Andrew

If you’re starting to experience noise coming from the wheel area of your E46 M3 that gets louder as the rotation spins faster, you may have a bad wheel bearing. You can test your wheel bearing by taking off your wheel and rotor to test for any irregular play, rotation and noise. It’s very important to take care of any wheel bearing issues because it can lead to a full lock up while you’re driving on the road. In this DIY we will be doing just the front wheel bearings.

1. Remove caliper

1.1 Get your car on a nice even surface and jack up the front end to remove the wheel and access the brake caliper/rotor.

1.2 Remove your brake caliper and rotor.

2. Remove wheel cap

2.1 Get a flat head screw driver and pry out the center cap. If you do a clean pry you can re-use the center cap. I’ll tell you right now though, there’s a good chance yours is gonna be a bit mangled after chiseling it out.

3. Pry metal security tabs

3.1 Get a flat head screw driver and hammer out the two metal tabs that are bent inwards towards the center lock.

4. Remove 46mm nut

4.1 I tried using my Li-ion Milwaukee impact driver to remove the 46mm nut, but it wasn’t enough. I had to use a large 4 ft pry bar. You can also try using the handle bar from your jack if it fits over the ratchet.

5. Remove old wheel bearing

5.1 This is the trickiest part. You need a 3-jaw puller to remove the old wheel bearing from the spindle. I recommend getting two different sizes to borrow from your local auto parts store because the jaws need to reach the wheel bearing. The first one I borrowed did not and I ended up making another trip.

6. Remove left over wheel baring parts

6.1 There’s a really good chance your wheel bearing isn’t going to come out in once piece. In my case, half of the bearing got stuck on the spindle and I had to use a smaller 3 jaw puller to remove this.

7. Grease up the spindle and wheel bearing

8. Install new wheel bearing

8.1 Once installed, torque the 46mm nut to 214 ft-lb.

8.2 Use a flat head to pry back the security tabs back in to the center hub.

8.3 Reverse the order to install your caliper and wheel back on.

Are you getting fault codes for your VANOS? Don’t freak out just yet, it might just need a replacement solenoid. The problem with the VANOS solenoid pack is that the soldering connections on the printed circuit board (PCB) are really weak and overtime they will crack resulting in loss of function of the solenoid valves. The solution is to replace your VANOS solenoid pack with a new or rebuilt one. We recommend purchasing the solenoid pack at Beisan Systems as well as all the supporting parts to replace your o-rings, etc.

Below are the possible fault codes that can trigger with a faulty VANOS solenoid pack on your E46 M3 (Rajie from M3Forums). Although in some cases, these fault codes can trigger bigger problems which I hope you don’t have. There are two major issues that can result in engine failure. Those are broken oil pump driver tabs and/or a loose sprocket mounting bolt. Please consult a professional mechanic to diagnose your exact issue before you replace parts.

VANOS Intake Fault Codes

P0011 (BMW 67, 0x43): Vanos intake timing over advanced
P0012 (BMW 72, 0x48): Vanos intake timing over retarded
Pxxxx (BMW 184, 0xB8): Vanos intake position control
P1525 (BMW xxx, 0xxx): Vanos intake solenoid open circuit

VANOS Exhaust Fault Codes

P0014 (BMW 22, 0x16): Vanos exhaust timing over advanced
P0015 (BMW 21, 015): Vanos exhaust timing over retarded
Pxxxx (BMW 185, 0xB9): Vanos exhaust position control
P1531 (BMW xxx, 0xxx): Vanos exhaust solenoid open circuit

1. Remove intake duct using needle nose pliers to remove all 4 clips.

2. Remove radiator fan shroud and fan.

2.2 Remove the 3 push pins holding the shield. There is one on top directly center, one driver and one passenger. Remove using pliers. I don’t have pictures of the passenger side of the shield because I don’t run that. This is a picture of the driver side shield.

2.3 There are a total of four T25 torx screws (one on each corner) and 2 plugs on the passenger side of the radiator/shroud. Unplug cables first, then remove the four screws. The passenger side top torx screw (pictured below) is longer than the others. Tape up plugs and set aside.

2.4 Remove passenger side lower screw.

2.5 Remove fan using the E46 M3 BMW Water Pump Pulley Locking Tool and a 32mm wrench. The fan clutch nut is reverse threaded. Lock in the water pump pulley and unscrew using the 32mm wrench. Spin the fan to unscrew a little faster, but make sure you don’t let the fan drop.

