Vanos Knock??

[Craig]

Do the CSL's suffer from a slight knocking at idle from the VANOS or any other possible cause? The one or two i've heard running have emitted a slight knocking / clacking noise at idle.

Is this normal?

[thegingerninja]

The best description that someone explained to me was that it "sounds similar to rolling marbles around the inside of jam jar" except much quieter

[Craig]

Hmm, what i've heard was a slight clack noise that quietened down at idle... the carbon cannister / emissions system isn't known to be noisey is it?

[Mark CSL]

Craig the best bet is take it in to a bmw dealer and let them have a listen :thumbs:

It could be anything after all :whistle:

[Craig]

Well the car has been to GC Motors today (where it was supplied from in October) and they've agreen the diff oil seal is weeping and are replacing that as we speak, the knock they say is just the VANOS and that they all do it.

[Mark CSL]

They don't I have had 2 vanos units if they all do that the new 1 must be
Fooked as it does not make any noise at all LOL

[Craig]

Ahh well, I've just spoke to GC Motors they supplied the car and it's currently in there... they said i'm been paranoid (it is a faint noise) and that its the noise the VANOS makes, he said if it was failing you'd know as it'd be more audiable.

Bear in mind they are NOT selling this car and are able to source other CSL's... they have informed me that i'd be hard pushed to find a better example and that both past and present owners have been very fussy. They have it up in the air now and are going to carry out a quick inspection for me.

Either way, think I'm going to go for the car as if I didn't tell you the mileage, put it infront of a group of people you'd thin it was a sub 5,000 miles car it is really THAT clean!!

[Housey]

I had a VANOS fail on my first E46 M3 and the sound it made could be best described as a growl, which could be heard over the engine at most rev points.