[Mike K]

Alas, during a trip from Chicago to western Michigan my SES lit up and the vanos area at the N52 front is rattling. Along with the dreaded whistle noise too which goes away when opening the oil fill cap. It runs fine at highway speeds and got me back home again thankfully. But a very lumpy and noisy idle. No other codes however.

I’m going to clean and swap positions on the vanos solenoids as an initial first step. But I’m not yet sure how to clean the vanos filters or where these are though?

I guess I’m likely looking at a new valve cover and gaskets to cure the the PVC related failure that causes the loud whistling. I already obtained the updated t45 bolts from FCP back when I first read another thread about the funky bolts on the exhaust cam side. My build date puts me beyond the 10 year recall but no recalls were open via the BMW recall site if that means anything?

I’ve got 98k on the clock of this otherwise stellar 2011 328i e91. 37k since last valve cover according to previous owner’s records. Trying to stay focused and hopeful. Always open to ideas and input too!

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by Mike K

Alas, during a trip from Chicago to western Michigan my SES lit up and the vanos area at the N52 front is rattling... very lumpy and noisy idle. No other codes however... 2011 328i e91. 37k since last valve cover according to previous owner’s records...

The "Whistling" from failed PCV Valve in Valve Cover is NOT what concerns me. RATHER, the "vanos area at the N52 front is rattling" statement is VERY concerning.

There appears to be a LOT of MIS-information regarding the VANOS Bolt Recall, Campaign #14V-176. I attach the "RCRIT", a 20-page pdf which explains what vehicles are affected (your 2011 328i E91 IS affected by my read), and what is done in the recall.

Also Note the "Label" which is to be affixed to the B-Pillar upon completion of work. I would check with nearest Dealer after recording your VIN and a photo of any "Label" on the B-Pillar. Unless I am Mis-reading the RCRIT, your 2011 328i E91 SHOULD have been inspected for loose or broken VANOS bolts (see photos in RCRIT), and if any found, replacements (of bolts, and/or VANOS unit) should have been made as described in RCRIT.

It appears that there was an earlier "Voluntary" program BEFORE the NHTSA-Mandated Recall, and THAT may be a source of confusion, even among Dealer Personnel. That recall was announced nearly 7 years ago, so Dealers MAY not recall details NOW, OR may want to just "Blow it Off".

Broken VANOS bolts can get into sump and cause damage to things, so if you hear unusual sounds from the front of the cams, I would have that evaluated IMMEDIATELY.

Please let us know what you find, and what your Dealer "position" is on whether your vehicle ever had recall performed, and what they NOW propose to do at their expense, in terms of inspection and repair. You should determine that BEFORE you drive it further, AND BEFORE you dismantle anything yourself.

See the attached pdf, "E9x References, 210523 Revision" for links to BMW sites for recall information, and to register as current owner if you never did that. You will then get any new info on recalls.
George

[Mike K]

George, thanks so much for your usual detailed and helpful response. Your insights are appreciated though-out this great site by many.

I’ll definitely attempt this course of action. As a longtime DIYer, I guess I’ve been programmed to avoid the dealerships over the years. But as I’m relatively new to this e91, it’s indeed worth exploring the recall path before I “tear in there”.

I’ll post back what I’ve learned too. FYI, the rattles abate once rpms are raised a bit beyond idle speed. It drove at highway speeds well and got us home but now I’m parking it for planning best steps forward as you suggest.

And thanks for the attachments too. I’ve seen that recall doc previously which triggered my ordering the bolts. I’ve also registered per your suggestion.

[E92_William]

The whistle could be the pcv system internal to the valve cover. My car did that when it failed. The whistle sound is the pressurized crankcase full of gases with a clogged pcv keeping it from being vented so it tries to escape out of seals or anywhere. This is a recipe for blown oil pan gaskets or rear mains or who knows. Next time it whistles try seeing if the oil cap is hard to open. I've also heard of the vanos whistling but that seems to be less common

[Mike K]

Thanks alot William. And yes opening the oil-cap stops the whistling. It takes alot of effort too due to increased vacuum.

[Mike K]

I called the dealer in GA where the car had it's services over the years. They had no reference to the vanos bolts recall and stated no recall campaigns pending. This I already knew. They did recalls for blower wiring, PVC heater, and a positive battery terminal.

As far as I can detirmine, this vanos bolt recall was never initiated as there is no record of it, or B Pillar sticker on my 2011 328i e91.