3. Remove the VANOS solenoid unit.

3.1 Loosen the 22mm oil restrictor valve on the VANOS solenoid valve body. We’re not removing it, but just loosening it so it’s easier when it comes to removing the unit.

3.2 Unplug the electrical connector pin located on the passenger side of the VANOS solenoid pack.

3.3 Remove the five 5mm hex bolts on top of the VANOS unit. Once these bolts are out, you can slide out the entire unit. Make sure to use a drip towel to catch some of the oil.

4. Remove VANOS solenoid pack from valve body.

4.1 Remove the four 4mm external torx socket bolts located on top of the VANOS solenoid pack.

5. Clean VANOS solenoid restrictor valve.

5.1 Remove the 22mm restrictor valve entirely.

5.2 Clean/replace oil filter (11-36-1-401-971).

5.3 Replace both o-rings on valve. The new o-rings will come with the Beisan replacement solenoid.

Reference: ShopLifeTV

6. Clean VANOS solenoid valve body.

6.1 Use brake cleaner to wash the valve body thoroughly.

6.2 Use magnets on the solenoid valves to open the internals for cleaning.

Reference: ShopLifeTV

7. Clean sealing plate.

7.1 Remove the old o-rings on the sealing plate. Use razor or sharp knife to cut away as much of the old material as you can. It will be baked on there.

7.2 Clean plate with brake cleaner.

7.3 Install new o-rings.

Reference: ShopLifeTV

8. Reinstall the VANOS solenoid unit.

8.1 Install the oil restrictor valve back into the valve body, but do not tighten all the way.

8.2 Install the solenoid pack on the valve body using the four torx bolts. Tighten to 3 ft-lbs.

8.3 Add the sealing plate back on the VANOS unit and install back on car. Make sure the plate is installed smoothly without dislodging any of the four o-rings.

8.4 Tighten the restrictor valve (hand tight).

8.5 Install the 5 bolts back on to the VANOS unit. Torque each bolt to 7 ft-lbs.

8.6 Install fan shroud elements and check for leaks.

The headlight duct kit from PSDesigns is a great solution to increase airflow to your engine bay whether it’s to provide cold air to your intake or cool down the engine. You’ll have to cut your headlight lens to install this kit, but fortunately it’s easy to reverse this install since the E46 lens are easily replaceable.

1. Remove Headlight and Housing

1.1 Remove lower trim on the headlight. I’m doing this mod to my driver’s side to feed air into the intake.

1.2 Remove the headlight weather stripping by detaching all clips on top and sides.

1.3 Remove headlight lens.

1.4 Reach around the back side of the headlight to remove the low beam caps and remove the light bulb.

1.5 Unclip your high beam bulb as well.

1.6 Now we can take out the housing. Remove and loosen the housing by turning both headlight adjustment knobs counter clockwise. I used a powertool to do this because it takes forever if you do it by hand.

1.7 As the housing comes out, you’ll see the plastic guide rails come off the tracks.

1.8 Optional: Once fully out, you’ll now have to remove the Bi-Xenon socket off the housing. It’s attached with a ball joint that slides into a u-channel. I used a flat head to pry out. It helps to angle the housing down so it “slides” out.

1.9 Before the housing fully comes out, you’ll need to detach the Bi-Xenon wire on the back of the projector.

2. Trim Headlight Housing

2.1 Remove the black accent piece on the housing.

2.2 Trace a guide line to cut on the following seam. The goal is to remove the high beam bowl and if you inspect the housing you’ll get a good idea of where to cut.

2.3 Use a dremel to cut the housing.

3. Cut Headlight Lens

3.1 Get the provided template to draw a guide line on the lens.

3.2 Use a dremel or similar cutting tool to cut.

3.3 Deburr the edges to smoothen the cut area.

3.4 PSDesigns suggests you to drill 2 small holes on the bottom of the lens to evacuate any water/moisture.

4. Install Duct

4.1 Insert the housing back into the headlight. Make sure you reverse the steps from part 1.

4.2 Insert the headlight duct into the high beam hole in the back of the headlight.

4.3 Install the headlight lens, lower trim and all other components. Now you can install the rubber trim.

5. Tap Resistor Wire

5.1 For this last step we need to tap the high beam bulb socket wires with the supplied resistor so the car doesn’t throw a code. Simply tap into each wire. Make sure to mount or tuck the resistor somewhere that won’t be affected by heat. It does get pretty hot.