Symptoms, Removing timing chain and intake camshaft - PART 0 - RE-BUILD N43 Motor series

BMW E91 2008 Touring with engine N43B20A with 258tkm
How to assembly it
PART 0 - Removing timing chain and intake camshaft
Here in this video I am removing timing chain and intake camshaft
Original problem was not there… read symptoms, see video and see whole series :)
This is where all started.
Symptoms:
After starting cold engine: Misfires after 30-60 seconds from starting
1. At first when the car started cold; engine idle running was uneven
and the engine malfunction light came on. The uneven idle running
was occurred with heavy vibration. After restarting the engine,
the car was operating normally. At first, this was rare.
2. A few months ahead, the fault worsened with vibrations at each start-up and later the car had to be started more often before the idle running was
relatively smooth. At the slow speeds on the road, you can feel some unevenness.
3. Eventually, the fault worsened to the point that restarting was no longer helpful. About 30-60 seconds after the car was restarted, the engine malfunction light came on and the engine control unit shut down one cylinder. It didn't matter whether the engine was cold or warm.
4. In the end, the car no longer made any sense to drive.
Actions taken during the fault:
- The new plugs and ignition coils did nothing to help the situation.
- BMW's ISTA-D application suggested replacing all fuel injectors.
- There is no problem with the fuel supply and the fuel pressure was fine.
- If the fault is not in the spark plugs, ignition coils, fuel injectors,
fuel supply, and there is no intake and exhaust leakages then the fault must be mechanical.
- The new fuel injectors would have cost around € 1,200 on the original.
I ordered "new" fuel injectors from EBay and the problem just got worse.
These fuel injectors were fakes.
- In reality, they were the first versions of the BMW injector series that BMW itself has rejected!
- The money lost at this point was 260 euros.
- It is not ideal to replace the new original injectors when there was no certainty that they would be defective.
Repair workshop diagnosis:
- Intake Cam Shaft has elapsed (1 cylinder cams)
- The timing chain is stretched
- This repair would have cost with them around € 2,300 with parts and labor.
- No thanks!
To perform a workshop diagnosis repair byself:
- the intake camshaft was certainly slightly worn (the cams of the cylinder 1.)
- I found a used camshaft on Ebay for € 94.80 !! This turned out to be a good and good investment. 😊
- New parts: 2 x new rocker arms and 2 x hydraulic aligment elements, timing belt parts, V-belt, coolants, oils, seals, etc…
The price for these parts came to 395,00 €, which also includes a 85,00 € timing tool from EBay.
To locate a mechanical fault:
- With Engine cylinder Leakage Test I found leakage in cylinders 3 and 4. These two cylinders leaked to each other.
- When firing air pressure from the spark plug hole to 3. cylinder, air came out of the 4 cylinder spark plug hole and vice versa.
- Pressure did not come out from intake side or exhaust side or coolant reservoir
- The fault must then be in the head gasket or the cylinder block between them.
Actual failure:
- After removing the head, the fault was found; the head gasket was broken between the 3rd and 4th cylinders.
- This disrupted the engine running and caused the engine to run unevenly.
- In addition, there were small grooves in the head and block surface, just at the crack of the head gasket.
- Because of this, I had to use both of them for grinding at the engine shop. At the same time, they also replaced the valve steam seals and checked the valves.
Thoughts:
This is my first motor repair, so if you see any amateur mistakes on these videos, try to understand 😉
The car has been driven for a while now after rebuild and the engine is running as it should.
You can follow me also in Instagram, facebook and KZbin:
/ voutilainenjani
/ jani.voutilainen
/ @janivoutilainen
I made video series on youtube of assembling the engine. Check out the videos from my channel, if you want to know how things went ... 😉
I hope these videos help those who want to do the same for the N43 engine themselves.
This engine repair cost me around 1300 € + new clutch parts; flywheel and clutch plates etc. 800 euro.
The total price was approximately 2100.00 €.
I can only imagine how much this whole project would have cost at the garage.
--
Music:
Runaway by Diamond Ace | / diamond-ace-music
Music promoted by www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
creativecommons.org/licenses/...

