[thealbert]

Originally Posted by 335er

I just received a call from the dealership to let me know that my car won't be ready until next week, at the earliest. This blows.

ouch...although you're not alone there buddy. Plus I hear that replacing the intake bearing ledgers is a major job and it requires you to remove the top part of the engine to access it. It sure does blows!

[thealbert]

The oil cooler theory was bogus. Whether or not your car has an oil cooler, you can and still get the faults of the VANOS inlet being stiff and mechanically jamming.

Anyway, so I got the chance to talk to a BMW tech and I took the opportunity to ask him about this fault. To my surprise, he said he was already aware of the problem and that the cause of this is mainly due to the deficient sealing properties of the hook ring on the inlet chamshaft where the oil pressure necessary for the VANOS adjustment unit to work can't be achieved. Therefore the reduction of pressure results in the fault 2A82 "VANOS jamming" bring stored in the DME. Mechanically, the problem due is to the entrenchment of the hook ring into the bearing strip in the inlet camshaft. Subsequently, also the fault 3100 is also stored since upon sensing the loss of pressure, the engine goes to limp mode and cuts power from the turbos.

The official repair for this problem is to replace the following parts, inlet bearing strip (part #11 12 7 550 913) and the inlet camshaft part (part # 11 31 7 584 803). The inlet camshaft (part # 11 31 7 584 803) however is a superseded part where it replaces the old inlet camshaft (part #11 31 7 523 333).

Being that this is a superseded part, it obviously means that BMW knows that the old inlet camshaft causes problems and thus BMW making a new one.

This is sort of a run down of the Q&A that I had with the Tech guy:

Are all 335i's affected with this issue?
Mostly likely yes.

Exactly what production dates?
The tech couldn't say.

Will all 335i's breakdown and throw the same faults as said above?
No, as this problem is only on a case to case basis and won't happen to everyone. However many cars will eventually have the same problem.

Will there be a recall?
Probably not right now as the problem is still fairly new.

Is this problem for the 335i and 535i only?
Yes as this problem only affects the N54 engine.

How about the 135i?
Hopefully BMW would have corrected the problem already once the 135i goes into full production.

Is the new superseded part from BMW available already?
As of right now, the news is no.

Will it be available soon?
As of right now, from what the tech guy knows, its still under production which means it won't be out for some time, which also means, that logically, all 335is and 535is right now in production might still be using the old inlet camshaft.

What exactly is the problem with the inlet camshaft and why does it cause the hook ring to entrench into the bearing strip?
The tech guy couldn't say. Probably cause he didn't know or was not allowed to say.

But is the problem fixable?
Yes, its an easy fix, but it does involve opening up the top of your engine.

Does this problem affect or damage any other part of your engine?
As of right now, the research says NO, just damage to your inlet bearing strip.

Is my source of info reliable?
I just spoke to a BMW Tech who works within the BMW organization. In my opinion, its as close to BMW as I'll get in terms of technical information. I'm not saying his info is rock solid nor is it anything official. He may very well be wrong but in relation to 335er's and others who have had the same problem, it does have a lot of sense, at least to me.

In any case, hope this helps and good luck to us all!

[Mr. 5]

Wow, this is some interesting stuff!
I've never once gone into limp mode so maybe I'm one of the lucky ones.

Originally Posted by thealbert

The oil cooler theory was bogus. Whether or not your car has an oil cooler, you can and still get the faults of the VANOS inlet being stiff and mechanically jamming.

Anyway, so I got the chance to talk to a BMW tech and I took the opportunity to ask him about this fault. To my surprise, he said he was already aware of the problem and that the cause of this is mainly due to the deficient sealing properties of the hook ring on the inlet chamshaft where the oil pressure necessary for the VANOS adjustment unit to work can't be achieved. Therefore the reduction of pressure results in the fault 2A82 "VANOS jamming" bring stored in the DME. Mechanically, the problem due is to the entrenchment of the hook ring into the bearing strip in the inlet camshaft. Subsequently, also the fault 3100 is also stored since upon sensing the loss of pressure, the engine goes to limp mode and cuts power from the turbos.

