ok I’m getting a lot of questions about the N20 timing chain noise and replacement,,,,here are 2 short audio clips,,,,you can here a high pitched whine in both videos. one video is at 3000rpms,,,,and the other is reving the engine up and down,,,I sent both videos to BMW to get approval on the timing chain repairs.
Here I removed the valve cover and inspected from the top of the engine for any visual problem,,,I don’t know if you can see it in the picture,,,,on top of the chain you can see shiney marks,,,that is an indication the chain is rubbing on something,,,,those marks are not normally there.
Here the old timing chain and guide reins,,,the guide rails were broken.
Here you can see where they broke,,,,the two rails would normally be snapped together.
Here the old oil pump timing chain module,,,,this comes complete as you see it,,,,did not find anything wrong with this,,,but BMW wants us to replace it at the same time as the timing chain.
Here are the new timing chain guides and rails,,,the new ones are white in color and made of a better plastic we hope,,,,lol.
This is the new oil pump timing chain module complete just bolt in,,,,this job is not one of the best to do,,,,this was on a X3 so I had to deal with the front axles and front differential,,,,,this job only pays about 9.5 hours,,,so you pretty much have one day to complete the job to make any money.,,,I hope this helps some of you guys about the timing chain issues.
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Thank you for all of the great info. I recently purchased a 5/2012 X3 XDrive 28i 2013 and my daughter drove it to school. Now I’m trying to figure out if the guides and chain have already been replaced by her pictures. Carfax is the only history I have and it does not specifically state that the job was done. Would it be common for warranty work to be done and not doc umented? Do the pictures look correct, and does the chain look like it has stress to you? She does not hear the sound during engine revs. Thanks, Dave (Nervous Dad)
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Thanks for the picture,,,any warranty work done by the dealer is documented,,,what you need to do is go to the dealership and have them do a key read on your car and get a print out of what repairs were done by the dealership.,,,from the pictures it’s hard to say what condition the timing chain is in.,,,you could have the dealership performed a timing chain test for piece of mind.
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Thanks for the feedback. Does the plastic look like the newer part?
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The plastic does look newer
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Any indication on this one?
https://streamable.com/l3a4fl
Just purchased from a BMW dealer @70k miles. They offer a 100% 60 day warranty. Should I try and have them replace it? Thank you.
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Thanks for the video,,,,yes have them replace it and fix it correctly
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