[@Jastik]

Hi from Finland. Awesome channel, I was searching just THIS kind of videos to understand better my N43 engine and find my rought idle in cold mornings (still didnt find after visiting 4 carworkshops around Helsinki). I will watch all your vids sir. Thank you for your work.

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Kiitos! 😊 You're welcome!

[@kevcat8655]

Oh my god! What a god send! I have just found your channel and I have exactly the same car. Thanks so much for your videos

[@MerakiGrace]

holly molly! that's a lot of things to remove! It's easy when you look at it part by part, but it's also easy to lose mind there, especially when you came to timing stuff and after that; i'm watching your videos because I have a big problem with this N43 engine, oil is leaking from the left side of the engine, and after checking it out, my guess is that my head gasket is broken; for some reason car is heating fast and the coolant liquid is disappearing fast; nothing is mixed up, it's just those symptoms for now (I didn't turn on car since I found something is wrong); I wish it's not head gasket, but I'm waiting for my father to come from a travel to inspect it better; I'm really sad about the engine, don't know how I came in situation to have an oil leak, ahhh

[@tmihey123]

Great videos! Now I've seen what is inside of my n43 engine, for a case ... :)

[@JaniVoutilainen]

You're welcome! :)

[@jamesaddison81]

I just did my timing chain, thanks for the videos they really helped. Although I had the exact same marks on my intake cam and also have a bit of rough running on a cold start up. Time to take the head off maybe!

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Great that the videos were helpful. 😊 Take care of the Nox system. If it's not okay; can really cause a lot of problems with engine operation. And it’s a good idea to do a compression pressure measurement on the engine and a cylinder leak test.

[@ahmetbehcethoscan4375]

Great video !!! Thank you so much.

[@6Wojcieech]

Hello Jani, Thank you again for your videos! I would be completely lost without them :) How have you disassembled the intake plenum/manifold? What are you unscrewing at 14:40 after lifting the manifold a bit? Unfortunately, I can't lift it that high. I have unscrewed all bolts, top bracket plate and I have disconnected two rubber cable mounts on the back and one solid pipe from the bottom but something is still holding and I can't figure out what... Could you advise me sir what to do?

[@philmasson2294]

Good evening, I love your videos on this n43 engine, you assure me.👍 I have a question regarding the timing chain tensioner. My car has 127,000 km, should this object be changed preventively knowing the chain problems on it? I am French and my translation by Google. Thanks in advance for your advice. Cheers

[@difacilprojects6676]

Nice video!

[@wrongmark]

Thanks for the videos, out of interest, were there any broken parts on the timing chain guides when you removed it? Also, what condition were the intakes/valves when you removed the engine? Were they desperate for cleaning?

[@JaniVoutilainen]

The guides were still perfectly fine. The chain was slightly stretched compared to the new one. Also valves were just fine. The engine shop performed grinding of the cover and the block, and at the same time checked and sanded the valves and replaced the rubbers of the valve stem.

[@antonn6156]

Good video!

[@nenadovmail]

Whole series is great and very detailed, learned a lot about the engine, thanks Jani. Did you have any oil consumption problems before or after rebuild?

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Thanks! Oil consumption was normal after rebuild

[@uglyjumali]

God job, congrats!!! How is the engine running, as of 2024? I am helping a friend of my to do exactly the same job on the same engine. On this engine, the problem was a lot of oil (really lot) in the intake, then hydrolock (hydraulic shock), with bent connecting rod on the cylinder nr. 3. No other damages. We see no rational explanation for the presence of so much oil there. Could be the PCV Valve the main culprit, what do you think? The old head gasket seem to be in good order, visually, but, a very small crack, which would have increased the pressure inside the engine, who knew...

[@brianthompson8460]

hi Jani could you say if it is possible to access the flywheel locking tool area from below the car bypassing the inlet manifold removal Excellent VID THANK YOU

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Installing a flywheel locking tool from below is really difficult if not even impossible... At least I didn't succeed ...

[@hakantoren7340]

I really like this video, and I have follow it step by step but I can't find any hole for the TDC. I have a 2012 316i E91 N43. Strange?