The official repair for this problem is to replace the following parts, inlet bearing strip (part #11 12 7 550 913) and the inlet camshaft part (part # 11 31 7 584 803). The inlet camshaft (part # 11 31 7 584 803) however is a superseded part where it replaces the old inlet camshaft (part #11 31 7 523 333).

Being that this is a superseded part, it obviously means that BMW knows that the old inlet camshaft causes problems and thus BMW making a new one.

This is sort of a run down of the Q&A that I had with the Tech guy:

Are all 335i's affected with this issue?
Mostly likely yes.

Exactly what production dates?
The tech couldn't say.

Will all 335i's breakdown and throw the same faults as said above?
No, as this problem is only on a case to case basis and won't happen to everyone. However many cars will eventually have the same problem.

Will there be a recall?
Probably not right now as the problem is still fairly new.

Is this problem for the 335i and 535i only?
Yes as this problem only affects the N54 engine.

How about the 135i?
Hopefully BMW would have corrected the problem already once the 135i goes into full production.

Is the new superseded part from BMW available already?
As of right now, the news is no.

Will it be available soon?
As of right now, from what the tech guy knows, its still under production which means it won't be out for some time, which also means, that logically, all 335is and 535is right now in production might still be using the old inlet camshaft.

What exactly is the problem with the inlet camshaft and why does it cause the hook ring to entrench into the bearing strip?
The tech guy couldn't say. Probably cause he didn't know or was not allowed to say.

But is the problem fixable?
Yes, its an easy fix, but it does involve opening up the top of your engine.

Does this problem affect or damage any other part of your engine?
As of right now, the research says NO, just damage to your inlet bearing strip.

Is my source of info reliable?
I just spoke to a BMW Tech who works within the BMW organization. In my opinion, its as close to BMW as I'll get in terms of technical information. I'm not saying his info is rock solid nor is it anything official. He may very well be wrong but in relation to 335er's and others who have had the same problem, it does have a lot of sense, at least to me.

In any case, hope this helps and good luck to us all!

[GMWNashville]

yep..thats the fix

[jmonier]

This very interesting because my very similar problem had a very different solution. In my case it was a 2A87 fault which is the Exhaust VANOS solenoid jammed (2A82 is the intake solenoid). The solenoid had actually failed which they verified (per the SIB) by moving it to the intake and then getting a 2A82 fault. It (and the replacement parts) actually failed three times within a few hundred miles.

The third time they opened a PUMA case (see my posting of my repair invoice earlier in this thread). The result was that they replaced several parts, NONE of which were the parts you referenced. BUT, my problem was definitely fixed since I've now gone almost 2000 miles without any re-occurence whereas it failed every 100 or so miles before.

So, as far as I'm concerned, the situation is still very confusing.

Originally Posted by thealbert

The oil cooler theory was bogus. Whether or not your car has an oil cooler, you can and still get the faults of the VANOS inlet being stiff and mechanically jamming.

Anyway, so I got the chance to talk to a BMW tech and I took the opportunity to ask him about this fault. To my surprise, he said he was already aware of the problem and that the cause of this is mainly due to the deficient sealing properties of the hook ring on the inlet chamshaft where the oil pressure necessary for the VANOS adjustment unit to work can't be achieved. Therefore the reduction of pressure results in the fault 2A82 "VANOS jamming" bring stored in the DME. Mechanically, the problem due is to the entrenchment of the hook ring into the bearing strip in the inlet camshaft. Subsequently, also the fault 3100 is also stored since upon sensing the loss of pressure, the engine goes to limp mode and cuts power from the turbos.

The official repair for this problem is to replace the following parts, inlet bearing strip (part #11 12 7 550 913) and the inlet camshaft part (part # 11 31 7 584 803). The inlet camshaft (part # 11 31 7 584 803) however is a superseded part where it replaces the old inlet camshaft (part #11 31 7 523 333).

Being that this is a superseded part, it obviously means that BMW knows that the old inlet camshaft causes problems and thus BMW making a new one.

This is sort of a run down of the Q&A that I had with the Tech guy:

Are all 335i's affected with this issue?
Mostly likely yes.

