[blueflash13]

Several weeks ago I unlocked the door on my 2011 335XI, completely stock N55 and noticed a terrible clicking/ binding noise coming from the motor. Upon some further investigation it seems that this is an occasional issue with the N55 engine. Nothing preceding the noise to ever make me suspect the engine has an issue and the car seems to run fine to this day other than an occasionally having a rough idle at startup.

A few days after hearing the noise it would randomly happen when I woke the car up or it went to sleep, but not every time. Took it to an independent mechanic down the street who specializes in european cars but not necessarily BMW for a diagnosis and came out with the report but the car runs fine, they couldn't reproduce the noise but did pull a valvetronic fault for "valvetronic motor signal loss" 2DD8/PO1017. In their opinion it was strange but they recommended not trying to replace the actuator motor because they can't really find any solid reason to.

Two weeks later the noise was happening nearly every time I locked and unlocked the car. Still driving find but the noise was driving me crazy! Decided to take to to the dealership (I know, maybe stealership) to see what they had to say. After taking the car in for a diagnosis they're saying it needs a new actuator motor and most likely the actual eccentric shaft as well. Service advisor claims the tech suspects a tooth is actually missing from the eccentric shaft gear according to his tests!

As of now I don't really know what to think. The repairs are obviously going to be very expensive from the dealership, going to a respectable indie shop may save me some on parts and labor but I can't really imagine it being cheap either. The car's been well maintained with 84K miles on it, recently out of the CPO warranty. Anyone else experience such an issue?

[blueflash13]

Here's a video of the noise.
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=...40533470767132

[weehe126]

Over 4 months mine went from occasionally to every time it woke or went to sleep. You need a new valvetronic servomotor. The way to check is by unplugging the large electrical plug on top of the motor, under the engine cover. If the sound doesn't happen when you wake the car, it's your servomotor. One thing to make sure you or your shop does is oil the eccentric shaft while the valve cover is off. BMW design improperly oils the shaft and I suspect it is the reason for the servomotor failures.

[blueflash13]

Ok thats exactly what I suspected, thanks. What I don't understand is the dealership claiming the eccentric shaft needs to be replaced as well, after-all thats really adds onto the repair costs! Maybe the actuator actually chewed the up teeth on the shaft, or the shaft itself is having an issue that caused all this to begin with? I decided to take it to the dealership out of warranty rather than an indie shop because I suspect this may have something to do with improper repairs for the vanos recall from another dealership. As If they would actually acknowledge that this being the cause.

[lurker14]

you for sure will eventually need at least the motor/sensor combo replaced, had mine done a few months ago at an indy total cost with the shaft was $3400. They told me they had done a few of them and that sometimes they can just lube the shaft and it is ok but was not the case on mine, I want to say the part cost of the shaft was 8-900 so i think it would have only been about 1500 if it was just the sensor/motor, the dealer near me quoted a couple hundred higher when i was shopping the sensor job, closer to the indy price than i expected. i had the clicking sound and a code that came back right away if cleared for a few months, it was always intermittent until the noise stopped, but the code never went away. there is no harm in driving with it broken car just resorts to using the throttle body, only difference i noticed was when it was cold out for the first 30 seconds or so the idle would hunt a little and sometimes drop too low and stall when i put the clutch in after backing out of my parking spot.

I still have my old shaft and actuator that i need to take some accurate measurements of to find out what is wrong with it. there is clear wear on the teeth but i dont know if there are any other problems with it.

[weehe126]

So the shaft can wear out since it doesn't get proper oil, but it would have to have bad wear marks. I would say oil it, replace the servomotor and do the adaptations. If it fails to do the adaptations you might need a new shaft too. I thought the vanos recal caused my failure as well since they happened so close together. But I really can't say for sure.

