[Mike K]

Hey Chris,

You’ll likely have problems finding the replacement bolts. Back when I did mine, FCP had them for under 1$ each. Now they state on their site that they aren’t allowed to sell them.

Maybe we all need to ride heard on the NHTSA to see why this is taking so long?? I personally have little trust in having a dealer mess with my self repaired E91, but I’d sure love to get reimbursed or have the recall cleared at least.

BTW I changed the ESS along with plugs and coils. I also cleaned the Vanos solenoids and those Vanos filters on the passenger side of the engine.

[2010_328i]

Good evening, George.

Again, thank you so much for sharing/providing such detailed information. This is an amazing forum with fantastic members such as yourself Sir. I have some parts already delivered and am waiting on the special tool and replacement bolts.

I will also look into the "Recalls & Tread Act Reimbursement" process and get going with that as soon as I'm able to. I will update as time and progress permits.

Thank you again,
Chris

[2010_328i]

Hello everyone. It's been 18 days since my last post and I'm back with a big Update to everyone that's been following this thread.

First of all, I would like to warmly thank "gbalthrop" for leading me down the correct path to the issues I was experiencing with the engine and to the other members who have also contributed their thoughts and ideas. You are guys are an amazing group of people.

So...drum rolls please...It's Running Now...The car is back on the road!!!

I spent the required time to take everything apart as needed to replaced what failed (the exhaust camshaft sprocket bolts).

The exhaust camshaft sprocket 4 bolt heads completely sheared off. I was able to recover a couple but I guess the rest had gone down to the oil pan.

On the intake camshaft sprocket, the bolts were intact but I could loosen a couple by hand. As Mike K had mentioned, the OEM replacement bolts were no longer available to purchase at any website. I ended up purchasing 4 from Amazon. At first, I was worried that the slightly longer bolt head might interfere with the timing chain guide but it was not the case. I slowly rotate the crankshaft after installing 1 new bolt first to see if it would hit anything on a full revolution and it did not.

Here's a link to the item I purchased on Amazon. Proper disclaimer: Please use at your own risk for those about to go down the same path. It seems to be working for me so far.

I also had to purchase the timing kit to do the camshaft timing.
The exhaust camshaft sprocket was replaced with a new one made by Febi.

Overall, the most difficult part of this job was getting the valve cover off and then back on. It may have been easier if I had an extra set of hands.

As far as setting the camshaft timing, maybe it was just me but I didn't think it was necessary to lock the flywheel in place (therefore, not requiring to remove the intake manifold and starter (about 2 hours of work). Once I was able to determine the TDC using a long screw driver placed inside piston #1, I used the timing tool to set everything in place. I also verified it with placing a locking pin inside the flywheel hole behind the starter.

On the intake camshaft sprocket, I replaced 1 bolt at a time as suggested in the technical repair bulletin.
As long as you take the time to do everything right, then the job should go successfully.

I ended up replacing many parts...just because the engine is at 167K miles and I don't want to have to do this again.

The car starts up just fine every time now. Only problem I experience with the engine at this point is a little stumbling on the first few seconds after it's started...not sure why. New motor oil, new solenoid valves, new Vanos actuator motor, new cam shaft sensors, new plugs. I read that the vanos filters on the passenger side needs cleaning or it could cause the engine to run rough. This part, I need to check as I have not done that yet.

Now, I have a new problem. I believe the torqure convertor is shuddering under normal drive mode. DS mode feels slight shuddering but manual shift mode experiences no shuddering. Moving on to the next project, transmission fluid and filter change, and vanos filter cleaning.

Below are some parts I ordered on Amazon for the job. M7 bolts are very hard to find and thank goodness for Amazon.

M7 bolts for the Vanos sprocket
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HEU879O...roduct_details

Camshaft alignment tool
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0865V2QPP...roduct_details

And finally, some pictures of the car. It's sitting next to the garage queen after a good wash.

[2010_328i]

Originally Posted by Mike K

Hey Chris,

You’ll likely have problems finding the replacement bolts. Back when I did mine, FCP had them for under 1$ each. Now they state on their site that they aren’t allowed to sell them.

Maybe we all need to ride heard on the NHTSA to see why this is taking so long?? I personally have little trust in having a dealer mess with my self repaired E91, but I’d sure love to get reimbursed or have the recall cleared at least.

BTW I changed the ESS along with plugs and coils. I also cleaned the Vanos solenoids and those Vanos filters on the passenger side of the engine.

Thanks, Mike and sorry for the late reply. I actually didn't see this message until I came back to provide an update to this thread.

[firen180]

Experiencing everything you just described, I’ll be popping off my valve cover to check it out today or tomorrow.

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by firen180

Experiencing everything you just described, I’ll be popping off my valve cover to check it out today or tomorrow.

Please let us know:
1) What VANOS/Cam Faults are read in DME, along with any Freeze Frame Data read.
2) What you find after removing VC: Photos of any broken bolts;
3) If you need recall RCRIT pdf;
4) What Chassis: Sedan, Wagon, Coupe, Conv.?
5) If you have contacted Dealer re parts availabilty & reimbursement if YOU do repairs?
George

[firen180]

Drum roll pls…….. same exact issue only that it doesn’t seem like they broke off just came off. Still have to check the oil pan but I’ll be starting my con quest to fix this by the end of the month.