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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Recent Comments
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 Now I’m trying to figure out if the guides and chain have already been replaced by her pictures.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)
https://ibb.co/xzYggqT
https://ibb.co/Zc5ysYQ
https://ibb.co/g6KnvFm
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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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Dave, I’ve got the same exact car and I am also concerned about this issue. I don’t know if mine has the new guards installed, seems like the previous owner had that issue and somehow fixed it. I took it to BMW service today and they told me it was diagnosed needing a new engine last year! but it is still running, so I am guessing they did repair it somehow but I don’t have those records.
How did you take those pics? did you have your daughter introduce a camera in the engine?
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You can ask the dealer for a print out of repairs on your car to see if the timing chain was replaced at a dealership.,,,,if it was done at a independent then there would be no records of that repair
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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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The whine is all the time,,,the whine will change while raving the engine,,,it’s also there while driving,,,,the noise is easier to hear while standing in front of the car
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Im thinking about buying a bmwx3 28i 2016 or 17 has there been any reports of timing chain breaking
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2016 yes,,,2017 not that I know of
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Hi Andreas, I got the class action settlement letter from BMWNA, do u know much about the cost of repairing N20/N26 timing chain at dealer? Since the letter says owner has to pay a % of the repair cost, so I am wondering if BMWNA has a suggested price(like MSRP?) for this specific repair.
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No I’m sorry they don’t tell us the prices on repairs.
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hello i have a question, after taking the valve cover off on my n20 engine i found out that intake cam is about 90 degrees my inspection camera shows that no markings on the piston
has anyone gotten lucky ? can i change the chain and be back to running engine?
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timing chain has jumped
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Yes a lot of people have gotten lucky by just replacing the timing chain and rails.
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Just received a Class-Action Notice against BMW regarding the below defects which could lead to sudden engine failure, model years 2012-2015 (my car 320i 2013): 1. Failed timing chain module 2. Failed oil pump drive chain module 3. And or failed engine due to the failure of 1 & 2 above According to the Notice, I MAY BE entitled to reimbursement for past expenses provided under the settlement. If BMW knew of the defects, why wasn’t a re-call issued? Now I have to spend my $ dollars and hope I will be reimbursed once the judge makes a final decision. If the defects aren’t fixed I’m putting my life in “Jeopardy” by continuing to drive this defected vehicle. This is so Totally Unacceptable! And to top it off, there was excessive smoke coming from my exhaust after sitting overnight. I was told the turbo oil feed line had to be replaced. Did some research online and found many BMW owners with this same problem, this too should have been a re-call issue. Does the Oil Feed line have anything to do with the failed oil pump drive defect?
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The turbo oil feed line was a recall on certain models and years which I don’t understand,,,and no the turbo oil feed line doesn’t have anything to do with the oil pump or timing chain
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Thank you!
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Sheila,
I found this post after searching a little after my dealer/service department told me my 2013 BMW 328i cannot be fixed without a large motor inspection. It shut off on me while driving and would never crank back. It turned over just fine, but would never start. After being in the shop for over a week, that’s the call I got today. This is a huge cost and the service manager said it may not be even worth fixing. The car is immaculate but does have 170k miles on it. I was first told it was probably the STP oil filter used in the last oil change at Firestone since it wasn’t OEM. That seemed quite weird to me. Then this. Im at a loss frankly. I sure hope this turns out to be good for everyone.
Scott
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I’m sorry to hear what happened to your vehicle,,,I have always been saying BMW should have done something about this engine and the failure and money that has cost to fix it.
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Thanks Scott! This is actually great I’m taking my car into the dealership today!
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I recently bought a 428i convertible. I had the dealer check the timing chain and they say there is no slack and everything looks good. What should I do, my 7/70 warranty expires in 2 months? I do not currently have a whine, but the guides are definitely the orange/brown color, so I assume are the most likely to fail.
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2014
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You should be concerned about the timing chain issue,,,maybe see if the dealer can replace it before the warranty is up.
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What year is your car
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They say they won’t replace it without seeing an issue.
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That sucks,,,some dealer will replace it without any issues ,,because they know there is a problem.
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Is the F25 N55 engine effected by the timing chain issue?
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Nope
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Took my car into the dealer no noise heard from the timing chain, some slack found when picking up chain through oil fill, what the hell does that mean?
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Some slack is normal in the chain.
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2013. I was told the same thing by Car Shield. My dealer has to break the car down to allow Car Shield to inspect the issue. Thinking seriously about trading this car!
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If you don’t feel safe in your car which I don’t blame you,,,I wouldn’t feel safe myself with the N20 engine.,,,so trading it in might not be a bad thing
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Hi, I have a 2014 328i xdrive, build date is 09/2013, with 55k, my question is about the timing chain issue, I don’t hear any noise but am worried about it going after the 7/70 expires, which is April 2021, what should I do??
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See if you can get a dealership to replace it if you can
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Hi, i have a 2014 420i F33 with 23000miles. I am thinking about replacing the original timing chain tensioner with the latest ‘upgraded’ version which seems to have a stronger ‘push’ on the guides/chain. Will this cause my guides/chain to wear out quicker, or is it the original tensioner that actually fails causing the chain/guides to fail.
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The original tensioner doesn’t fail,,,the timing chain and guide rails are the issue
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I have a bmw f30 330d with the N57 engine,are the timing chains known to fail on this engine ?
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Nope,,,only on the N20 and N26 engines
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I am interested in buying a 2017 328D with 25k miles. In your opinion, would you have any concerns regarding the ‘updated’ timing chain/guide (or any other potential major issue) with this model? Buy with confidence or run away?