No luck with my local BMW either. It's the same deal with them with this response:

<Mike,

<BMW does not list every single affected VIN in the Recall bulletin you attached (that would be lengthy and impractical). If it applies to the entire range of a production date, the recall will state "Applies to ALL vehicles from production date.... etc etc." You'll see in the snippet from the bulletin you attached that this recall is for "certain" vehicles in this production range:

<BMW knows exactly which vehicles are affected, and attached the appropriate recall notice to the VIN so that we as dealers can easily identify them. If the VIN of your car was determined not to be affected by this recall, it won't be listed.

<This is as far as we at the dealership level can verify for you. If you have further questions about this, please feel free to give BMWUSA customer relations a call at 800-831-1117.

I guess my next step is to tussle with BMW USA huh?

[mad1stgen]

Stop driving/running this car. Take the cover off and replace the bolts ASAP. I bet half of them are backed out, and the other half is hand tight. I've seen way too many n52s around here do this, regardless of mileage. The whistle is directly related to failing vanos due to lack of oil pressure/separation from the sprocket. It's gotten to the point that I do these bolts every car I remove the valve cover on.

The recall is only valid for 10 years from production date, so unless your car is almost a 2012, you're out of luck. It's a tedious, but rather easy repair. Fingers crossed bolt heads are still there

One very clear example : https://photos.app.goo.gl/3qenQTfDiNGwL8KF9

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by mad1stgen

Stop driving/running this car. Take the cover off and replace the bolts ASAP. I bet half of them are backed out, and the other half is hand tight. I've seen way too many n52s around here do this, regardless of mileage. The whistle is directly related to failing vanos due to lack of oil pressure/separation from the sprocket. It's gotten to the point that I do these bolts every car I remove the valve cover on.

The recall is only valid for 10 years from production date, so unless your car is almost a 2012, you're out of luck. It's a tedious, but rather easy repair. Fingers crossed bolt heads are still there

One very clear example : https://photos.app.goo.gl/3qenQTfDiNGwL8KF9

Thanks alot mad1stgen! It's now parked believe me. I know this job is what I'm looking at so pleading with BMW NA is likely an exercise in futility. Funny thing is I bought the new bolts about 1 month ago just in case. Just in case is now here sigh... I have the security and long t45s already too. I wonder if I should bite the bullet and do the entire VC WIIT or just order a new VC gasket? 37k on this VC according to DPO's service records

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by Mike K

... <... You'll see in the snippet from the bulletin you attached that this recall is for "certain" vehicles in this production range:
<BMW knows exactly which vehicles are affected, and attached the appropriate recall notice to the VIN so that we as dealers can easily identify them. If the VIN of your car was determined not to be affected by this recall, it won't be listed.
<This is as far as we at the dealership level can verify for you. If you have further questions about this, please feel free to give BMWUSA customer relations a call at 800-831-1117.
I guess my next step is to tussle with BMW USA huh?

Simple Questions for Dealer/ BMWUSA:
1) "Was my Vehicle, VIN XXXXX..., an 'Affected Vehicle' under Recall Campaign 14V-176?"
2) Will you reimburse my expense if I find loose/broken VANOS Bolts when I remove VC? What Expenses are covered? (Bolts, VANOS Unit(s), VC Gasket, pan gasket & bolts, other, labor?)
3) Will YOUR DEALER do the inspection and VANOS Bolt/Unit replacement per RCRIT on this vehicle, VIN XXXXS...?

The RCRIT I attached earlier is "Weasel-worded". Apparently BMW AG did NOT want folks to understand what went wrong in the supply chain, assembly plant, etc. and STILL doesn't want anyone to know. The RCRIT states at top of page 2:

AFFECTED VEHICLES
This Recall involves certain E70, E71, E82, E88, E89, E90, E92, E93, F10 and F25 vehicles with the N51, N52K and N52T engines produced from September 2009 to November 2011.

That could mean ONLY certain vehicles among the set with E91 Chassis AND N52K engine, or ALL E91 Chassis vehicles with N52K engine. NOTE that E91 is not even included in this group, BUT E91 IS INCLUDED on page 1, under "Model". If NHTSA approved this RCRIT, shame on them.

So if you get a run-around from BMW, you MIGHT try contacting NHTSA and seeing if you can get a straight answer from them. Probably LESS HASSLE to just do VC Replacement AND check/replace VANOS Bolts while there. Just keep ALL receipts and a log of your time. Take photos of ALL 8 boltheads BEFORE touching anything, and get a witness if any are loose. More witnesses if any are "broken".

