E36 M52B28 - Rattle sound and lack of power
I recently had my motor over-hauled, but two weeks later noticed a rattling sound when the car idle, which wasn't there before the over-haul. I've also noticed that the car struggles to accellerate, especially uphill. The guy that worked on the car said that I have to add "evron" or something and the sound will dissapear. I've done some research of my own, and indications are that it might be the VANOS unit that's faulty. Can anyone kindly advise as to what I need to do to solve the issue at hand?
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if it is the VANOS it could be the seals are done , you purchase the seal kit from Besiansystems or just another VANOS unit from DRVanos
Most likely it is your VANOS. Search on YouTube for "E36 VANOS rattle" and compare it to the noises you are experiencing.
Simply adding a "mechanic in a bottle" will not fix anything. For having suggested that, I'd question the competency & honesty of your mechanic. Also, what was involved in the overhaul of your engine? To some people, an overhaul means changing the spark plugs. To others it means tearing the entire engine down to individual pieces and rebuilding with new.
Simply adding a "mechanic in a bottle" will not fix anything. For having suggested that, I'd question the competency & honesty of your mechanic. Also, what was involved in the overhaul of your engine? To some people, an overhaul means changing the spark plugs. To others it means tearing the entire engine down to individual pieces and rebuilding with new.
its very possible that you have 2 different problems and one of which (probably the spark plugs) exacerbated the other. I recently had a bit of rain water get in to my engine compartment and it soaked one of the plugs which happened to be craptastic Bosch +4's and the engine shake rattled and rolled and wouldnt hardly move till I cleaned it all up. I'd ask your mechanic what he "overhauled" the engine with. From there we can make a more speculative guess to what your issue is.
As already mentioned though, VANOS seals on the M50/52 motors go and when they do its like having a paint can in the valve cover, you can find plenty of videos on what it sounds like, which it seems you did already. For the average DIYer the process seems to be achievable but if wrenching in your engine isnt your thing, find a reputable Indie mechanic that works on european cars to give it a second look, rather than the guy that suggested dumping goop in the engine will make the sound that wasnt there before it touched it, go away.
As already mentioned though, VANOS seals on the M50/52 motors go and when they do its like having a paint can in the valve cover, you can find plenty of videos on what it sounds like, which it seems you did already. For the average DIYer the process seems to be achievable but if wrenching in your engine isnt your thing, find a reputable Indie mechanic that works on european cars to give it a second look, rather than the guy that suggested dumping goop in the engine will make the sound that wasnt there before it touched it, go away.
Many thanks for the advice gents.
Yeah im not seeing it being the VANOS myself. the vanos would cause a CEL and point at it pretty obviously. i drove mine for a year with the vanos not working and never struggled to pull EVER, just didnt seem to have as much power as it should though rpm range, and CEL was Pointing at the vanos. And when mine went out, i never had the vanos rattle sound, just CEL and a little less power. Id go more with sparkplug, coil packs, or vacuum leak.
Are you not getting any CEL? a car acting this bad should definately have a cel and be pointing directly at the cause.
Are you not getting any CEL? a car acting this bad should definately have a cel and be pointing directly at the cause.
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