Exactly what production dates?
The tech couldn't say.

Will all 335i's breakdown and throw the same faults as said above?
No, as this problem is only on a case to case basis and won't happen to everyone. However many cars will eventually have the same problem.

Will there be a recall?
Probably not right now as the problem is still fairly new.

Is this problem for the 335i and 535i only?
Yes as this problem only affects the N54 engine.

How about the 135i?
Hopefully BMW would have corrected the problem already once the 135i goes into full production.

Is the new superseded part from BMW available already?
As of right now, the news is no.

Will it be available soon?
As of right now, from what the tech guy knows, its still under production which means it won't be out for some time, which also means, that logically, all 335is and 535is right now in production might still be using the old inlet camshaft.

What exactly is the problem with the inlet camshaft and why does it cause the hook ring to entrench into the bearing strip?
The tech guy couldn't say. Probably cause he didn't know or was not allowed to say.

But is the problem fixable?
Yes, its an easy fix, but it does involve opening up the top of your engine.

Does this problem affect or damage any other part of your engine?
As of right now, the research says NO, just damage to your inlet bearing strip.

Is my source of info reliable?
I just spoke to a BMW Tech who works within the BMW organization. In my opinion, its as close to BMW as I'll get in terms of technical information. I'm not saying his info is rock solid nor is it anything official. He may very well be wrong but in relation to 335er's and others who have had the same problem, it does have a lot of sense, at least to me.

In any case, hope this helps and good luck to us all!

[Phil335i]

Just picked-up my car this afternoon having had the HP Fuel Pump replaced. So far so good . . .

[thealbert]

Originally Posted by jmonier

This very interesting because my very similar problem had a very different solution. In my case it was a 2A87 fault which is the Exhaust VANOS solenoid jammed (2A82 is the intake solenoid). The solenoid had actually failed which they verified (per the SIB) by moving it to the intake and then getting a 2A82 fault. It (and the replacement parts) actually failed three times within a few hundred miles.

The third time they opened a PUMA case (see my posting of my repair invoice earlier in this thread). The result was that they replaced several parts, NONE of which were the parts you referenced. BUT, my problem was definitely fixed since I've now gone almost 2000 miles without any re-occurence whereas it failed every 100 or so miles before.

So, as far as I'm concerned, the situation is still very confusing.

I was just as confused as you are at first, although when I look at your repair report more closely, I noticed a few differences. On your report, it mentioned that you had rough idling. My friend's car's idling was as smooth as silk. Your first fault was also the VANOS exhaust 2A87, while my friends was only VANOS intake 2A82. Just from that, its already a clue that the cause of the problems might be different.

Also, on your report, it mentioned that your dealer inspected your engine when they opened it up. Probably upon inspection, they must have saw that your camshaft was still in good order so they consulted puma to see what else could be causing the problem. And since your problem started as a VANOS exhaust problem which later affected your VANOS intake, the hex bolt repair was the solution.

I was intrigued to find out how a Puma case worked. Based on my conversation with the BMW tech guy, how it works is basically your dealer would file a Puma case and that case would go directly to BMW NA's tech people. A report on what your car's condition would be sent to BMW NA's tech people and then BMW NA's tech would then instruct what your dealer should do on your car. If they fix something and the problem is still there, they consult puma again by giving another update on your car's condition and then the tech would relay another set of repair instructions to your dealer based on your updated report. The process keeps going until your car is fixed. Puma cases are only filed when the dealer doesn't know how to fix your car. And if the BMW NA tech don't know how to fix it, they'll consult BMW Germany for instructions. Its a lengthy process but its comforting to know that you will always have service support for your car, all the way up to the engineers in Germany. Thats actually quite comforting to know.

Anyway, going back to your cars, looking at the repairs they did on your car, the bolt that was replaced relates to the adjustment units of the VANOS. The camshaft problem of my friend's car is also directly connected to the same components of the VANOS unit, but from the top of the engine instead on the bottom where the bolt is located. And from what it looks like, there's only a few sensors thats reading that part of the engine, and thats the VANOS sensors. It could be that, even though it was a different component that was failing on your car and my friend's car, the DME showed the same fault since both of your problems were causing the VANOS to malfunction and that was where the sensor was.

