[Dolce]

My car is BMW E90 2008 318i 105kw with N43 engine.

So I had the 2A99 and P13B6 fault codes for a long time, that caused the Check Engine Light and long crancks on cold start.

I found an easy fix for these codes and wanted to share with you, because I have been searching for fix for a long time.

The codes are related to VANOS system. At first I took out both VANOS solenoids and cleaned them with brake cleaner. Then I ran the car and the codes still kept. Later I swapped both VANOS and the codes changed into 2A98 and P13B4. So I thought something is wrong with the Exhaust or Intake Camshaft position sensors. I changed both of those sensors into new ones. NOTHING had changed.

So my last thought was that the Exhaust VANOS (the lower one) is dead and I need to replace it with new one, because when I swap VANOS the Exhaust VANOS fault goes to the intake VANOS position. I changed the new Exhaust VANOS, reseted the codes, made VANOS adaptation with BimmerTools phone app and thats all.

All in all for fixing 2A99 and P13B6 code I just changed Exhaust VANOS solenoid to new.

I have been driving for 4 days now (I know it's not a long time to say that it really helped) and no check engine light or error codes. Before new solenoid I was getting the code everytime on cold start and cold weather. Also the car runs a lot smoother now, the acceleration is better. Hope this helps!

[deeullah]

Hello Dolce,

I'm glad you resolved the issue, up until now how are you getting on, has it reappeared and are you confident it is permanently fixed, why I'm curious is because I also have the same code P13B6 show up on my generic OBD scan tool but it doesn't mention 2A99 until I read up another thread elsewhere which has redirected me to your solution on Bimmerpost, also did you replace the vanos solenoid with a brand new OE or a used OE part from eBay or did you buy a cheaper OEM alternative from AutoDoc or Eurocarparts?

[LB3456]

Just registered to say thanks to Dolce for this post! Saved me a lot of money and hassle.

Mine is a E87 with a N43B20A engine and it had the P13B6 error code and check engine light. I changed the camshaft sensors, error messages and check engine light kept. I’ve then cleaned and swapped the venos valves and the code changed to P13B4, i.e. it moved to the intake side.

Ordered the venos valve from autodoc and fitted, cleared the codes using my generic OBD and Torque App. It’s been over a week and fault codes hasn’t comeback and car feels lots smoother now.

If you only got one of the codes, I would recommend swapping the vanos valves to see if the problem migrate. If it does, it could well be one of the vanos valve that’s faulty. It’s a simple enough job to do, took about 20 minutes for me to do it.

The part number for vanos valve for my engine was 11367584115, I picked up a valve made by febi bilstein which seem to work fine.

I did take my car to a mechanic before I fixed the issue, who thought it was timing issue and timing need to be fixed, engine needs to come out etc. which would have costed £1200 and wouldn’t have fixed the problem!

[Dolce]

No problem, glad I could help.

At the time I was searching for this fix almost a whole year, so I thought I would share so people don't waste money and energy.

Talking about the check engine it hasn't comeback for more than a year now.

Also answering to previous comment I just bought Topran VANOS, picked up the cheapest and it works great.