Its starting to remind me of my white mini, I literally replaced everything outside of internals on that car and many parts multiple times...

The thing is, this car hasn't had a real issue outside of the thermostat and a parasitic draw since Ive got it until now (over a year now) and I really love this car but man this one issue is driving me nuts. The last few things left that I can think of is replacing the oil filter assembly, oil pump/solenoid, VVT Actuator....I just dont have that kind of money right now and Ive spent over a grand so far and its gotten me nowhere. I wish there was someone smarter than me in my area that could help - unfortunately Im the person most people around me come for help...thats why I appreciate you guys so much.

Ill snag some camshaft sensors and see what happens

 

Be sure to reset the VANOS adaptations again, if you haven't already done so.

If codes P13C0 and 2D5A return, you may need to remove more engine sludge with additional oil and filter changes. Also consider flushing the VANOS units and new solenoids with solvent. Good luck!

Random part replacements get very expensive. Do diagnostics instead.

 

Do you mean the sprockets? Is there a way to clean them without removing the chain, would i do this and the. Do a flush to get it out?

Sorry for sounding stupid, I just dont want to break.more things trying to fix it...

 

Yes. I often use the Bentley manual nomenclature -- VANOS units

Yes, but removal and immersion in a suitable solvent may be more efficient at removing the sludge.

Both. More oil changes help to remove sludge from the engine in general and also from the VANOS units, given that oil flows into and out of them.

I don't consider ANY questions stupid. We're all here to learn.

 

@njareka I had the idea to swap the camshaft sensors around because of what you said - the problem should follow if one was bad right? After swapping them around the code has not appeared and I have taken it out for 2 different runs with multiple shutoff/restarts before and after...Ill grab some new sensors just in case one is on the way to failure.
@Maybe, maybe not Thank you for clearing that up for me. I will most likely do another flush in a week. If I do get the code to come back (pray I dont), I will get the timing kit and end up just replacing them and doing the timing...but I really hope it doesnt come to that.

 

Hopefully that was it!

 

while it was the longest before happening, I just got the same code sitting at a red light...fml
Could it be the eccentric shaft or the actuator motor?

 

OY… It must not be that dire, since it takes a while to show itself. Possibly why I was thinking the Vanos actuator:

Item #3
https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=11_4586

 

This is what is driving me nuts, I can go for multiple rides, stop and restart the car multiple times and the car runs fine...but then randomly if idling it will dip down in rpm and then the code will pop up. If I keep it above 800rpm, I wont get the code. Im questioning if theres blockage somewhere, the only place I haven't checked or replaced yet is the filter assembly. Ill try pulling it and cleaning it out in the next few days. My Bilstein solenoids will be here tomorrow, probably a waste of money but itll atleast cure the "what ifs" for solenoids...

 

You've seen the clear signs of oil blockage in the black appearance of the oil filter and the sludge drained from the oil pan. That sludge is still present throughout the engine and inside the VANOS units. The codes only appear at idle because idle produces the lowest point in the engine oil pressure, thereby preventing the VANOS units from responding to DME commands to change the cam timing. Expect the codes to continue until you complete a sufficient number of oil and filter changes to remove all the sludge from the engine and VANOS, assuming that the VANOS units are not already permanently damaged (hopefully they are not).

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong. One of your first tests was to swap the intake and exhaust VANOS solenoids. It's a wise diagnostic test. The result was that the intake VANOS code did not follow the intake solenoid. Not conclusive enough?

I just realized that I have been focused almost entirely on the exhaust VANOS unit in this thread, despite the fact that the fault code P13C0/2D5A indicates a problem with the intake VANOS unit. I made this error because I couldn't get your vivid picture of the exhaust VANOS solenoid clogged with black debris out of my mind.