I mentioned your bolt fix to the BMW tech and his reply was, there could be more than one fix to a DME fault code. One specific DME fault doesn't mean that its only one specific part that's broken, especially if its a fault that's related to a component as complex as the VANOS. It could be any one of the many parts related to the VANOS that could have failed. It also goes to what you said about cause and effect. The effect was the VANOS not working properly but the cause for my friend's car was the camshaft, the cause for you was the hex bolt. You both just had the same faults cause both the bolt and the camshaft work in unison to keep the VANOS in working order. If any of those two parts or any other part within the VANOS system fail, the same VANOS fault that you both got will still pop out on the DME.

So in conclusion, if it helps clears things up for you, the DME fault only points the dealer or the mechanic to the general direction as to where the problem is coming from. Its up to the dealer to investigate exactly what component or part is failing and repair it accordingly. Its always a case to case basis when we're talking about engine's so complex as ours.

[thealbert]

Originally Posted by Phil335i

Just picked-up my car this afternoon having had the HP Fuel Pump replaced. So far so good . . .

Don't worry, the new superseded fuel pumps are out already and the new ones won't beak down on you anymore. You'll be fine now and you don't have to worry about your fuel pump going bad again.

[335er]

Originally Posted by thealbert

I was just as confused as you are at first, although when I look at your repair report more closely, I noticed a few differences. On your report, it mentioned that you had rough idling. My friend's car's idling was as smooth as silk. Your first fault was also the VANOS exhaust 2A87, while my friends was only VANOS intake 2A82. Just from that, its already a clue that the cause of the problems might be different.

Also, on your report, it mentioned that your dealer inspected your engine when they opened it up. Probably upon inspection, they must have saw that your camshaft was still in good order so they consulted puma to see what else could be causing the problem. And since your problem started as a VANOS exhaust problem which later affected your VANOS intake, the hex bolt repair was the solution.

I was intrigued to find out how a Puma case worked. Based on my conversation with the BMW tech guy, how it works is basically your dealer would file a Puma case and that case would go directly to BMW NA's tech people. A report on what your car's condition would be sent to BMW NA's tech people and then BMW NA's tech would then instruct what your dealer should do on your car. If they fix something and the problem is still there, they consult puma again by giving another update on your car's condition and then the tech would relay another set of repair instructions to your dealer based on your updated report. The process keeps going until your car is fixed. Puma cases are only filed when the dealer doesn't know how to fix your car. And if the BMW NA tech don't know how to fix it, they'll consult BMW Germany for instructions. Its a lengthy process but its comforting to know that you will always have service support for your car, all the way up to the engineers in Germany. Thats actually quite comforting to know.

Anyway, going back to your cars, looking at the repairs they did on your car, the bolt that was replaced relates to the adjustment units of the VANOS. The camshaft problem of my friend's car is also directly connected to the same components of the VANOS unit, but from the top of the engine instead on the bottom where the bolt is located. And from what it looks like, there's only a few sensors thats reading that part of the engine, and thats the VANOS sensors. It could be that, even though it was a different component that was failing on your car and my friend's car, the DME showed the same fault since both of your problems were causing the VANOS to malfunction and that was where the sensor was.

I mentioned your bolt fix to the BMW tech and his reply was, there could be more than one fix to a DME fault code. One specific DME fault doesn't mean that its only one specific part that's broken, especially if its a fault that's related to a component as complex as the VANOS. It could be any one of the many parts related to the VANOS that could have failed. It also goes to what you said about cause and effect. The effect was the VANOS not working properly but the cause for my friend's car was the camshaft, the cause for you was the hex bolt. You both just had the same faults cause both the bolt and the camshaft work in unison to keep the VANOS in working order. If any of those two parts or any other part within the VANOS system fail, the same VANOS fault that you both got will still pop out on the DME.

So in conclusion, if it helps clears things up for you, the DME fault only points the dealer or the mechanic to the general direction as to where the problem is coming from. Its up to the dealer to investigate exactly what component or part is failing and repair it accordingly. Its always a case to case basis when we're talking about engine's so complex as ours.

