrench arrives in.a few days.
I see You started installing the timing chain sprocket backwards then jump cut to in installed already. Most videos I've seen jump cut to it installed as well. What's the secret? The chain seems too tight to fit. Any tips? Thanks.
Stephen, So the timing chain install is like a juggling act, you need to get each sprocket into the chain and onto the camshaft end. Then you end up moving it a link at a time to get them into to the right spot. The reason why we jumped/cut to installed is just because it took a while to get both gears on and in the right place. Since our focus on this video was more the timing aspect we did not include the 20 minutes of wrestling the chain and sprockets. When putting the gears onto the chain start with the pull side first, (intake), using a zip tie to hold the chain on the sprocket will often help. Then move to the exhaust side, install the sprocket and move it up towards the exhaust cam. It will be a bit of a wrestle but what you will find is once everything is just in the right spot the exhaust sprocket will just slide on. Thanks for watching and good luck with your project. Kurt
hi there, i was just wondering why do we need to use a 'dummy' tensioner (that mandrel thingy with a threaded shaft in it) - can we not just use the existing chain tensioner (the big 32mm bolt that has a spring in it) to stop the chain slack? is it because no oil pressure so wouldn't be strong enough to hold chain? sorry if this is a stupid question i'm obviously just not smart enough to realise why. about to redo my timing on my e60 m54, i too had poor engine comp, so i relapped all my valves - just bolted head back on so i just need to do my timing, accessories and wire it bck up. thanks, superb video btw!
So yes, you are correct that the spring alone does not exert enough tension on the timing chain to stop it from moving against the valve springs. It's a different story when the engine is running because now oil pressure works on the tensioner to maintain timing chain tension. Kurt
@@klassikats wonderful, that explains it then. looks like i'll have to buy that specialty timing kit for vanos and chain then.. thank u for your reply Kurt, much appreciated!
Pedro, It is going to depend on what was wrong the first time something failed, how many miles are on the car and how much use it gets. Most of these cars are getting up there in miles and years and yes that means more failures. You just have to figure out what's best for you and your budget. Maybe if you can afford it, it's time to buy something newer. Thanks for watching Kurt
You guys are exceptional! Your ability to make a great training video is so good, I almost wish you switched careers to teaching others how to make a good video! I build and design industrial machinery for a living and have a 2006 X5 sitting in my driveway , I am about 30 minutes from going up and doing the timing chain now. Your video was excellent and a great pre-job sanity check for me! Hats off to you and your team!
Landon,
Thank you for your kind comment, we really appreciate it.
Kurt
Maestro !, beautiful job Kurt.................the vanos system looks complicated, so impressed................have owned 2 beemers, thankfully have never needed to do a head gasket {2 years late}
Thanks Blair,
The system is not to bad once you get into it
Kurt
Great video, would have been nice to hear you start her up after all the work! Thumbs up!!
Thanks Scott. Yes it would have been good to hear it run. Next time!
Thank you!!
You're welcome!
Thanks body!
Your welcome
Kurt
thank you
Welcome!
Fantastic video! Thank you!
You forgot to mention:
1. torque for all the nuts and the bolt that secure the vanos unit to the head. Is the torque for all those 10 NM?
2. torque for the chain tensioner. It is 70 NM.
3. torque for the vanos access plugs. It is 50 NM.
You also skipped the part when you installed the plastic front timing chain guide and the torque for the external torx screws that hold it down. Could you please let me know what that torque specification would be?
Thanks for watching in answer to your questions
1. Vanos unit to cylinder head bolt torque is 10Nm
2. Chain Tensioner torque when preloading the timing chain for cam timing is 0.7 NM using dummy tensioner. Tighting the tensioner is engine specfic for the M50-56 engines tighting torque is 70 Nm
3. Vanos Access plugs M22 1.5 torque is 50Nm
4. Tightening torques on the guide rails for M6 fastners will be 10 Nm
thanks
The timing tool really helps.
Yes, thank you! As I said, I am in the middle of doing the timing on the M54. But, I bought an aftermarket full timing kit for the M54, and some of the kit is defective. The tensioner tool, for example, is too short so the threads on the mandril won't engage the threads on the engine head because it is too short. argghhh... So, I had to hack a tensioner tool myself using the actual tensioner.
Your video is REALLY good. It clearly shows what to do every step of the way. I would have messed up several things without it, or maybe would not have even tried the repair at all if I had not seen it.
So far I have placed the chain back on and removed the holder pin. I will continue on the rest once my micro-torque wrench arrives in.a few days.
I see You started installing the timing chain sprocket backwards then jump cut to in installed already. Most videos I've seen jump cut to it installed as well. What's the secret? The chain seems too tight to fit. Any tips? Thanks.
Stephen,
So the timing chain install is like a juggling act, you need to get each sprocket into the chain and onto the camshaft end. Then you end up moving it a link at a time to get them into to the right spot. The reason why we jumped/cut to installed is just because it took a while to get both gears on and in the right place. Since our focus on this video was more the timing aspect we did not include the 20 minutes of wrestling the chain and sprockets. When putting the gears onto the chain start with the pull side first, (intake), using a zip tie to hold the chain on the sprocket will often help. Then move to the exhaust side, install the sprocket and move it up towards the exhaust cam. It will be a bit of a wrestle but what you will find is once everything is just in the right spot the exhaust sprocket will just slide on.
Thanks for watching and good luck with your project.
Kurt
@@klassikats thanks for that, yeah mine fell below the the metal pin so it was hard to get onto the cam shaft when on the sprocket.
hi there, i was just wondering why do we need to use a 'dummy' tensioner (that mandrel thingy with a threaded shaft in it) - can we not just use the existing chain tensioner (the big 32mm bolt that has a spring in it) to stop the chain slack? is it because no oil pressure so wouldn't be strong enough to hold chain? sorry if this is a stupid question i'm obviously just not smart enough to realise why. about to redo my timing on my e60 m54, i too had poor engine comp, so i relapped all my valves - just bolted head back on so i just need to do my timing, accessories and wire it bck up. thanks, superb video btw!
So yes, you are correct that the spring alone does not exert enough tension on the timing chain to stop it from moving against the valve springs. It's a different story when the engine is running because now oil pressure works on the tensioner to maintain timing chain tension.
Kurt
@@klassikats wonderful, that explains it then. looks like i'll have to buy that specialty timing kit for vanos and chain then.. thank u for your reply Kurt, much appreciated!
Is hard to fix car once the head is replace it will be less the a 3 mouth and I will go bad
Pedro,
It is going to depend on what was wrong the first time something failed, how many miles are on the car and how much use it gets. Most of these cars are getting up there in miles and years and yes that means more failures. You just have to figure out what's best for you and your budget. Maybe if you can afford it, it's time to buy something newer.
Thanks for watching
Kurt