Please let us know how it goes, and if you actually make any sense of the BS from BMW/Dealer. "Reputable" has taken a "Major Hit" lately.
George

[Mike K]

Thanks for the backup George. My call to BMW USA only netted a “wait times to speak to a customer representative are over 30 minutes” recorded message. I figure I can spend that time more productively actually investigating the problem this coming weekend.

I’ll keep track of my time and parts too. Good thing my 74 TR-6 is still running great for tool and supply runs. Good ole British reliability hah!

[Mike K]

As a last ditch effort, I just got through to Dylan from BMW NA and here's what he said: " The e91 was not included in the recall campaign 14V-176".

I was told this even though the actual service bulletin SI B11 07 14 clearly states that the e91 is subsequent to the bolts /vanos replacements. He retorted" Well, SBs are only for internal use sir".

Now, I purchased this e91 outside of the 10 year extended warranty window which I understand. What I'm wondering is, how an e91 owner would even know about either a recall or extended warrant for this vital issue?

If you have an e91, don't wait to investigate and rectify this issue! I'm emailing NHTSA for laughs now. Here's what I wrote to them:

>Hello NHTSA,

>I am contacting you about an important safety recall that was never initiated or completed for my 2011 BMW 328i vehicle.

>After speaking to several BMW service centers and BMW NA they have all stated that there are no open recalls for my vehicle. Yet even though my vehicle is clearly stated as part of NHTSA recall 14V-176 in the service bulletin RCRIT-14V176-2716 that I'm attaching here, BMW never contacted previous owners, their dealers, or myself about this recall.

>Now I have this exact Vanos system failure that recall 14V-176 covers. It seems the clever wording in the NHTSA 14V-176 inconceivably allows my e91 "sports wagon" vehicle to slip through the cracks. This vehicle has the same exact N52k engine as other BMWs still part of this vital recall today. How can this happen?

>BMW later offered a 10 year extended warranty to correct this issue. But they never contacted owners or dealers to allow that to happen in time for my e91 328i vehicle. How would anyone know without being contacted by BMW for this either?

>I appreciate your assistance with this matter and look forward to your reply as my car sits unusable due to this issue.

Stay tuned! In the meantime I'm jumping in on the investigation this weekend...

[M-technik-3]

Originally Posted by Mike K

As a last ditch effort, I just got through to Dylan from BMW NA and here's what he said: " The e91 was not included in the recall campaign 14V-176".

I was told this even though the actual service bulletin SI B11 07 14 clearly states that the e91 is subsequent to the bolts /vanos replacements. He retorted" Well, SBs are only for internal use sir".

Now, I purchased this e91 outside of the 10 year extended warranty window which I understand. What I'm wondering is, how an e91 owner would even know about either a recall or extended warrant for this vital issue?

If you have an e91, don't wait to investigate and rectify this issue! I'm emailing NHTSA for laughs now. Here's what I wrote to them:

>Hello NHTSA,

>I am contacting you about an important safety recall that was never initiated or completed for my 2011 BMW 328i vehicle.

>After speaking to several BMW service centers and BMW NA they have all stated that there are no open recalls for my vehicle. Yet even though my vehicle is clearly stated as part of NHTSA recall 14V-176 in the service bulletin RCRIT-14V176-2716 that I'm attaching here, BMW never contacted previous owners, their dealers, or myself about this recall.

>Now I have this exact Vanos system failure that recall 14V-176 covers. It seems the clever wording in the NHTSA 14V-176 inconceivably allows my e91 "sports wagon" vehicle to slip through the cracks. This vehicle has the same exact N52k engine as other BMWs still part of this vital recall today. How can this happen?

>BMW later offered a 10 year extended warranty to correct this issue. But they never contacted owners or dealers to allow that to happen in time for my e91 328i vehicle. How would anyone know without being contacted by BMW for this either?

>I appreciate your assistance with this matter and look forward to your reply as my car sits unusable due to this issue.

Stay tuned! In the meantime I'm jumping in on the investigation this weekend...

Keep us updated Mike. Hope it did not just go into typical government file system aka the trash can.

[Mike K]

Will do. Here’s the response I received from them quite promptly. I’ll follow up with them next week. Other e91 folks could too if so inclined. As recalls never expire, if enough folks jump on this it might tip the scale.