[@chris-3]

Hello, I bought an N43 BMW and I'm wondering whether it would be worth it to preventively replace the timing chain. I don't know when the last owner replaced it, but there are no symptoms of timing chain issues right now. Also, I checked through the oil cap and the chain seems pretty tight, for whatever that's worth. Could it break out of nowhere without any symptoms that I could notice in time such as rattling, major misfires and getting loose? If yes, then I'd probably replace it just in case. If not, I'd rather keep the old one and save the money. Thanks!

[@francoishersent9059]

Awesome ! I have a n43 and I want to keep it for a long time, maybe in few years I’ll do my first engine rebuilt like yours. I just downloaded all episodes of yours series (just in case). I have just a question, where did you get all the torque specifications for this engine ? I searched on web but I didn’t found. Thanks you for this very content which I am sure will be very helpful :) And I am curious, how many kilometers was your engine when the issue started ?

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Thanks! You can find torque specifications from here: www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/ You will also find instructions on how to do things!

[@dj0men666]

@@JaniVoutilainen looks like BMW got that site shut down! :(

[@JaniVoutilainen]

You should install ISTA-D on your computer. The same original instructions can be found there 👍

[@bigdeal87]

Woww thx I love those videos! Pls more of it! Is it not needed to fix the counter balancers from the oil pump while change the chain? Thx

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Sorry late answer! I kept timing tool (for them) on the counter balances all the time to locking them, when oil pump was out. If you replace also bottom chain, you need keep those balancers on correct position 👍

[@bigdeal87]

Jani Voutilainen no Problem and if u only change the main chain is it still needed or will they stay in place by locking the crankshaft with locking pin? Thx

[@JaniVoutilainen]

When replacing only upper chain and not open nut of oilpump, no need to worry about those counter balances of oil pump. Only if you open oil pump nut, you need to lock those oilpump counter balances 👍

[@bigdeal87]

@@JaniVoutilainen Sry its me again, I think you are wrong on that one because I think when u losen the crank main bolt the oil pump gear on the crank can move freely ( 11317502180 ) ?! So that would mean the oil pump balancers will move as well right ? Or I am worng on this one ? Thanks best regards sascha

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Thanks @Sascha B for your feedback! 😊 Indeed, the BMW TIS guide states: "With a slackened central bolt, the ends of the counterbalance shafts can be rotated by hand." However, the crankshaft has locked with a pin tool and possibly also a flywheel locking tool, so I assume the counterbalance shafts cannot spin by themselves. Now I have to say I'm not sure anymore. If anybody reading this who are a professional on this subject, I would like to hear your opinion: If you only change the main timing chain, do you have to lock the counterbalance shafts? Which also means that you need lower front axle support, remove oil sump etc.

[@say1978]

Yes, here i can see much clearly. Im interested in camshaft timing adjustment. I was told that the reason behind shaking of the engine (little one, but annoying) can be not properly adjusted camshaft timing. I see that intake manifold need to be taken off, alternator, throttle body and also some tools will be needed to do the job. Maybe you know if there is a way to check timing? (n43, 2.0i, 2010) Ive learned a lot form this vid, thanks

[@say1978]

i forgot, pitchfork are awsome :)

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Your engine is exactly the same as my N43. Cylinder 1 must be in the TDC (Top Dead Center) position (fully up) when the locking PIN tool is in place on the flywheel. Then the cams of the 1st cylinder of the camshafts also point upwards at an angle. Then the timing is right.

[@laurentiu.panait2536]

Hello ! I enjoy these tutorials but I'm in a desperate trouble.. My N43 is experiencing some metallic rattle beetween 2000 and 3000 rpm. I suspect the timing chain stretched or loosened via the worn plastic chain guides but upon removal of valve cover the chain is so tight you can barely move it. Please what could cause that knock beetween 2 and 3 k rpm? I'm not getting any shakes or other symptoms as it seems.

[@moundirder3737]

salut ta régler ton souci depuis temps alors c était quoi ton souci de bruit

[@belos65]

Hello! Thanks! for a very good Video. I have a Bmw 318i Petrol With Automatic gearbox. When I back the car out of the garage, the automatic transmission wants to drive the car very much, backwards. I feel like it's way too high Idling then. I have to press the brake pedal when reversing so they don't reverse too fast. Do you know anything about what could be wrong with this. They are Year Model 2006 on the Car. Thanks! From Tommy Bertilsson from Sweden

[@bigdeal87]

Youre the men ! How much kms had the chain on ? Looks kinda good without lenght..

