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Your cart is empty.Stage 1 Vanos Seal Kit Designed specifically for the M52tu, M54 and M56 engines 6-cyl engines (Years 1998-2006) 3-series: E36 Z3 1998-2002 & E46 1998-2005 5-series: E39 1999-2003 & E60/E61 2002-2005 7-series: E38 1998-2001 & E65/E66 2002-2005 Z4 E85 2002-2005 // X3 E83 2003-2006 // X5 E53 2000-2006
Kbilly
May 30, 2025
I have a 2005 BMW X3 that I bought with 76,000 miles on it. It had lacked power in lower rpms for a long time and was getting worse. It would often rev above 4k before shifting without much pressure on the gas pedal. Seemed like odd behavior so I looked into it and couldn't find anything. Then rpms began to flutter occasionally while idling. Then it started stalling intermittently when accelerating from a stop. You press the gas and the engine just stops. I also noticed about a 15% drop in fuel efficiency. These symptoms slowly added up and worsened over the course of about 5 years with no lights coming on.The car was reliable for the most part and you could drive wherever you needed. The symptoms were just inconvenient. Finally while looking into replacing the valve cover gasket I stumbled upon this thing called a VANOS. Being new to DIY repair I never heard of it. So while I was in there replacing the valve cover gasket I also rebuilt the VANOS using this kit. Let me just say, THIS FIXED EVERYTHING! No more flutters, no more stalling, full power, mpg, and regular shifting restored.Doing some research, the factory seals in the VANOS have a typical life of around 60,000 miles. Most mechanics don't like rebuilding parts, because they don't like to warranty them if something goes wrong. A new VANOS for my car was around $800, and a mechanic would almost certainly mark that up. So if you have a BMW over 60,000 miles and you're noticing any of these symptoms you may need to rebuild your VANOS. It's a big job so set aside a full day for this repair, but it is very worth it. Your car will feel like new again.As for the kit, it worked like a charm. It comes with everything you need. All the parts are high quality and fit perfectly in my BMW.
James
May 11, 2025
This kit had most everything part wise for the basic job but don't forget to order a new valve cover gasket with rubber grommets I used the $28 Victor Reintz one on Amazon it works fine. Figured while I was in there I replaced the needle bearings, and anti rattle rings inside the pistons too about $28 for the bearings. You can go to the i6motorworks site and order the additional parts.YouTube videos and there are a few websites like BAVAUTO that have PDF's for DIY how to. I spent about 9 hours doing this job because I wasn't in any hurry deciding to clean everything so I ran out of break parts cleaner having to go back to the store to get more. I didn't want to spray that stuff all over everything so I sprayed the cleaner only on the housing once removed and empty. I sprayed the cleaner on the red shop rags then cleaned a little at a time to avoid over spray. I used a lot of nitrile gloves, two red shop rags, a roll of paper towels, and about 4 cans of break parts cleaner. Don't forget to soak the VANOS parts back in fresh motor oil during final assembly to avoid any unnecessary wear. I also ordered some Nylon Vise Jaws from JCL PRODUCTS on Amazon. They worked excellently holding the round intake and exhaust pistons getting the old o rings out and while replacing the needle bearings and anti rattle rings.My car has 227000 miles and I thought it was on its last legs. There is immediate improvement in performance. The tachometer doesn't bounce up and down anymore and moves smooth with cold idle about 900 rpm and warm 600 rpm turning on the AC makes no difference. It's nice not watching the car feel like its going to quite at stop lights with the AC on. The remanufactured transmission I had put in finally shifts like butter.Was exact replacement for E46 BMW 1999 323I.
Berto
December 21, 2024
Good kit with everything you need to reseal the VANOS units E36 E39 E46 E53 E60 E83 E85 M52tu M54 M56 BMW engines. Not a hard job to do, just a little messy. Watch a few videos on youtube. Get lots of shop towels under the VANOS unit as you disassemble and remove it from the engine. Took me about 4 hours beginning to end, taking my time cleaning and double checking everything. About an hour of the time spent was removing small pieces of RTV sealant from a poorly performed valve cover gasket replacement from the prior owner. While you are in here, might as well do the valve cover gasket, I went with a Fel-Pro VS 50631 R from Amazon as well. I have used OEM and Victor Reinz in the past in other BMWs and they all eventually leaked after a few years again. Its BMW, if its not leaking oil, it must be out of oil.While in the engine bay, check the condition of the spark plugs and the coils. If they have not been done in 75k-100k might as well do them now as they are easy to get to when doing the VANOS reseal. One more tip, remove the secondary air pump from the left of the engine, not necessary but will make fitting the valve cover gasket easier. Once completed, oil pressure built up and car warmed up, I was able to notice a slight but noticeable increase in torque below 3k RPMs. The old VANOS seals were flat and crispy so yes it was time. Also note, this is only a reseal kit, if your engine is suffering from VANOS rattle, that will require additional parts in the form of needle bearings. Cant comment on longevity yet but consider these items consumables and I will probably do again at 150k miles. Car currently has ~75k.
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