BMW VANOS Symptoms & How to Test and Clean VANOS Solenoids

If your BMW is suffering from loss of low-end torque or power in high revs, slow response or inconsistent idle or even poor fuel economy, you may have a bad or failing VANOS solenoid. Today I look into the symptoms of a bad BMW VANOS solenoid such as long cranking or rough idle on start up. I then show you how to test and clean those solenoids to make sure they are ready for many more miles in your BMW. This works on my different engines, such as the N52, N55, N62, N73 and even older engines like N54, S54, M54 and M52 engines. Basically, any BMW engine that has a VANOS system should behave about the same.

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[cammgtrs]

Took mine out at 110K miles and they still look clean is heck.

[recurringdreambusproject]

Thanks so much for passing on this info, I had the problem occur out of the blue and the car was almost undriveable, once I watched your video I removed & tested both solenoids, the ohms readings were perfect but when I powered them the Inlet sparked like a direct short when connecting the positive wire but then the solenoid opened & closed, I thought maybe it could be the issue so refitted it and wham problem solved! just need to get the check engine light reset but have driven for a long drive with no further issues, Cheers.

[mrmcd]

I have an 08 X5 4.8L, recently faced an issue with the Exhaust Cam on bank 2. Had the code for a dead sensor, installed new sensor, now my scan tool is reading the cam fine but the exhaust cam bank two is not adjusting, the vanos on exhaust only is not functioning. My scan tool is a Launch X431V+, allows me to read the vanos system live and watch it adjust so I know the Bank 2 exhaust vanos solenoid is not working. Took it out today, cleaned it, tested it with 12V and clearly could see the solenoid working but I cleaned it inside a small clear plastic bucket. Along with the oil I washed out there was some small particles, dirt, carbon build up??? Who knows but after cleaning with Carb Clean I got to thinking this unit has moving parts inside with lots of friction. I did not think it was a good idea to install this part dry after cleaning with carb clean. I sprayed it out again using WD 40 which is not much of a lubricant but much better than carb clean, it also helps clean, wish I had used it from the start. After WD40 I oiled the plunger and spring area inside and reinstalled. On first start up I still had zero cam movement on the exhaust, I was thinking I failed but then after a couple minutes it started adjusting perfectly, I graphed both the bank 1 and bank 2 and watched them side by side. They now react identically. No check engine light and engine sounds and runs great again. Thanks for planting the seed that this repair could work.

[seasonedtoker]

These solenoids should be tested with a PWM box, giving them 12V straight will just open them fully. How they work in the car is they open variably, they don't open fully all the time

[ioannisstavrou]

If you have issues with Vanos valves, a 2015 BMW will always give a signal/code on dashboard ?

[robertalexandrescu]

I have new Febi solenoids but the intermitent slow response is still present. The actual vanos is the culprit in my case.

[Ali-uvdz]

N62b48b By me eerly revving very vast now is slow. What you think about that msube selenoid bu i have no error code.

[Audi-S--Build]

Really well explained. Great upload thanks 🙏🏻👍

[hpniemi]

Cleaning works only limited time. You will end up cleaning those all the time and it's much more advisable to just renew those immediately, because the price is quite low after all

[tontonche]

Hello, I have a 325i 2010 N53 slows down unstable and shakes when cold, it lasts 1 minute and afterward the car runs very well. When she does that I accelerate slightly and that prevents the shaking and slows it down unstable, do you have any idea, said the vanos? No smoke, no smell of gasoline. New spark plug and coil. I'm French, sorry for the translation.

[gpzjeffrey]

You can use a little 9V battery from a smoke detector too.

[richardrichard]

Before testing continuity touch test leads together to check zero

[ron]

Very nice. Do you recommend replacing the o-rings before you reinstall them?

[omar]

I keep getting a 2A87 code in the exhaust vanos. The car would always go into limp mode after doing a pull. I took both solenoids out, cleaned them and swapped them to see if the code migrates. After doing that, the code came back in the exhaust vanos again the same day but it took hours to come back after doing pulls all day. Do you think these might be my issue?

[KassyArturo]

So what if the ohm is at 27 but wen I pass current to the solenoid it still activates

[Telstar_]

Thanks for a clear explanation of the testing and cleaning. On my BMW E90 N43 318i 4-cylinder, I have been chasing rough idles and misfires, and have replaced spark plugs, coils, low pressure fuel sensor and NOX sensor with some temporary improvements over past year. I recently did an oil and filter change with my regular Liqui Moly.

With all other codes now clear. last week my basic OBD2 tool indicates a cylinder 3 misfire and injector fault, with very rough idle, stall and engine light. Could this fault be related to faulty vanos solenoids rather than an injector?

Thanks for any experience you can share.

[SNITCH]

My question is the prongs on the solenoid. Which 1 is positive and negative. I had to replace the wiring connector due to oily and chapped wiring causing Vanos errors. The Solenoids are new but I might of mixed up the 2 wires. Thnx in advance

[lettere]

WHEN DID YOU CHANGE SOLENOIDS, DID YOU RESET WITH DIAGNOSIS? OR CAN WE NOT DO IT? I HAVE A BMW Z4 E89 23I

[mircea-alexandruluncan]

Mine have 12.5 ohms consistenly, are they bad or good?

[MrDjvena]

Hi. Its the same range for mini r56? I have 7, 3 ohms