4 garages are stumped, awful news

[anoller]

So, I am reaching out to the interwebian-forums for some help. 2 garages have told me it is a VANOS cam gear failure and my issue requires an insane amount of work (ie: cam gears/sprockets and timing chains) The car is a 2013 M5.

I am getting the following codes:

131401 - “Variable camshaft timing control (VANOS), exhaust, cold start not controllable”

120408 - “Charging pressure control: Switch-off as consequence”

120908 - “Charging pressure control 2: Switch-off as consequence”

These trip within the first 30 seconds of the car being started “cold.” The idle increases to 2000rpm and hunts around as the VANOS system looks for its adjustment. (Escentric shaft motor tested and gets to its limits). The car then settles down into an awful idle, and stays running although a little “high.” After letting the car warm up, oil get to temperature, you can shut down the car, clear the codes out of the system, and then restart and it’s 100% happy and fine. Pulls like a freight-train and is happy. So it’s a cold-start issue. Weird right? So, before tearing into an engine and spending 8-10k on it, does ANYONE have any idea as to the problem?

New VANOS solenoids
New spark plugs
New coils
Engine flushed 3x liquid moly

[M5Rick]

Hey wassup, always worth looking the 2 pre cat and 2 post cat lambda sensors with suspicion and of course if the MAF's are oil free before going deeper.

[anoller]

Wouldn’t they trip a code?

[M5Rick]

Even if they don't it would be worth swapping round the sensors to see if there is any difference, I'm bringing up a previous thread with similar cold start problems as yours even though codes are different.

[anoller]

Similiar cold start problems? Interesting. I will just pop in a few new O2 sensors and see what that does. Man… if this actually fixed it, hooooooly craptards.

[M5Rick]

GL but if no then I don't know what to suggest, I gather car is not tuned.

[E36graduate]

Too bad you cannot bypass the cold start high RPM with a tune of some sort like BM3?

[Solo_M_Tech]

You probably have a failed vanos adjuster ( the part bolted to the end of the camshaft). It’s rare, but not impossible. They have tiny oil passages that get clogged with debris and then are slow to respond to oil pressure changes ( at the command of the solenoid) or fail to adjust at all. Generally speaking it’s usually contaminated by bearing material, that causes the adjuster to mechanically act sluggish. Drain the oil through a paint screen and check the filter for glitter. Post pics or oil condition and filter.

[anoller]

Originally Posted by Solo_M_Tech

You probably have a failed vanos adjuster ( the part bolted to the end of the camshaft). It’s rare, but not impossible. They have tiny oil passages that get clogged with debris and then are slow to respond to oil pressure changes ( at the command of the solenoid) or fail to adjust at all. Generally speaking it’s usually contaminated by bearing material, that causes the adjuster to mechanically act sluggish. Drain the oil through a paint screen and check the filter for glitter. Post pics or oil condition and filter.

I wish there was a way to back-flush the engine’s oil passages. And the failed banks adjuster is 95% the culprit. I’ve seen where the bolts holding the adjuster can fail (N55’s, but we have the same VANOS setup in the S63TU). The VANOS adjuster is a bit more than I’m wanting to tackle at the moment as ‘time’ is a scarce commodity. Searching for a spot where they’re skilled in S63 timing, etc. Judging by the handle, I suspect it’s Solo Motorsports?

[anoller]

GL but if no then I don't know what to suggest, I gather car is not tuned.

Not tuned.

[SahandBB]

Originally Posted by anoller

I wish there was a way to back-flush the engine’s oil passages. And the failed banks adjuster is 95% the culprit. I’ve seen where the bolts holding the adjuster can fail (N55’s, but we have the same VANOS setup in the S63TU). The VANOS adjuster is a bit more than I’m wanting to tackle at the moment as ‘time’ is a scarce commodity. Searching for a spot where they’re skilled in S63 timing, etc. Judging by the handle, I suspect it’s Solo Motorsports?

Did you find out what was wrong with your car ? Running to the same problem exactly now

[KurtsM5]

Originally Posted by anoller

I wish there was a way to back-flush the engine’s oil passages. And the failed banks adjuster is 95% the culprit. I’ve seen where the bolts holding the adjuster can fail (N55’s, but we have the same VANOS setup in the S63TU). The VANOS adjuster is a bit more than I’m wanting to tackle at the moment as ‘time’ is a scarce commodity. Searching for a spot where they’re skilled in S63 timing, etc. Judging by the handle, I suspect it’s Solo Motorsports?

Solo in Lawrenceville worked on mine a couple years ago, they're good.