<Thank you for contacting the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Vehicle Safety Hotline Information Center.

Based on your request, Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) selected for a recall notification are determined by the vehicle manufacturer for a number of reasons. The manufacturer is also able to issue an independent recall, which is done solely through the manufacturer, therefore, information on these sort of recalls would not be found on our website but can be found on the manufacturer’s website.

Your vehicle manufacturer BMW at 800-831-1117 may be able to provide you more specific information in this area.

However, if your 2011 BMW 328i Sports Wagon that is experiencing the same symptoms as indicated in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V176000 but your vehicle is not included in that recall, please consider filing a complaint. Filing a complaint is a very important resource for NHTSA when your VIN is not included in a recall. If NHTSA receives sufficient data exemplifying that the scope of the recall should be extended to included additional vehicles, NHTSA will open an investigation to determine the scope of the recall. Please consider filing a complaint regarding your vehicle.

If you are interested in filing a formal complaint, please call our Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 and a Customer Service Representative will be happy to assist you.

We hope that you find this information helpful. However, if you need additional information on our services please feel free to contact us at 1-888-327-4236.

Thank you,

NHTSA.dot.gov Response Team

[Mike K]

UPDATE: I took a few hours this morning and removed my valve cover and sure enough the faulty Vanos bolts and their remnants were found. These are indeed the bolts that are subject to recall even though the e91 is somehow excluded.

The four faulty intake bolts are stiil in place. But the exhaust bolts are a different and sadder story. I'll call them #1-4:

#1 is missing but I found the stud end thankfully.
#2 & 3 have the studs still in there but have no heads
#4 Still has a bit of a head but is finger tight.

see images..

This means I have 3 aluminum heads somewhere in my engine. Do I need to pull the oil pan O' Wise Ones?

I think I can use the empty bolt hole to gently draw the assemblies back together. This may give me a better shot at removing #2 & 3 by the little pins that are still left in there. #4 can be removed I'm pretty sure in a straight forward manner.

As an 2009-2011 e91 guy, I'm pretty PO'd about our cars not being subsequent to the recall or even being notified about the extended warranty. The dealers that serviced this car by the DPO deny it was ever part of the recall even though as you can see, the faulty bolts were installed on these cars.

I'm keeping records of time and expense and have other witnessing too. I'll start in with the NHTSA soon as well. But I'm a bit unsure how to best proceed mechanically in terms of those %$&*#! aluminum bolt heads floating around in this N52k. Ideas?

Thanks!!

[E92_William]

Wow! I still can't believe they ruined the perfect design of the N52 vanos with these stupid bolts in the newer cars.. they can't leave anything reliable alone.

Are these bolts steel? Aka magnetic? If they are I would drain the oil and try to see if any of them come out. If not you could try sneak a magnetic flexible probe or something in the pan to see if you can catch anything. Also tapping the oil pan might let you know if any are in there if it makes noise inside. By how that looks I can totally see a head falling in a corner of the cylinder head. Would be great to not have to do the pan

EDIT: Never mind just read these were aluminum. That makes this a lot harder.

[gbalthrop]

Originally Posted by Mike K

UPDATE: I took a few hours this morning and removed my valve cover and sure enough the faulty Vanos bolts and their remnants were found. These are indeed the bolts that are subject to recall even though the e91 is somehow excluded. [My SWAG is the E91 was NOT properly "excluded"; I would want EXPLANATION from BMW AG and/or NHTSA; see (A) below]
The four faulty intake bolts are stiil in place. But the exhaust bolts are a different and sadder story. I'll call them #1-4:...
This means I have 3 aluminum heads somewhere in my engine. Do I need to pull the oil pan O' Wise Ones? [I would follow the procedure provided in the RCRIT. If you do NOT, then you give BMW AG/NA a basis for faulting YOU. See (B) below.]...
The dealers that serviced this car by the DPO deny it was ever part of the recall even though as you can see, the faulty bolts were installed on these cars.
I'm keeping records of time and expense and have other witnessing too. I'll start in with the NHTSA soon as well. But I'm a bit unsure how to best proceed mechanically in terms of those %$&#! aluminum bolt heads floating around in this N52k. Ideas?

A) If I were in your situation, I would do the following:
1) Determine the correct "Contact" at BOTH BMW NA, and NHTSA, for purposes of filing a written "Complaint" by email.

