bmwe21.net forums

Hi guys,

with the risk for sounding like a fool...what is the vanos and therefore what is the difference between a non vanos engine?

I'm just getting my 320 going. Got all the bits fo a brake rebuild. And now I'm starting to think about engine swaps. Reading on the fritz bits website, the non vanos 2.5 from an e34.

While I'm here..does that engine match up to the gearbox in the 320? Its a 5 speed.

Cheers, Max

the vanous unit can slightly advance or retard the cam timing for given running conditions.
its an oil pressure fed unit on the front of the head with an electronically controlled valve in it. when the ecu switches the valve in (on a duty cycle) oil pressure acts on a thingmebob in the middle of the cam sprocket that effectivly moves the sprocket advancing it a few degrees.

single vanous engines only have this on the inlet cam (m52 lumps?). double vanos engines (m54?) have it on (you guessed it!) both cams.

these units help with fuel consumption making the engine feel more docile and torquey at lower rpm. but then able to progressivly "come on cam" at higher rpms.
vanos units can go faulty giving a rattle at mid range rpm. or the oil seals can go on them leaving you in the "docile" state thruout the rev range.
there not easy to fix either. changing the seals being fiddly and needing special tools to set up the timing properly.

non vanous engines (m50)dont have this, but theyre "on cam" all the time anyway.
get a non vanos engine!

Hi max,

Pls don't go to fritz for this conversion. They dont do it properly, nevermind how much they charge!

I have fitted an m50 24v engine into my e21 its fairly involved and to do it properly you need a modified sump, oil pickup pipe, a custom radiator bit of wiring etc etc.

Fritz don't do a custom sump they just stick a really heavy sump guard and there's like an inch of ground clearence. Which is rubbish if you drive on any road that isn't smooth as.

back to your question, Vanos is variable valve timing its used on bmws after 1994 to increase the torque lower in the rev range.

Im doing a 2.8 24 v swap in my car soon and another members car as well. If you need help give me a shout.

The gearbox fits on yes, its not perfect match but its very close. I'd advise u to upgrade the clutch the stock one can only just cope.

I've seen a few cars ''converted'' by Fritzs and the quality is shocking. I hear John Wayne worked there.

Thanks guys. Thats great. I would never get Fritz to do any work for me, it would be a mission I would undertake myself. (a bit of a steep learning curve!?)
What clutch up grade would you suggest?

I'm looking at clutches at the moment too. I'm thinking Sachs or maybe this Helix one?

http://www.performanceclutch.co.uk/p0/325i/391635.htm