[@JaniVoutilainen]

About 260 tkm. Seemed just fine, just a little stretched.

[@bigdeal87]

Jani Voutilainen nice and how looked the rod bearings? Thx

[@bigdeal87]

Do you think is possible to lose the Crank bolt and exchange the chain without locking the oil pump balance shafts ? Thanks

[@alexgribkov5639]

Good day. How to fix the lower shaft to unscrew it?

[@elo3yaselyaas522]

Hi great video I have the same engine I'm experiencing loud rattle over 2000rpm and cutting out on idle when warm. Does the oil sump need to be removed to do the chain.

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Only if you want to change lower chain also. If you change only upper chain, there is no need to remove oil sump.

[@Laaaaaber7311]

​@@JaniVoutilainen Thank you so much for your videos! I am planning to this work on my car too and have a question: In this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoDIaaGomZ6Labs at 10:02 mins they show that there are balance shafts - did you fixate yours with your job on the timing chain or not? I would like to skip that step, because the whole front axle has to be lowered in order to remove the oil sump ..

[@JaniVoutilainen]

@@Laaaaaber7311 At first, I also thought I’d just change the top chain because removing that front axle wasn’t terribly tempting. Finally, I also changed the lower chain because the camshaft bolt dropped into the oil sump myself and I couldn't get it out of there with any magnet ... Removing the front axle is its own job but not as bad as you suddenly think. Some video material about it can be found at the end of this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rX2oaGaAl7p9b8k So all this before I decided to disassemble the whole engine

[@Laaaaaber7311]

@@JaniVoutilainen Thank you for your Answer, I watched your front axle removal and honestly it's exactly, what I want to avoid to do .. I will stay with changing the upper chain and especially my valve stem seals and I think my e87 will be good to go for now :)

[@catalinionut3583]

hello, I have the same engine and my mechanic changed the timing chain. now the engine is very noisy and has no power. do you have any idea what he did wrong? thanks

[@DigitalDissident]

Does the bracket with two screws below the oil filler cap serve any purpose or can it be deleted? It's the loop to the left of the oil filter on bottom...

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Do you mean the engine lifting point? It is specifically designed to lift or support the engine from top, for example, when removing the front axle or something similar ...

[@DigitalDissident]

Yeah i realized this shortly after, I still might get rid of mine

[@cnc-akura]

Hi!Where the cylinder 1 is located?

[@lilaodobronx8111]

Hello friend, how are you, I'm experiencing the same or similar problem, my BMW 3 series 2009 N43 engine has misisfire, could you help me with some things please...

[@X11Silent11X]

I read in the workshop Manual that you have to remove the oil pan and sustain the oil pump in order to remove the small sprocket in bottom. Is this true?

[@JaniVoutilainen]

That's true 👍

[@MCasaChannel]

Thank you for the video!! same engine on e81 118i, 75k and now start rattling at 2.000 to 3000rpm...i think it's time to check the timing chain and guide...i read that this plastic guide could broke up and cause rattling...i hope that just chain loose.. you could help me another more telling if is possible change upper guide, chain and tensioner without take off oil pan and lock the oil pump?? i hope i'll not found some broken plastic removing chain and the guide

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Indeed, timing chain guides can break if the timing chain is stretched. You should also check that the timing chain tensioner is OK. For N43: If you have ISTA-D, you may want to diagnose the timing chain like I did in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmatn6ycapqMaLM If you haven't watched my latest timing chain video project series for the N13 engine (the successor to the N43 engine), check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZW9Z5arpt5pb6M

[@MCasaChannel]

Thank you very much! So helpfull! Where i can buy insta-d? It look very interesting for diagnosis and fault code correction.... Last questione about Chain, if the guide isnt broken, could i Just replace Chain, tensioner and guide without take off oil Pan? Thank you another time!