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The 328D diesel doesn’t have timing chain issues,,,the thing I worry about is the emissions stuff on the diesel,,,,like the NOX sensors, EGR,,,,, I would walk away because the car doesn’t have any BMW warranty and that car could get expensive on repairs
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I am looking at a few different 328i vehicles. One is a 2013 model year that according to the owner has had the timing chain replaced back ion 2017. It currently has 100,000 miles on it. Do you think this is a safe bet/candidate. The other two are 2015 model years, one has 53000 miles the other 72000. Nothing shows on the Carfax to indicate that the timing belt has been replaced, however, having read this thread I will be taking a look at the guides to determine the coloration to try and determine if the chain has been replaced. Is there any other way that this can be determined.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
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I would stay away from the 2013 and 100k,,,,I would go for the 2015 53k if you can,,,there really isn’t anyway to to tell what condition the timing chain is in.,,try and make sure the car had all the oil changes performed
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I have a 2013 528i. Suddenly my engine light came on and i took it to the dealer. Was told my engine is out of time. The chain is moving inside my engine. The oil filter had a large amount of plastic material and metal shavings inside. Was told that it would cost me 16,000 to replace the engine. My car has 109k miles on it. No warranty. So if this is an issue with these cars why isn’t the company taking care of it. I sure don’t have 16k to put into a car for a engine! There needs to be a recall on this and BMW needs to take care of this issue!!!
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I know this is a bad design on BMW,,,I know there is a law suit about this issue if you can find it on the internet
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i think all of europe is awash in cheap plastics — probably the EU mandates self destruction because of the fake climate agenda
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I did find the lawsuit on the web. But from what I read, unfortunately anybody with a vehicle over 100k miles is out of luck. This is so unfair. Even worse, I just purchased this vehicle this past summer.
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I’m really sorry,,,this whole thing wasn’t handled very well from BMW
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Does this sound like timing chain whine? 2014 320i xDrive with 85k kms. Still under timing chain warranty for another few weeks!
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Thanks for the video,,,yes that is the start of the timing chain whine
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Thanks for all your help, is this the timing chain whine??
https://youtube.com/shorts/pJiwt7SWxeg
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Thanks for the video,,,and yes that is the whine noise from the timing chain
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I appreciate your response. What should my next step be? Will BMW still cover my car under warranty? I’m at 57k miles and my manufacture date is November 2014. I didnt buy this car from a BMW dealership, but from what I understand the warranty goes by the vin number no matter who the owner is. Is that correct? Should I park the car till I can get it looked at ? Or is it still driveable until I can get it to a shop? Thanks again , your help is very appreciated.
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I appreciate your response. What should my next step be? Will BMW still cover my car under warranty? I’m at 57k miles and my manufacture date is November 2014. I didnt buy this car from a BMW dealership, but from what I understand the warranty goes by the vin number no matter who the owner is. Is that correct? Should I park the car till I can get it looked at ? Or is it still driveable until I can get it to a shop? Thanks again , your help is very appreciated.
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Your engine is still covered by 7 years/70000 miles N20/N26 timing chain extended limited warranty, so just bring the car to dealer and confirm the high pitch whining, and the repair should be free to owner.
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Update , I purchased the x3 with jumped timing in non running installed new updated kit reset adaptations it’s now running beautifully !!!!
Sent from my iPhone
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Glad to here it,,,it’s alive
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Thanks for the reply . I was already freaking out a little so I contacted bmwna through email. They responded today telling me the same thing. Now I need to find someone to tow it 20 miles without charging me out the ass lol. Thanks again .
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Yes the extended warranty of 7/70 on the timing chain issue is by certain vin numbers,,,,check with your dealership
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I hate to keep bugging you about this . But is the timing chain whine enough proof for BMW to fix my timing chain and other parts u der warranty? The SA I talked to at my local dealer basically said the parts need to be broken or the warranty wont cover my car. I’m just confused . I. Hearing alot of conflicting stories about using the warranty . And different dealerships being dishonest to customers.
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No problem,,,each dealership seems to be different,,,some will replace it because of the whine noise and some won’t,,,,it just doesn’t make any sense to me because it’s money that goes to the dealership for the repairs and they no it’s a problem,,,maybe try a different dealership if you can.
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Heres an update: I just dropped my BMW off at the not so local dealership ( 25miles away) . I’ve never stepped foot in this building before . I didnt even buy my car here and these guys knew it. The SA and shop foreman I talked to treated me like a 20+year customer. The shop foreman assured me he would do everything he could to get my timing chain fixed, and I believe him . They complimented my 2015 328ix on the mileage (56k) miles as well as the condition and paint job( still Factory) . This interaction has restored my faith in BMW even given the fact this is my 1st BMW bought from a dodge dealership lol. After reading a few horror stories online I was almost ready to dump mine and run away from a BMW for the rest of my life. I can guarantee the my next car will be a BMW from my local dealership.
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Your 2015@56k miles is still covered by 7 years/70k miles N20/N26 timing chain extended limited warranty per VIN, so BMWNA will fix any TC issue as $0 cost to you(assuming oil changes were done on schedule). 🙂
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I bought the car with 45k miles . I’ve changed the oil 3 times. About every 3500 miles . I believe I read in the timing chain settlement that I only need to show the OCI from the time I purchased the car. So The SA did a keyread and the first 3.5 years had a full service history at a BMW dealership In another state. The next 1.5 years has 1 oil change on record at BMW between 30k and 45k miles . So either way I think I’ll be in good shape.
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Nice,,I’m glad you had a good experience
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