[blueflash13]

Interesting. Thats more or less slightly below what the dealership has quoted me and they seem to be cooperative. I also notice the strange idle hunt sometimes when I first start the car. Jumps from 600 rpm to 1100 and sounds like crap but once you drive it it always feels perfectly responsive and powerful. Honestly makes me wonder how terrible of a situation I'd be in had I just disconnected the valvetronic motor and drove it solely reliant on the throttle body ha.

I love my car but as impressive as the engine sounds on paper I'm starting to wonder why I don't just sell the car and pick up a newer Mustang or 6th gen Camaro with an "old school" simple yet powerful V-8

[blueflash13]

Originally Posted by weehe126

So the shaft can wear out since it doesn't get proper oil, but it would have to have bad wear marks. I would say oil it, replace the servomotor and do the adaptations. If it fails to do the adaptations you might need a new shaft too. I thought the vanos recal caused my failure as well since they happened so close together. But I really can't say for sure.

I should consider taking it away from the dealership to have an indie that will agree to consider not changing out the shaft. I believe the dealership may just want to replace the eccentric shaft regardless of how necessary it is so they can avoid any possibility of me coming back under the warranty of the repair. I'm definitely not interested in spending any more than I need to though.

[weehe126]

Originally Posted by blueflash13

I should consider taking it away from the dealership to have an indie that will agree to consider not changing out the shaft. I believe the dealership may just want to replace the eccentric shaft regardless of how necessary it is so they can avoid any possibility of me coming back under the warranty of the repair. I'm definitely not interested in spending any more than I need to though.

The servomotor is around $450 and 6-8 hours of work. The shaft is $900-1200 and probably 3 extra hours, or 9-11 by itself. So you can decide if it is worth just doing the motor. I would say it's worth the risk, just make sure the shaft is oiled everywhere it is held down.

[lurker14]

Mine was also right after the vanos recall was done

[weehe126]

Originally Posted by lurker14

Mine was also right after the vanos recall was done

Pretty sure they have to unload the tension on the eccentric shaft to do the vanos units. So wouldn't be surprised if the monkeys at my BMW dealer let the shaft snap back causing the servomotor to be damaged.

[blueflash13]

Right now the dealership is claiming that there's a certain possibility they'll break the fuel injectors trying to remove and reinstall them, and I'd have to pay the price for new injectors. Sounds a bit like bs to me are they really that difficult to deal with as long as you have the injector removal tool?

[weehe126]

Originally Posted by blueflash13

Right now the dealership is claiming that there's a certain possibility they'll break the fuel injectors trying to remove and reinstall them, and I'd have to pay the price for new injectors. Sounds a bit like bs to me are they really that difficult to deal with as long as you have the injector removal tool?

No clue about having the tool. I would hope they have it. But when I replaced mine, #3 injector came out fine, #4 was stuck and I did not want to break it. Still could get the servomotor out, but the book says to remove both (so the dealer will). Hope it goes well.

[precisionintime]

Hey guys. 2011 x3 35i, 20k miles here.

Similar issues. Recall for bolts done 04/2016. Started having rough idle recently / clicking sounds recently. Car wouldn't start at all on a random day (cranks but won't start). Threw up drivetrain malfunction and check engine light.

Took to stealership. SA said the actuator has to be replaced. Highly recommends replacing the eccentric shaft also. Since car has 20k miles, all parts/labor (except eccentric shaft + 3 hours of labor) will be covered under 7/70 warranty.

Trying to get corporate to help out since car only has 20k miles, original owner + lots of problems since 2011.

[juld0zer]

No, the VANOS recall is actually quite simple if nothing is broken.
If an adjuster needs to be replaced then the cams are locked in order to release the central VANOS adjuster bolt.

Yes, injectors can be damaged during removal. BMW specifies that a torque wrench capable of reverse measurement be used in conjunction with the special tool to extract the injector. If the torque required to shift the injector exceeds the threshould value then damage will occur.