Another report back - the car supposedly will be ready on Wednesday. (That will be one day shy of two weeks since I brought it in.) The SA said that the valve ledger caps had been grooved, which, if I recall correctly, led to a loss of oil pressure. Now they're waiting on a fuel injector cap/clip, which they had to special order.

[STE92VE]

Reading through these posts, I'm sure many of you long for the days when life was simple and the hardest part of working on a car was setting the timing and properly gapping the points and spark plugs, being able to tune the carburetor with a long screw driver...etc.

I'm sure the first caveman that invented the wheel had no idea how screwed up things would get with VANOS, PUMA cases, etc......

Have we really made progress to the point where a car manufacturer doesn't include instructions on how to change your oil and suggests that you bring it in for service for anything other than filling it up with fuel and checking tire pressures? I'm sure some people regard this a benefit because they never really knew which end of a screwdriver to use in the first place. But for the enthusiasts out there, it's just wrong.....

[thealbert]

Originally Posted by 335er

Another report back - the car supposedly will be ready on Wednesday. (That will be one day shy of two weeks since I brought it in.) The SA said that the valve ledger caps had been grooved, which, if I recall correctly, led to a loss of oil pressure. Now they're waiting on a fuel injector cap/clip, which they had to special order.

Sounds like the exact same problem as my friend's car. Wonder why they needed to replace the fuel injector cap/clip on your car though. Have the ledgers and all the other parts arrived for you already? Sorry to hear your car's still in the shop these last two weeks, if it makes you feel any better, my friend's car is still at the shop as well waiting for parts.

[thealbert]

Originally Posted by STE92VE

Reading through these posts, I'm sure many of you long for the days when life was simple and the hardest part of working on a car was setting the timing and properly gapping the points and spark plugs, being able to tune the carburetor with a long screw driver...etc.

I'm sure the first caveman that invented the wheel had no idea how screwed up things would get with VANOS, PUMA cases, etc......

Have we really made progress to the point where a car manufacturer doesn't include instructions on how to change your oil and suggests that you bring it in for service for anything other than filling it up with fuel and checking tire pressures? I'm sure some people regard this a benefit because they never really knew which end of a screwdriver to use in the first place. But for the enthusiasts out there, it's just wrong.....

Indeed! I sure miss those days where getting a hammer and just banging it on the engine would get things to work again.. hahah Those were the days!

I suppose also the reasons why manufacturers don't include instructions and keep encouraging you to bring in your car to the dealers for service is (1) our cars are much more complex and they feel that the general public doesn't have the knowhow to fix it or (2) by bringing the car to the shop for service, they can charge us crazy amounts and earn more from us. umm... I have a feeling reason 2 is the bigger incentive for them.

[dinkoh]

Originally Posted by jaserion

but my car shakes when idled or stopped.

My car does that as well when I turn off the car. Thats not normal?

[335er]

Originally Posted by thealbert

Sounds like the exact same problem as my friend's car. Wonder why they needed to replace the fuel injector cap/clip on your car though. Have the ledgers and all the other parts arrived for you already? Sorry to hear your car's still in the shop these last two weeks, if it makes you feel any better, my friend's car is still at the shop as well waiting for parts.

No clue why they need the fuel injector cap/clip. Maybe they lost mine? Maybe something was wrong with it?

Yes, they received the rest of the parts, including the ledgers, and I think that they're already installed.

[thealbert]

Originally Posted by 335er

No clue why they need the fuel injector cap/clip. Maybe they lost mine? Maybe something was wrong with it?

Yes, they received the rest of the parts, including the ledgers, and I think that they're already installed.

So out of curiosity, how long was the wait time till when they said they needed the ledgers to when they ordered it to when it arrived in your dealer? Cause my friend's car is in the shop right now and they're telling him its gonna take a month to get the part?!?!?

[335er]

Originally Posted by thealbert

So out of curiosity, how long was the wait time till when they said they needed the ledgers to when they ordered it to when it arrived in your dealer? Cause my friend's car is in the shop right now and they're telling him its gonna take a month to get the part?!?!?

