Ok here a picture of a 2013 550 with a N63,,,,with the drivers side inner cooler removed,,,customer said the engine was running rough intermittently and the check engine light came on,,,,I checked for fault,,,,found intake vanos solenoid on bank 2 faulty,,,,,I performed a vanos test,,,,which checks if all the vanos units are moving and not locking up,,,,the vanos units passed
So here is a picture of both of the vanos solenoid son bank 2,,,,,the drivers side,,,,the solenoid on top is the intake one.
Ok here is the old and new vanos solenoids,,,,as you can see they have updated the new one,,,,they now have more screen filters over the solenoid valve,,,,that’s probably so no dirt gets in to them.,,,,this job really isn’t that hard,,,,just need to be patient and have the right tools,,,,,some of the mounting hardware is hard to see.
bmwtechnician 
All good to know.
-Oasis
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Sorry couldn’t find any other place to post.I need little help.Harmonic balancer on my 2006 E60 with N52 is wobbling close to 1.5mm but ISTA says max limit is .4mm.So i am going to replace it.Are there any special tools required to lock the crankshaft while removing 6 bolts?Can crankshaft be rotated backwards without any risk?Thanks
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Hi,,,,,no you don’t have to pin the motor while removing the front pulley ,,,,I believe there are 8 torque bolt holding it in,,,,the hardest part is aligning the dowel pin up with the new pulley,,,,,just align the pulley and start all 8 bolts by hand,,,,if you have a small mirror to check with dowel alignment would be helpful,,,,,good luck
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So for the N63 Engine. I gather it has all together Four Vanos solenoids the set is behind left Intercooler and right set behind other intercooler. Is that correct?
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Yes that is correct
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Do you recomend replacing all four at same time? I was getting an DTM for Vanos Solenoid Bank 2 Cold Start Not reached. Replaced Bank 2 Solenoid cleared code and reset Adaptations. I still get same code again.
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If you replaced both solenoids on the drivers side and you still get the fault then you might have a issue with the vanos units
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If you replaced both solenoids on the drivers side and you still get the fault then you might have a issue with the vanos units.
Before I Replaced the Vanos Solenoids on drivers side it was in the shop for the N63 Customer care package. The dealer confirmed that the Vanos Units are working Properly. So now I am lost and stuck. 😦
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When I had this same ongoing issue my timing chains were stretched and two weeks later my engine died.
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That’s also a possibility,,,Or a chain rail could be broken causing timing issue
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Well after the dealership did the customer care package engine work is when all of a sudden I started to get the dtm error. I orginally placed in shop and the transfercase had failed, with no DTM or no lights. Dealer stated timing chain was fine and maybe I was getting DTM due to transfercase needing replaced. So I really wish I wouldn’t have had them do the package it all seems worse now then before. So far transfer case has been replaced, Two solenoids replaced. Now a check engine light and DTM. I have noticed that if I drive in sport mode and Manual shift transmission, DTM will not come on . But if Ibslow down at a light and come to a stop then DTM comes on.
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Thanks a lot!!
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I’ve got a 2011 550xi and I’m stumped on an issue. I had the Camshaft position sensor code but after replacing the plugs, an oil change, and both cam position sensors I’m still getting codes 163201 Exhaust camshaft electrical signal missing, and 163301 exhaust camshaft function segment time error. Could this be related to the Vanos solenoids? I haven’t gotten a code for those and at my wits end. The car surges at idle when in drive and the idle is slightly erratic. I get the DTM malfunction frequently related to this also. Please HELP! This car is driving me insane man…please give me some clues. This is my first BMW and NOTHING is like the other cars I’ve worked on…
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Ok it looks like your codes are for bank 1 which is the passengers side,,,,I would start with both intake and exhaust vanos solenoids if the problem is still there then you might have vanos unit problems.
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Thanks for the reply. One more question: are the solenoids them selves replaceable and how many are there? Someone suggested to me that the N63 has four solenoids and 4 vanos units. I can only see the two on the front as you have pictures.
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Aah, gotcha. Answered my own question after reading a bit more. Didn’t realize that the solenoids were different than the unit itself. Hoping that the problem is only in the solenoids themselves…praying actually.
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Yes ,,,let’s hope it’s the vanos solenoids,,,,yes there are 4 vanos units and 4 vanos solenoids,,,,,the vanos solenoids sups oil to the vanos units,,,,you have 2 of each on each bank.
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Thank you SO much! I do all my own motor work but this car has been such a learning experience…sometimes ainful but with guys like you out there it’s going easier. Gonna replace all 4 solenoids when the shipment gets here. Do you think that’s advisable, or just replace the two on the exhaust cam? Really want to do all 4 since it doesn’t seem too difficult.
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You can do all 4,,,,for the first time doing the job it’s not easy,,,,,I would do the one side first and see how it goes
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HEY, DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE VANOS SOLENOIDS ARE LOCATED ON THE N20 38I TWIN TURBO ENGINE?
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The N20 4 cylinder engine,,,,they are the vanos gear bolt,,,,the vanos gear bolt is the solenoid,,,on the front of the valve cover there are two electrical plugs,,,,those are the vanos solenoid electrical part and behind those is the bolt which bolts the vanos unit to the engine,,,,that bolt is the solenoid,,,,you could swap the electrical parts and see if the faults change.
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Hi friend long time hope all is great, I’m curious what is the difference when changing n63 engine what would need to change from rwd to awd version ? Basically can I buy a rwd version and use in my xdrive car
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Happy holidays,,,,,you probably would have to swap over the oil pan for the 4wd
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Looking for some info on location of vanos solenoid on my 2014 n63tu 550i m sport, I removed intercoolers and only saw one vanos solenoid per side. other f10 shows both on each side top and bottom. please help
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That doesn’t make a sense,,,it should have 2 vanos solenoid per side and they should be located on top of each other,,,,you don’t see another vanos solenoid connector next to the one you see.
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