2) Prepare an Email, complete with inside address of "Contact" to whom your are transmitting email, and COMPLETE Vehicle information, including Vehicle Identification Number, Production Date, and Production Plant (Munich/ Muenchen in my case). VIN Decoder, Vehicle Details, gives that information. Attach to the email PHOTOS of the Broken Bolts. Keep the photos in ORIGINAL format with date taken as part of the Filename and/or Properties.

3) Take the position that there was an ERROR, due to negligence, which resulted in Dealers "believing" that E91 Models were "excluded" from the "AFFECTED VEHICLES" List on Page 2 of the RCRIT.

4) Indeed, PAGE ONE of the same RCRIT had listed (1) the SUBJECT of "Recall Campaign 14V-176: N51, N52K & N52T Engine - Replace VANOS Gear Bolts", AND had listed as MODELS Subject to the recall (2) E91 (Sports Wagon) with TEN (10) other Models.

5) On Page TWO of the RCRIT, under the Heading "AFFECTED VEHICLES", the SAME three Engines are repeated, along with the 10 Models OTHER than the E91 Sports Wagon, and the Production Range from September 2009 to November 2011 is added to LIMIT the Set of Vehicles to which the Recall is applicable.

6) There is NO suggestion of WHY the E91 Sports Wagon, should NOT be covered, or why it was listed among "MODELS" on Page ONE. On that evidence, one can ONLY conclude that the E91 Sports Wagon, produced during the period from September 2000 to November 2011 SHOULD have been considered an AFFECTED VEHICLE in the recall.

7) Request ANY FACTS suggesting the E91 with N51/N52K/T Engine was somehow PROPERLY excluded from the recall, such as due to Assembly Plant, Different Supplier or Specification of VANOS Bolts, etc.

8) Suggest that the MULTIPLE broken bolts on your 2011 328i N52 E91 clearly indicate that the vehicle WAS subject to the SAME condition regarding VANOS Bolts that caused Recall 14V-176, and SHOULD have been repaired pursuant to that recall, REGARDLESS of HOW the error occurred in failing to notify owners of E91 Vehicles.

9) Inform them that you will proceed to perform the the necessary repairs pursuant to the provisions in the RCRIT UNLESS they direct you to deliver the vehicle to the nearest Dealer within "X" days (determined by your needs).

10) Request that they advise of the Part# of (a) the Replacement VANOS Bolts, and (b) the Exhaust VANOS Unit; all required to be replaced pursuant to the RCRIT.

11) Make reasonable "Demand"/ Request for reimbursement for Parts Cost & YOUR LABOR, and request that they respond to that Demand within "Y" Days. Since you probably do NOT yet have total actual time & expense, provide specification of PARTS to be purchased & installed (including gaskets, etc.), and time estimate with specification of jobs, such as VC removal & reinstall, VANOS unit replacement, including Cam timing if applicable, Sump removal and reassembly.

12) Request that ALL communications pursuant to the Complaint & Demand be made to your (SPECIFY) Email Address.

13) Send Follow-up email to BOTH BMW NA & NHTSA within 48 hours of transmission of "Complaint" Email, to ascertain their receipt of Complaint and requesting response. Copy BOTH BMW NA & NHTSA on ALL communications (so EACH KNOWS you know ).

B. My Reading of the RCRIT Procedure:
1) Replace ALL EIGHT (8) VANOS BOLTS.
2) Replace Exhaust VANOS Unit.
3) Find and remove "missing pieces" of any broken bolts/ bolt heads, even if that means dropping the pan.

The following is a quote from page 2 of RCRIT:

"CORRECTION
On the affected vehicles:
1. Replace the VANOS assembly’s gear bolts on the units that do not have any loose and/or broken bolts (one side or both as applicable).
2. If the gear bolts on a VANOS assembly are found loose and/or broken, replace the entire VANOS assembly. If the heads of the bolts are broken, the missing pieces must be found and removed from the engine before the engine repairs are completed."

Please let us know how it goes,
George

[Mike K]

Thanks again George for your thoughtful and detailed response. I will begin my saga with NHTSA via the complaint hotline soo and I’ll keep your suggestions in mind. This will likely take more time than the actual repair.

But currently, I need to attempt to get this car back on the road as it’s my daily driver. I pretty sure I can remove the bad bolts, install the new uprated bolts along with a new VC, ESS, plugs, clean the solenoids, etc. I can even drop the pan as much as I don’t want to as mine was replaced not long ago by the DPO.