Originally Posted by 335er

When I went back to the dealership the second time, they said, "Has the fuel pump been replaced?"

I called up today to check on the status - two of the three parts have come in; they expect the third part to come in tomorrow.

I brought it in on the 24th, and they said that they had two of the three the parts on the 28th.

[335er]

Originally Posted by 335er

I brought it in on the 24th [January], and they said that they had two of the three the parts on the 28th.

And today (February 6), they called to say that they put the car back together, but my car is not going to be ready today. It may be ready tomorrow. They heard an "abnormal noise" where they replaced the part, so they're going to have to investigate. I'd like for them to fix it correctly, but I'd also like for them to get it fixed.

[thealbert]

Originally Posted by 335er

And today (February 6), they called to say that they put the car back together, but my car is not going to be ready today. It may be ready tomorrow. They heard an "abnormal noise" where they replaced the part, so they're going to have to investigate. I'd like for them to fix it correctly, but I'd also like for them to get it fixed.

Hopefully you'll get your car tomorrow. That "abnormal noise" doesn't sound too comforting! Let us know how your car is once you get it back!

After reading about this problem you and my friend are having, its really making me nervous about my car as well! So far I've only had the fuel pump as a major problem. Out of curiosity, have you had your fuel pump changed too?

I think you're really lucky cause you were able to get your camshaft part within a week or two. My friend's on a list right now, and he's apparently number 7 on the list. The dealer's still giving him a minimum one month wait time! Whoa!

Although 7 people out of a couple thousand out there with cars running right now, it doesn't seem like its such bad odds. They still have quite a number of the told camshaft part in stock apparently but they're not selling it anymore since its being replaced with the new one. The old camshaft part is apparently available right away however the dealer was ordered not to install it anymore.

[335er]

Originally Posted by thealbert

Hopefully you'll get your car tomorrow. That "abnormal noise" doesn't sound too comforting! Let us know how your car is once you get it back!

After reading about this problem you and my friend are having, its really making me nervous about my car as well! So far I've only had the fuel pump as a major problem. Out of curiosity, have you had your fuel pump changed too?

I think you're really lucky cause you were able to get your camshaft part within a week or two. My friend's on a list right now, and he's apparently number 7 on the list. The dealer's still giving him a minimum one month wait time! Whoa!

Although 7 people out of a couple thousand out there with cars running right now, it doesn't seem like its such bad odds. They still have quite a number of the told camshaft part in stock apparently but they're not selling it anymore since its being replaced with the new one. The old camshaft part is apparently available right away however the dealer was ordered not to install it anymore.

You're telling me about the abnormal noise! I have not had my fuel pump changed, but it was the first thing that the dealer asked about when I brought the car in the second time for the problem.

A one month wait? I would be ready to kill people at that point. It's been 15 days for me, and I'm going crazy enough. Sure, the 328xi is better than an Enterprise rental, but I miss my car. I want my manual transmission, my satellite radio, my sport package, and most of all, my twin turbos back!

[335er]

Originally Posted by 335er

You're telling me about the abnormal noise! I have not had my fuel pump changed, but it was the first thing that the dealer asked about when I brought the car in the second time for the problem.

A one month wait? I would be ready to kill people at that point. It's been 15 days for me, and I'm going crazy enough. Sure, the 328xi is better than an Enterprise rental, but I miss my car. I want my manual transmission, my satellite radio, my sport package, and most of all, my twin turbos back!

And now it will be 16 days in the shop. The service manager called to say that they were in the process of taking the engine apart again to find the noise, and that they won't have the car to me today. Maybe tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath.

[335er]

Originally Posted by 335er

And now it will be 16 days in the shop. The service manager called to say that they were in the process of taking the engine apart again to find the noise, and that they won't have the car to me today. Maybe tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath.

No car this weekend, either. That will be day 19, as of Monday. They said that they found abnormal valve wear on the car, and need to check that out with BMW North America.

[thealbert]

Originally Posted by 335er

No car this weekend, either. That will be day 19, as of Monday. They said that they found abnormal valve wear on the car, and need to check that out with BMW North America.

We'll be keeping our fingers crossed for you buddy... I feel your pain though.