Vanos is Stuck?! Help!

[JasonM3]

I have a check engine light on and the codes are:


1. Vanos Mechanically stuck"
2. Engine misfire cyl. #4

Its a 96 M3 with 75k miles on it. Runs like a bat out of hell.. Idles a little funny now and them, but I figure thats due to the lightened flywheel I put in. For the most part the car as fast as hell, and I cant complain at all. But I dont want to keep running it if I am gonna do damage. Will it do damage. My friend has a 97 M3 with 175k miles and no problems at all.. He gets Check engine lights all the time, but he always uses a code reader that wont tell him what all the codes mean. I just bought this code reader from BMP Design. And this is what it says.. Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks! Oh yeah the engine misfire.. it must be at idle and I dont even notice it cuz she runs very smooth especially under any throttle at all.

Jason

 

[jcblaschke]

The first that that i can think of that would be a problem with the VANOS always on would be the decrease in gas mileage, an advantage would be to always have that extra 10 or so HP that you get from VANOS. About the 4th cylinder, i don't think the 2 error codes are related, so you might want to check the coil on your 4th cylinder and while your at it, check the plug (much cheaper fix).

 

[JasonM3]

Actually when I got the car it had a check engine light on.. so the first time I checked those codes the vanos one came up and it had a misfire on every single cylinder.. a code for each one of course.. so I reset them.. and the light came back on again.. this time with the #4 misfire and the vanos one. Now here is another wrench in the puzzle.. I got the car at an auction..only paid 4k for it! It had a bad trans.. I fixed that, and it pulled really bad to the left...turned out the left strut was bolted in backwards and thats it... fixed it and it drives straight as it ever could. Now here is a part that has me really wondering. When I went through the car after I bought it. I found a broken BMW cam in the floor in the back. I am wondering if someone replaced the cam, with stock or a hi performance one. I dont know if the Vanos is stuck on or off. It just says "VANOS mechanincally stuck" Will it hurt the engine if I keep running it like this? I will check the 4th cyl. Thanks for your reply JC!

Jason

 

[wantahotbimmer]

what year did BMW start using Vanos???

 

[JasonM3]

I think 93 Wanta.

 

[jcblaschke]

The 92' 325is (M50) didn't have VANOS, the 93' and newer (M50TU), notice the TU after the M50 engine code of the '92, TU = Technical Update, and VANOS i belive is intake variable valve timing. The 95 M3's had DOUBLE VANOS which is both intake and exhuase variable valve timing.