Hi there,

Just wondering if anyone has ever managed to purchase a reconditioned Vanos unit for the 4.4l M62 engine, I have tried endless Google searches and within the UK the only one I can find is MR Vanos although after numerous calls and an email I am unable to get hold of him.

My poor FF is currently sitting on the ramps after just having a head gasket replacement and now requires a new Vanos

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Smiggy

Vanos resealing kit any good?
I've got to change mine as some point and see that you can get all the seals etc from the US
I think I was looking for the parts on the BMW forums as there looks to be a lot more info

I bought a Besian systems VANOS seal kit including the tools to press in the new seals although I haven't got around to doing it. For the price it was a bit of no brainer to do while in there changing the timing chain guides and get rid of an occasional start up rattle that a new timing chain tensioner hasn't cured. It's obviously no guarantee of a complete fix as the VANOS helical gears could be worn but it seems most cases of rattles are from the seals going.
Looking at the Dr VANOS website a reconditioned VANOS is just the original gears (in good condition) with new seals or in other words $200 extra to fit a $50 seal kit.

Well just done them. Not a bad job but my heart was in my mouth a few times. Changing the seals was a doddle took me no time at all. I think the secret is to clean and warm everything up to around 60 to 70 deg c. Now the repressing that's a different matter.
Before you start make sure your vice is well bolted down to a solid base as the amount of force needed is tremendous.
You will need a good breaker bar a five foot length of scaffold pole and a good six point socket.
The repressing tool I was given was made from some type of alloy that just wasn't man enough. The thread part is the same thread as the crank bolt. Don't be tempted to use the crank boltt though it is just a little short of engaging a full thread into the lower part of the pressing tool. Net result was that I tried it and stripped threads in the tool. So I bored it out and re tapped it to a 3/4" UNF which is aprox 1mm larger. Tried again. Once again it stripped the threads in the tool. So I bored it out to a clearance hole size and got a longer 10.5 high tensile bolt and nut and flange washers. Greased them up with Molly and tried again. Clamping the nut in the jaws.
It took eight or nine goes to compress my unit down to the required amount.
The object is to crunch the rim down just enough to create a seal between the outer inaccessible oring and the case of the VANOS unit. The lip has to be crushed so that the steel rim closes down to the "PLASTIC" ring insert.
If you over do this it will crack the plastic and then it will cost you a new replacement unit.
The process is that you put the VANOS in the pressing tool and insert it in a vice.
Torque the bolt down to 100 foot pound and then take it down a further full turn "360deg that is". That's where the Scaffold pole comes in.
As the tension comes on at about 360deg of the turn you can feel the lip start to crush. Allowing for the bend in the bar and five foot length of scaffold pole, take it a bit more. Now this is where your rear end starts to pucker!
Take the VANOS out of the press and have a look. Check the gap with a feeler gauge mine took eight or nine progressive attempts to crush that lip. You may need to use some force to do this. I placed the unit in the vice soft jaws and just closed them enough to hold it loosely resting on the gear wheel. then used a 3/4" hard wood dowel as a dreft, to punch the pressing tool from the VANOS. Turning it in the vice so as to avoid the chance of distortion of the gear wheel.
You have to take the lip to yeald point each and every time and then beyond. As I said before it's a plastic surface you are crushing the lip down to!!!!!!
Mine took one and a half turns from the initial 100foot pound torque to get it to make the gap decrease to an acceptable seal.
My attempt was a success but I must admit. The nerves took a hammering.
It is not difficult and is well within the capabilities of mortal man, just un nerving at times.
Don't forget to also change the cam seals. They are about £5 or 6 each and there are six. 3 on each cam.
There is a nack to getting these on and off which is described in the RAVE. Eddie the eagle watch out 👀

Just for interest I put the old and new Teflon seal side by side to see if I could see any noticeable ware.
Bearing in mind that my VANOS units weren't making an excessive noise before I stripped them. If you look closely the ware is more than evident. Look at the lip thickness on the green original seal. It is well worn.

As Pepi describes, if you do this job, don't try it in a shed, as it will start to move around the garden....
I did mine on a bench, (in a workshop) with said engineering vice, and a huge pole. (You need plenty of room!) I can't remember measuring mine, I just gave them the required procedure, which I think was 1-2 full turns. As said, you are sort of crushing the curved lip, and this makes the whole vanos slightly thinner. And squashes the insides to seal better. (How I understood it) the tool and seals came in at £120 from the USA and all is quiet.
If you were to destroy one, you can pick them up on eBay for about £40 each.
I was more worried about snapping the whole setup, and going headfirst into the wall.