Diagnose jumped chain and broken chain rail guide - BMW N42/N46 Chain Rail Replacement [PART #1]

[@ahahah445]

hello bimmer you are the best, im 15 so im pretty new to this but im going to replace my timing chain on my n42 in my 318i, and this series is really going to help me, thanks and cheers

[@abnanayaw]

I have an N52 with a broken guide, can you help

[@FeeeshEP3]

My valve cover was so stuck that when I was pulling it off I also damaged the connector plug for the valvetronic as it was on this Ti. Talking about the valvetronic, have you ever diagnosed a faulty electric adjuster motor? My valvetronic has been unplugged for the past 50k km, it runs fine above 3000rpm on the highway this is fine but it’s a bit gutless in the city, so I want to fix it at some point.

[@BimmerZen]

I haven't, but I did look into the whole system when I had a case of a bad valvetronic sensor. If the motor is unplugged, the valvetronic is disabled and the engine is controlled only by auxiliary throttle. That's why the engine is sluggish at low rpms and fuel consumption is a bit bigger. The Valvetronic ECU is quite smart and can detect a whole range of issues: 2850 Variable Valve Gear Guide Sensor 2852 Variable Valve Gear Reference Sensor 2854 Variable Valve Gear Plausibility Sensor 2856 Variable Valve Gear Voltage Supply 2858 Variable Valve Gear Adaptation Function 285A Variable Valve Gear Servomotor Monitoring 285C Variable Valve Gear CAN Communication 285E Variable Valve Gear Control Unit Internal Fault 2860 Variable Valve Gear Servomotor Output Stage 2862 Variable Valve Gear Voltage Supply Power Output Stage 2865 Variable Valve Gear Torque Limitation- Limp Mode 2866 Variable Valve Gear Adaptation Needed 2867 Variable Valve Gear Overload If you scan with INPA you should get some error codes if your motor is bad. You can also measure resistance of the winding to check if it is within spec. I even removed the motor and run it on 12V battery and measured idle current to confirm it's working properly. From the list of errors, you can see that the valvetronic ECU already has open circuit and overload detection...

[@FeeeshEP3]

@@BimmerZen Thank you. That was very helpful! I will reset the error codes, plug in the valvetronic again and check for errors after a few drives. Main issue was that the car idled terrible when hot (almost tuning off), this was resolved by pilling the plug on the sensor to disable the system.

[@divakism]

Thank you for this video! Really useful and well explained! 🙂 People think those engines are not reliable but this is due to poor maintenance. There are a few things you need to take care of and... Done! Its also cool that you choose the compact version of e46 for your videos. For me, one of the best looking cars out there... Looking forward to Part2! Stay safe and Happy Holidays! 🙂

[@BimmerZen]

100% agree with you. Yea, the E46 Compact has that marmite effect; you love it or you hate it... and I love it:D

[@samperry9507]

@@BimmerZen do these bend valves?

[@BimmerZen]

@@samperry9507 I think not: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ope7goB-jqyNgqM

[@dualysmirtin5144]

If the chain Tensioner work under oil presure when the engine is of the chain should be not loose ?

[@rzmanisco1868]

pully pump oil broken.penyebab nya apa

[@7elliemae]

Hi I did my rocker gasket on my 2003 e46 318ci n42, I found a broken chain guide just like the one in your video, I snapped one of the rocker bolts when I replaced the rocker cover, anyway, it drove for for 2 mins and then started to judder like it was miss firing and then the EML came on, I turned around and parked it up on my drive and haven't started it since, would a missing/snapped rocker bolt cause this to happen?

[@BimmerZen]

I dont think broken valve cover bolt is the problem. Did you replace the slide rail? I would first check if everything is properly connected (valvetronic, cam sensors, coils, ccv hose), then i would scan the ecu and get the actual error codes and messages to see what the problem is. If it runns ok for the first few minutes and then stalls, i would suspect something with timing and/or valvetronic activation.

[@7elliemae]

@@BimmerZen great thankyou, I had been driving around and not realised the chain guide had snapped, it pulled well and only the rattle on start up was the only give away, when I put it all back together it was then I started to have problems, I scanned for codes and got a p1349 fault, im just worried incase the timings gone that far out that I've bent valves? When I look at the 2 cogs that hold the chain I can see a hole on the front of each of them, the holes where you attached the timing tool, they are at roughly the 5 o'clock posistion, in your video these holes are at the top, im assuming these spin round as the chain moves?

[@holybasil155]

blue underwear in every clip? XD

[@krzysztofplich1223]

You are the best .On you tube stars.

[@clementincarol9969]

How do you know which camshaft is not timed ? Don’t you have to put the engine in tdc ?

[@BimmerZen]

You can determine which camshaft is problematic by trying to insert the locking tools. In my case, I could insert the exhaust camshaft locking tool and the pin on exhaust side on the front locking tool in to the hole in the VANOS timing gear. in this position I could also insert the flywheel locking pin, which means engine is in TDC on the first cylinder.

[@clementincarol9969]

Ok thank you all lot man

[@MSH3L-E60]

@@BimmerZen What should I do if the front side does not match, where did the balance start?

[@BimmerZen]

@@MSH3L-E60 Make sure that the VANOS units are locked in initial position. Lock EXHAUST cam with locking tool at the back (this will stop movement of the chain), then carefully try rotating the INTAKE VANOS bolt counter-clockwise. If the bolt (camshaft) rotates for more than 1deg, then it is not (was not) locked. Do the same for the exhaust camshaft/VANOS, but this time you have to lock the INTAKE cam and rotate the EXHAUST bolt clockwise. VANOS sprocket and the camshaft should feel like they are mechanically connected both times. It you still cant insert the front locking tool, then first undo the vanos bolt one side by locking that cam at the back and then rotate at the crankbolt until you can insert the other cam locking tool and undo that vanos bolt. Do this only if you plan to re-time the engine, of course:)