Dealerships are not always lying. More often than not, it is BMW factory guidelines that increses repair cost and complexity over what may appear to be quite a simple repair to the average consumer. If in doubt, ask for photographic evidence of the damaged parts and a printout of the document which stipulates what needs to be replaced in what scenario.

[capitalx]

Every time i search the net for an error code, showing up in my X5, it always seems to be for a 2011 N55. In my case it's both the Transfer Case and the Valvetronic system. There is certainly an underlying issue involving the valvetronic system in the 2011's and I'm certain BMW knows this, but imagine a recall on all eccentric shaft on the road and the expense to BMW.

Mine is a 2011 X5 with 54k miles. Bought the car with the chatter noise from servo unsuccessfully trying to reach it's upper limit. Indy shop at the time said nothing wrong. Noise stopped after a few weeks and a week or two later the car stalled and would not restart. Towed to indy and had servomotor replaced. They said shaft also but i refused. They tested the shaft movement and all seem good. After new servo the limits would not learn and code was no communication with DME. Mine was worse case you read about. When my servo shorted out it back fed to the DME circuit that controls the valves. Towed to dealer for 8yr / 80k mile EPA warranty and got new zero cost to me DME. Once installed dealer got error 2D43 or obd-p1023. "Valvetronic, adjustment range: Fault range check" Seems to run fine so far (1 day) This fault shows if the adjustment range deviates from the original adaptation by more than 2 degrees. Note: The dealership may not have know that the indy put in new servo motor prior. The dealership said i needed to replace the servo motor, eccentric shaft and oil Nozzle. Of course i picked up the car without the repair.

Oil Nozzle- That seems odd unless they redesigned it and improved its ability to oil the shaft. Could this be responsible for all the issues people have?

I'm going to the indy shop Monday and have them redo the adaption. If it's possible because i'm told it relearns every time i start the car) I have ista but don't see any way to relearn. There is a procedure to run related to 2D43 that is supposed to free up a stuck shaft.

[weehe126]

If the servomotor replacement doesn't fix it you need to oil the shaft and rotate it. If that doesn't work you need a new shaft.

[capitalx]

Originally Posted by weehe126

If the servomotor replacement doesn't fix it you need to oil the shaft and rotate it. If that doesn't work you need a new shaft.

Oil the shaft- What is the deal with the shafts? If it need oiled and i oil it, How long could that possible stay oiled? Is there a way to make sure they get the proper oil?

Currently i have no valvetronic codes but yesterday i started with non and after a test drive did have 2D43 back.

Using ISTA, i cleared the stops in the DME but when i tried to relearn them using ISTA, I could not get past an error message stating something about not able to get low position. There is also a procedure that is suppose to move a stuck shaft and get it functioning again. I was afraid to try it but will if i get the 2D43 again.

[weehe126]

If you actually look at the shaft you can see where you need to oil. I don't think there is a permanent fix. A buddy couldn't get his to calibrate with INPA, oiled the shaft and then was able to calibrate.

[bbnks2]

Ista states the shaft should be lubed with BMW long time lube.

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...-gear/CyzwchK9

I haven't replaced my motor yet, but it's shot. My motor eventually failed with the eccentric shaft stuck at minimum lift. Car wouldn't start. I had to manually set the eccentric shaft to full lift with an allen key and unplugged the bad servo motor. Car is running off the throttle plate just fine but codes are obviously present.

[weehe126]

Originally Posted by bbnks2

Ista states the shaft should be lubed with BMW long time lube.

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...-gear/CyzwchK9

I haven't replaced my motor yet, but it's shot. My motor eventually failed with the eccentric shaft stuck at minimum lift. Car wouldn't start. I had to manually set the eccentric shaft to full lift with an allen key and unplugged the bad servo motor. Car is running off the throttle plate just fine but codes are obviously present.

Any idea what BMW long time lube is? or have a link.

[juld0zer]

It is a grease made by Castrol.
Your best bet for a one off job is to make friends with someone who works at a dealer service centre and coax them into giving you a dab