G'day,

I'm looking at buying a L322 petrol Rangie, but have read a few things about VANOS and timing chain/guide issues.

Could someone explain what the issues are, please?

Do you have to change out the timing chain and guides as well as the VANOS units when doing the VANOS repair??

Also, can the Rangie still be driven with VANOS issues, or will it kill the engine?

I'm considering buying a Rangie that has had a mechanic diagnose the VANOS system to be an issue and also suggested changing the timing chain.

I'm also considering tackling this job myself, or would I be a mentalist to do this?

Any help appreciated

Cheers

You need a fair amount of specialist tooling to do either job properly although there are videos on youtube of a guy changing the timing chain and guides using blocks of wood to lock the cams.
look up beisan systems m62 engine which explains very well what the vanos symptoms are.
I have the m62 and the startup rattle and the ticking when warm as do many of the m62 engines which i have read many times that it can be driven like that without an issue if that is the cause.

i understand the main faults to be
Timing chain tensioner can become faulty and cause various issues including a slack chain slap, start up rattle, this can be changed on its own although access is limited.
Vanos solenoid non return valves can cause start up rattles and again quite easy to change but may not cure the fault
Vanos seals can be replaced if this is the cause, refer to the procedure on beisan systems website, very involved
Now this is more serious
The timing chain guides are known to break down, bits drop into the sump as a way of diagnosing the problem and if left untreated can cause the terminal engine failure as the chain jumps teeth and mr and mrs piston go around to the valve's house for tea and a fight breaks out

That's probably a bit simplified, i have the timing chain tensioner and the Non return valves but haven't got around to fitting them.

if you were going to do the timing chain or guides I'd do the vanos and vice versa and the tensioer and NRVs also as part of that procedure
there is another forum that has a guy going through the entire procedure of guides and vanos and i have a feeling i may be there one day but its a big project to do it properly

cheezels said:

G'day,
I'm looking at buying a L322 petrol Rangie, but have read a few things about VANOS and timing chain/guide issues.
Could someone explain what the issues are, please?
Do you have to change out the timing chain and guides as well as the VANOS units when doing the VANOS repair??
Also, can the Rangie still be driven with VANOS issues, or will it kill the engine?
I'm considering buying a Rangie that has had a mechanic diagnose the VANOS system to be an issue and also suggested changing the timing chain.
I'm also considering tackling this job myself, or would I be a mentalist to do this?
Any help appreciated
Cheers

Click to expand...

I apologise if any of this is teaching you to suck eggs....

The BMW supplied M62TUB44 in the L322 is an overhead quad cam 32 valve 8 cylinder Vee pattern (90°) Aluminium naturally aspirated petrol engine. Fitted with Single VANOS variable valve timing on the intake cams.

VANOS stands for something ridiculously long in German which basically means variable valve timing. The VANOS unit consists of a set of helical gears and seals in a compact unit where one part is bolted to the camshaft and the other half is driven by the cam timing chains.....inside is a series of helical gears that when hydraulic pressure is applied (using the VANOS control solenoid) this alters the position of the camshaft half in relation to the driven half thus altering the timing angle.

Overtime the seals in the VANOS units wear out and the two halves slop about and rattle or tick....whilst VANOS noise won't kill the engine, it will be down on performance a bit and be noisy!!

VANOS can be DIY'd and I would strongly advocate doing a lot of research into the process as it is a bit fiddly and tricky, but do-able.....the hard part is getting the VANOS off and then re-timing it on the way back on again. this involves special timing tools and a multimeter.....more about the timing tools further down my reply.

Timing Chain and Guides.....

The M62 engine using a REALLY long chain that winds its way from the crank up to the first bank, back down to almost the crank again, then back up to the second bank and back down again......he chain is routed using plastic guides (why the feck BMW changed from metal to plastic when they changed from the M60 to the M62 God only knows!!) and one of these guides is pivoted at the bottom and a small hydraulic tensioner is positioned at the top and this acts to tension the timing chain.

Over time the tensioner gives up and the chain can start to rattle, this gives similar indication of worn guides but sooooo much easier to deal with as it simply screws into the side of the engine! A revised Tensioner was issued by BMW that used a better, longer spring and hydraulic seal to better maintain chain tension.

Back to the guides.....as they are plastic, they will wear out with a metal chain running over them constantly, so much so that there are reports of the guides breaking up altogether and making their way to the sump and blocking the oil pick up...potentially trashing the engine.

Changing the guides is not for the faint hearted...it means practically striping the engine to pieces (aside from the block and heads) to get the chains out...as per the image below...


(the two VANOS units are clearly seen here!!)

The process is (very basically) Strip front of engine, strip top of engine, lock cams in places using special tools, remove timing cover, remove chain, replace guides, put it all back together again....re-time VANOS (if necessary)

So special tools.....these can be sodding expensive. You'll need the cam locks, the VANOS timing pins, the Tension Guide clamp, flywheel timing pin, VANOS solenoid socket, VANOS unit wrench and if you are doing the VANOS drive chain guides and tensioners (you may aswell if you are in there) you'll need the locking pins for them too...

At least a couple of hundred quid for the set, have seen them for £400+.....hence why I never let mine out of my sight!...Thankfully not had to use it (yet) as I got mine when I thought I had head gasket issues.....(mines in a blue box though )

There are workarounds and not have to use the tools, but you take your chance...timing on the M62 is critical..!!!



Here are the VANOS timing pins and tensior clamp in use...



Here is a link to the VANOS repair procedure with LOADS of photos....

http://www.beisansystems.com/procedures/m62tu_vanos_procedure.htm

It is all DIY-able...but it is hugely involved and expensive.....

The (abbreviate) Golden Rule to buying a Range Rover is: Never, Ever buy a Range Rover with fault(s) unless you are prepared for the potential expense, frustration and time involved in repairing it....

If it is offered at a steal of a price, maybe go for it......but the timing chain guides alone are around £200 for the set, then there is the chain at £65, VANOS chains at £20 each, VANOS drive chain tensioners at about £90 each, new chain tensioner £50, not including the cost of the gaskets, seals for the VANOS and etc....in fact I have seen a 'Timing Chain Kit' for £569 so not a cheap job.

Not putting you off, just giving the facts.....the L322 is a complex expensive vehicle (needlessly in most cases) but they are awesome to drive.....

And i'm still waiting for your How To Ant !