But I’m not sure about replacing the exhaust vanos unit? Can anyone shed light on this aspect?

I’m certainly not holding my breath for BMW to step up anytime soon. My NHTSA complaint is likely a very long game if indeed anything would actually come of it you know?

[E92_William]

Checked on realoem and there's only 2 exhaust camshaft vanos actuator part numbers. One that ends in 05/2009 and one that goes from there on.

By seeing that I imagine there's the model with the good bolts and then the one that has them break which is from 09 on. I don't know what they mean by replacing the actuator because you would be doing so with the same part number I imagine. I don't think it would have sustained any damage and having to time the engine by taking it off adds a lot of time to this job, I'd try put new bolts in it and that's it (probably what the dealer guys do)

[SCS55]

Originally Posted by Mike K

Thanks again George for your thoughtful and detailed response. I will begin my saga with NHTSA via the complaint hotline soo and I'll keep your suggestions in mind. This will likely take more time than the actual repair.

But currently, I need to attempt to get this car back on the road as it's my daily driver. I pretty sure I can remove the bad bolts, install the new uprated bolts along with a new VC, ESS, plugs, clean the solenoids, etc. I can even drop the pan as much as I don't want to as mine was replaced not long ago by the DPO.

But I'm not sure about replacing the exhaust vanos unit? Can anyone shed light on this aspect?

I'm certainly not holding my breath for BMW to step up anytime soon. My NHTSA complaint is likely a very long game if indeed anything would actually come of it you know?

Mike K, received your PM.. I will try to help.

1) I experienced the EXACT same symptoms as you did on the drive. The rattling was pretty unnerving. A week prior I had a SES code thrown for the said Cam and with preemptive reading, I pretty much realized that my exhaust cam bolts bolts were in fact migrating and the cam adjuster was wobbling.
I took the VC off and my exhaust cam and it's sheared bolts looked identical to yours.

I'll try to summarize the steps (try)

Picked out 1 of the 4 bolt heads right below the sprocket in a little recess that held oil in it, unscrewed the remaining bolt with a head (it was finger tight) and removed the last three bolts from the adjuster with needle nose pliers.
The cam adjuster was held in by only one bolt!
This left me with four bolts. One loose but recovered head, one bolt with a head on it, and 2 missing/ sheared heads.
To rotate the engine I used a 3/8's drive 22mm (I believe) short socket turning the engine over by hand clockwise as you look towards the car (my hands turning right facing the engine). You have to put each affected bolt into the spot where you'll have an approach angle for the wrench to get to it. It's fairly evident on what position this need to be. (Lots of minor tweaking to position the cam via turning the
crank)

When all my bolts were removed I had probably a 1/8th gap from the round adjuster to where it mates up to the cam sprocket. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to seat or walk the adjuster back onto the sprocket (actually the cam itself as it's all one piece) but, it did slowly walk back onto it as I evenly snugged each bolt down at the same time turning the crank over for a socket window. Finally with all four bolts bottomed out, I used a AC Delco 1/4 drive digital Torque wrench with an angle function. (Amazon) The new bolts are still aluminum but, they don't require much torque hence the accuracy required. The correct torque value is 6nm + 60degrees. It's not much, but I probably would have easily exceeded that with my hands alone.
Then I searched for the missing 2 bolt heads everywhere within the top side of the valvetrain
with a flashlight and could not find anything. I then called a buddy who is a tech at BMW and we agreed that there's a 99 percent chance that the remaining heads are in the sump. So I went with that.
I installed my VC and after everything was put back together it fired right up, ran very smoothly and no SES light, no codes, nothing at all to clear.

Points 1) I did not touch the intake exhaust bolts. I put the socket on them, thought about replacing them, but had a weird feeling that they were going to snap and a head was going to fly into the valve train, so I just left them alone. Although BMW replaces everything under the Vanos recall, I missed the cutoff by months. I also a have a very high risk tolerance level and can accept the intake cam adjuster failing, partly due to the fact that I know what to look and listen for. I am planning on getting a hand held fiber optic video tool to see if I can fish it through the oil filler cap and later look at the bolts.