 

I believe you are correct, "Camshaft A" is what continues to come up as jammed/stuck, even after swapping the solenoids, cleaning the non return valves. Could only one side get gummed up and not the other if the pressure is being constricted elsewhere? Is it more apt to happen on the intake side? Im just frustrated and this isnt my wheelhouse.
This is what had me questioning the VVT actuator or the Vanos Unit itself, I would assume there would be more issues than just a single spot in the engine is pressure wasnt what it should be.
Could it be the intake shaft retaining rings?

Ill try another flush and try blasting the vanos unit with some solvents before changing the oil this time.

 

It's possible that the engine tilts downward toward the side of exhaust VANOS unit and solenoid, favoring accumulation of larger debris there. However, you should expect both VANOS units to contain similar amounts of small particle engine sludge.

Compared to the exhaust VANOS unit, the intake VANOS unit has a much smaller tolerance for deviation from positions commanded by the DME and therefore is more prone to throwing fault codes.

Keep in mind that you are only getting an intake VANOS unit code. I haven't seen any Valvetronic codes. Follow the diagnostics.

 

At this point, you probably don't need to use any additional flush additives. Oil and filter changes should suffice.

If you are interested, I asked Google Gemini AI to draft you a protocol for flushing out the VANOS units with solvent. See attached.

 

Ty Sir, I will be following through with that tomorrow!

 

I tried going by that pdf but the Vanos solenoid h9le actually just opens up to the valvetrain area...unless there's a valley I couldnt see inside the hole. I filled it with MAF cleaner (sprayed myself straight in the eyes becuae of that hole). I also took a 18g syringe and shot it straight into the small openings in the Vanos unit.
I cranked it over with no fuel or spark for 8 seconds and let it sit, followed by an oil change. I havent taken it out but I was unsure how the fluid would enter the Vanos unit from there.

The hole the cleaner came shooting out of through the intake solenoid opening:

 

Sorry to hear about the MAF cleaner splash into your eyes. A saline eye drop rinse should help.

Your idea to use a syringe was a great insight and likely accomplished what you set out to do.

Crossing my fingers for some encouraging progress toward improvement.

 

I have another issue that was pointed out by a friend while he drove behind me on the way to work last night, I was blowing a decent amount of smoke on acceleration. I took off my intake pipe and has some pooling there.

My guess is that the PCV is either shot or the Aluminum Valve Cover just isnt doing the job. Im going to replace the diaphragm and I have a catch can on the way...but I read that the non return valves and other things may contribute and I have no idea of this was happening before while I was having the P13C0 and possible helped cause the issue...The non return valves seem to be fine, but maybe the springs are weak compared to what they should be?

After your post yesterrday I took it upon myself to download Gemini and flood it with questions - I havent used AI for anything but it dod point out things I did not think of, so I will definitly be using it in conjunction with the forum and youtube from here on out.

 

You may want to clean the non-return valves and their screens again. As you likely already know, the non-return valves ensure uni-directional oil flow to and preservation of oil pressure in the VANOS units.

You can also use the MAF sensor cleaner to clean both VANOS solenoids, which still may be contaminated with sludge.

 

I recleaned the solenoids, I will reclean the non return valves again. I replaced the diaphragm, spring, and cover for the PCV this morning. I have not had the code come up since last night which is the longest so far. I will do another oil change in a week or 2 just to be sure that everything is cleaned out. I have asked Lou what timing should be for idle and WOT so I can verify that everything is where it should be as I was noticing through this whole thing that idle/WOT timing advance was different throughout. I will capture a datalog.

Now that this is likely solved (fingers crossed), now on to my brake light issue....

 

Oh man.... Aluminum valve cover...

Saw this video yesterday and thought of you:

 

Best of luck. I know it's been difficult journey.

 

Funny, I just watched that video yesterday...the man got a steal with everything in that mini...I would love to snag that Duell AG kit off that

 

Watching the guy gravity drop spark plugs into the holes was difficult for me to watch.

 

He definitely has some questionable practices...

Interesting the car ran like crap with the aluminum cover, then ran just fine with an OEM-style plastic version. I've read so many horror stories with those aluminum covers, I swear they have to have a sub-50% hit rate for success.