[@JaniVoutilainen]

I think you can hardly find an official ISTA-D. But you can Google it, like: "ista d rheingold" You can change only upper timing chain and guides without removing oil sump. But if you decide to change the lower oil pump chain as well, then you will also have to remove the oil sump

[@MCasaChannel]

I Just changed Chain, guide, tensioner Spark plug, all brand new but the rattling still here...dont know where i could search....ignictors changed 10k km ago and no OBD2 error

[@BmwFix]

but when you did diagnosis of timing chain with ISTAD it said the timing chain is all right

[@blame182]

Did you have coolant leak into cylinders? If head gasket failed

[@JaniVoutilainen]

The coolant lost was about 0.5 liters over a distance of 1000km, but I couldn't find any leaks outside the engine. The head gasket was broken between the 3rd and 4th cylinders. Cylinder leakage test; Cylinder 3 lost pressure to Cylinder 4 and vice versa. There was no leakage from intake side or exhaust side. And no air bubbles came through the pressure tank.

[@blame182]

@@JaniVoutilainen that's what I meant, one can tell that head gasket is leaking if coolant is dissapering. Because 0,5 is not normal, also maybe you had abnormal oil consumption.

[@TrailVapor]

Where can I get a correct timing chain replacement workshop procedure for BMW 118i N43 petrol 1995cc please?

[@JaniVoutilainen]

The ISTA-D application with the car's VIN number provides tightening torques and instructions on how to make repairs. You can google it like: "Rheingold ISTA-D"

[@talhaylmaz6150]

Hi frined, i have a problem with restarting the engine. When i drive it and park it for 30mins, after i restart the engine it start and engine dies or rpm goes down and recover sometimes(rarely). On the second restart it starts very normally. Cold start ,driving everyother things is normal except restarting the engine after 30 mins sit. Is there anyone deal something like that ?

[@PrestigeAutoworksUk]

Was this a manual car? as bmw manuals saying i have to remove manual gearbox to lock crankshaft. the tool you used looks like the one to lock automatic gearbox Thank you!

[@JaniVoutilainen]

The car has a manual box It is not necessary to remove the gearbox, eg when replacing the timing chain. The flywheel is locked with a lock PIN tool so that the crankshaft cannot move. I had that lock pin tool twisted a bit when tightening the BIG main bolt making it a little tricky to remove that lock pin Tool. I also recommend locking the flywheel from under the car. It is enough to remove the flywheel guard in front of and used, for example, this tool: www.joom.com/en/products/5c3470ed8b2c370101715249

[@bigdeal87]

How did you lose the crank bolt only by locking with the flywheel pin ?!

[@bigdeal87]

Please answer thanks

[@DigitalDissident]

Why didn't you install a six cylinder engine instead of rebuilding the N43?

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Good point! Maybe next time ;)

[@Tonil875]

Hi. Which was the cause of this failure? Regards!

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Please, read the description of this video.

[@Tonil875]

@@JaniVoutilainen Yeah, Ok. But, wich is the cause of the wear on the camshat? Regards

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Hard to say. It would appear that the cams of the 1st cylinder of the camshaft have at some point running without oil. I don't think in a normal situation that the camshaft could still wear with these kilometers ?!

[@Tonil875]

@@JaniVoutilainen It is impossible for this engine with these km to show wear in the camshaft area.

[@HB-gy3xs]

Hi I have a n43 116i sport 2009 and my oil pressure light comes up when I redline the car or get near the red line but the light appears about 20 minutes after.If I drive normally the light doesnt come on.Do you have any idea on what this might be?Thanks

[@rickson1978]

I have same car and same problem

[@HB-gy3xs]

@@rickson1978 message me on Instagram on ath_autos.Should be a bmw logo.

[@HB-gy3xs]

@@rickson1978 message me on Instagram

[@jamesaddison81]

Sounds like your guides have disintegrated and are in the sump blocking oil flow causing the low pressure light. Would seriously advise not driving it until you get a new chain and pull the sump off.

[@jamesaddison81]

ricardo verde read my reply above. 👍🏻

[@lifeofranco]

what was the milage on this engine?

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Check the discription from this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5CumYyrnNyeqtU

[@lifeofranco]

@@JaniVoutilainen thanks I see now. How is it doing now? Running good? What’s the current mileage?