2) The bolts are in my pan. After speaking with some guys in the shop, they concluded they normally fall down the timing chain passages and get into the pan. Also, the oil pickup screen on the oil pump is similar to a patio screen and it's highly doubtful that it's getting passed that. When speaking with my BMW Tech buddy, they have found plenty of odd things in e90 oil pans. I am also planning on removing the oil sending unit on my next oil change in an attempt to stick the fiber optic tool in to see if I can spot them. I replaced my pan in December and I'm not wanting to go through that again.

3) Since the new bolts have been replaced, we've put over 3000 miles on the engine and it's running perfectly.

4) Right after the bolt replacement I did an oil filter alone change inspecting the filter for debris and found nothing. 50 miles later I did an oil and filter change and sent off a sample to Blackstone specifically asking them to look for excess metal. The result was everything normal. It appears that the bolts sheared from the aluminum edges on the head and the oil filter did it's thing.

Lastly I'll shed some light on whistling from the VC that people experience. At about the same time I had the "Camshaft B over retarted"message, the high pitched squealing occurred with a definite large amount of suction while removing the oil filler cap. In an attempt to clear the Cam issue I swapped the intake and exhaust cam sensors after cleaning them (new Genuine BMW last year) to no avail. I ended up ordering a brand new VC Genuine BMW from FCP Euro knowing that the PCV is built into the VC and it's diaphragm is shot. I also ordered the VC vent hose which runs behind the back of the engine because I believe I cracked it back when I did the VC in December. As of now, still running fine, no issues. I hope this helps.
Top end replacement list from 6/2020

ESS Genuine BMW FCP Euro
Valve Cover Genuine FCP etc….
(Comes with VT motor gasket and ESS gasket)
Valve Cover Gasket
Rear crank case vent hose
Intake manifold gasket
All PCV hoses under intake manifold
Oil Filler cap
Oil filler cap gasket

[Mike K]

William and Sc555 I REALLY appreciate your help and expertise here! Beers all around on me!

Per SC555s experience, I have managed to remove all the remaining bits of the faulty bolts and install the new replacement bolts on both Intake and Exhaust Vanos. I followed the Service Bulletin 6nm/60 degrees torque and angle too.

I'm ordering parts and plan to button the top end back up once these parts arrive; A new VC, ESS, plugs, plug tubes, and few spare Vanos bolts to have on hand. Ill clean the Vanos solenoids and filter as well. I'm holding off on dropping the pan for now but will do an oil and filter change and report back with my results.

In the meantime, I have created a Youtube about my findings to help others in this situation, especially 2009-11 e91 folks who were left in the dark by both BMW and NHTSA for the recall. Here's that link:

[SCS55]

Originally Posted by Mike K

William and Sc555 I REALLY appreciate your help and expertise here! Beers all around on me!

Per SC555s experience, I have managed to remove all the remaining bits of the faulty bolts and install the new replacement bolts on both Intake and Exhaust Vanos. I followed the Service Bulletin 6nm/60 degrees torque and angle too.

I'm ordering parts and plan to button the top end back up once these parts arrive; A new VC, ESS, plugs, plug tubes, and few spare Vanos bolts to have on hand. Ill clean the Vanos solenoids and filter as well. I'm holding off on dropping the pan for now but will do an oil and filter change and report back with my results.

In the meantime, I have created a Youtube about my findings to help others in this situation, especially 2009-11 e91 folks who were left in the dark by both BMW and NHTSA for the recall. Here's that link:

Well done!

[Mike K]

UPDATE #2: I finally received my FCP parts order and accomplished the following today:

Replaced all 8 faulty Vanos bolts with the up-rated bolts per the RCRIT SB.
Replaced my ESS sensor
Replaced my spark plugs with NGKs.
Cleaned both Vanos solenoids.
Cleaned both Vanos filter/check valves.
Replaced my valve cover with a BMW part.
I changed the oil filter but not yet the oil.

After assembling what was needed, I went for an engine start up. It took a few cranks but finally started. No Vanos rattling noises or whistling at all! Yes! No leaks either.

However, I now had an SES light. Reading the codes with my handy Ancel BM700 unit, I found that I had a misfire on cylinder #4 and a rough idle. I swapped the coils around, and sure enough the fault followed a faulty coil.

So I figured it was best to order and swap in a new set of Bosch coils which I'll have early next week. I still plan to to use a Liqui Moly flush and drain the oil while removing the oil level sensor to see what I can get oil of the oil pan. Stay tuned!

Oh and by the way, I started my NHTSA complaint and CC'd BMW NA. They left me a voicemail last week. Seem that they want to talk to me!