[@JaniVoutilainen]

@@lifeofranco Works well. Currently on the meter about 286tkm. In other words, the engine rebuild went well, even though it was my first one I did. 😉

[@lifeofranco]

@@JaniVoutilainen nice to hear!, mine is on 97.000km, how many times have you changed your timing chain? I am worried that mine might break down any minute. also have you changed the water pump?

[@JaniVoutilainen]

@@lifeofranco It was the first for this motor. But I recommend doing a timing chain repair at the latest at 160tkm. At the same time, you should also replace the water pump and thermostat, also differential oils etc. Personally, I have replaced the water pump and thermostat at 206tkm with this engine, when the engine boils all the coolants for the yard. I just made a timing chain replacement for our family’s other car, the BMW F20 N13, and it was already clearly stretched. Check out the latest my videos on the N13 engine 👍 The N13 engine is the successor to the N43 engine

[@nilschristianhalvorsen5386]

great video but i got a headache from the music, please either dont have any, or have different songs...

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Thank you for the feedback! 👍

[@paulstannett465]

Just mute the music if you don't like it, and play something of your own choice in a background you tube tab. (I like the music - I find it motivating!)

[@MrJoachim67]

Thanks - if to just to change the chain that has no issues (prevention) - does the sump needs to come off ? Is there an balance-shaft perhaps that needs to be aligned with TDC ?

[@JaniVoutilainen]

If you also replace the lower chain, the front axle must be lowered and the oil sump removed. The balance shaft must be locked with a special tool during work so that it cannot move when the lower chain is removed. Watch my video on installing the oil pump: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rX2oaGaAl7p9b8k In the final stages of the video, that special tool will appear. It usually comes with a timing tool kit.

[@MrJoachim67]

@@JaniVoutilainen - thanks for answer, if you don't change the lower chain, then it's not needed ? Also I'm is the torque spec/ work-shop manual available somewhere ( or can buy ? )

[@JaniVoutilainen]

​@@MrJoachim67 The ISTA-D application with the car's VIN number provides tightening torques and instructions on how to make repairs. You can google it like: "Rheingold ISTA-D"

[@jamesaddison81]

I just did my timing chain, thanks for the videos they really helped. Although I had the exact same marks on my intake cam and also have a bit of rough running on a cold start up. Time to take the head off maybe!

[@JaniVoutilainen]

Nice to hear that the videos were helpful! 😊 It would be nice to know what damages the camshaft, probably some lubrication problem ... I don't know. My car also still has a bit of hesitation on a cold start up. After a minute, the car idles just fine. And now a new fault has come; error code 2C32: Lambda probe in front of Catalytic Converter 2, trimming control. Engine bank 2 (cylinders 2 and 3) enters stratified charge mode when, for example, gas is added from idle. The fault occurs repeatedly and returns to normal by itself and especially when the fault codes are reset. I have already replaced all the oxygen sensors (2 pre-cat and 1 after-cat), a new cylinder head cover (which includes crankcase ventilation), ignition coils and plugs; but they have not been helpful in this problem. The compression pressure test and cylinder leakage tests are OK, and there are no leaks on the intake or exhaust side. The NOX system works exactly as it should. A little frustrating! I have tried to avoid the exchange of injectors because they are quite expensive. I have studied their activity with INPA program and I have come to the conclusion that I think I'll order new ones. It is to be hoped that those will solve the current problem. The current ones are 08 versions and the new development version is 12. But great that you got the timing chain replaced in the car! 😊

[@jamesaddison81]

Jani Voutilainen oh still a couple of little issues. I managed to pick up some index -11 injectors second hand quite cheap if you didn’t want to spend the money as they are a lot! Thanks! It took about 15hrs in the end. The pin that locks the flywheel didn’t fit and took about 3hrs just to get it in the hole!!

[@andreasringdalfl3802]

Going to do my timing chain soon, and i am not going to change the camshaft, can I just keep the timing locking tool on until I put the new chain and guides in?

[@JaniVoutilainen]

It's the same thing without removing the camshaft. The flywheel and camshafts must be locked when replacing the timing chain.