Replacing BMW N20 Timing Chain (228i, 328i, 428i, 528i, X1, X3 and Z4)
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- Опубликовано: 26 июн 2019
- How to remove valve cover: • BMW N20 Valve Cover Re...
A lot of BMW N20 engines have been plagued with the timing chain stretching as well as the chain guides breaking. In order to repair this issue properly, you have to replace the timing chain in the engine. This isn’t a simple process and requires a lot special tools and equipment to make it easier. It also take a long time; especially, if you are working at home without a lift.
Parts US:
Chain: amzn.to/2XBKlgf CA Amazon: amzn.to/2UsKXRJ
Lower Timing Chain Tensioner With Guide Rail: amzn.to/2LpWPB4 CA: amzn.to/39cugzp
Upper Timing Tensioner Guide Rail: amzn.to/2RGHsp0 CA: amzn.to/2UoMsAm
Timing Chain Tensioner: amzn.to/2LpWX3w CA: amzn.to/2J7wF3D
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SPROCKET: amzn.to/2XIPUtu
Tools I bought:
Engine Timing Locking tool Kit BMW N20 & N26 Engine: amzn.to/2XwveVm CA: amzn.to/2QDCWZ8
CTA Tools 7676 BMW N20 Oil Pump Repair Kit: amzn.to/2Loy73V CA: amzn.to/3douaaW
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great video. After watching your whole video, I can see getting rid of the car. I can do my own brakes and oil changes and minor jobs, but this is way beyond my scope of knowledge and I don't have guts to even start this kind of brain surgery. Thanks again!
This is not a valid reason reason to get rid of a car 😂😂😂 did you get rid of it by the way?
Thanks for this video. I'm on the fence about whether or not I want to tackle this.
Hello, great video!. Is there any way I can tell if my 2015 N20 timing guides have been replaced with the upgraded part. The vehicle was manufactured on 10/2014. Thank you!
You know as I am looking at the design of these timing chain engines I can't help but think they could have put a sensor in the block to measure the wear of the chain, if it stretches the guide tensioner will push out further, or if it were rattling similarly movement could be detected in the moving guide.
That would have been helpful, but that is what the tension ideally does. It just happens to fail..
Hi busy with x3 n20 after replacing timming chain car drvi fine but drive train malfunction msg keep coming up what should I do
Did you had to remove the transmission bell housing bolts in order to lock the flywheel
Amazing video. Very detailed. Thanks a lot!
I tried to capture what I could. Really slows you down, but I wish I had a video when I started. Thanks for watching!
Brother…. That pin that you said you can’t put in because you’d have to remove half of the exhaust ..that pin is what sets the crankshaft in TDC!! You can’t time the engine correctly without inserting that pin. That pin is literally the most important part. Not to mention that the pin is supposed to be inserted from the bottom..nothing to do with exhaust
Where u you get the repair manual/Instructions?
What's the thred pitch on the lifting eye that you have the chain hooked on
Check out the parts and tools I used in the description.
Thank you everyone for watching. Please consider subscribing for more car videos!
Did you had to remove the transmission bell housing bolts in order to lock the flywheel
After how long driven we must change timing chain?
Where to find the repair details online? Any free web??
Wonder if I can get away with replacing the tension bolt only 🤔
Looks soooo simple :)
Only hours of work! But we’ll worth the price difference
for anybody doing timing chain do rod bearings at the same time whil you there i had a small knock sound after doing my cars chain turned to be a rod knock wich was mistakenly sounding like a tappet sound ive previously come accross threads on the net where n20 owners experiencing mild knock after doing timing chain sound with no conclusion the problem are worn rod bearings
Finally i got it replaced. I took 6 days till i got it done. First run the car worked with engine check for 10 seconds then engine check light went away. However, I was curious to see what code was there. It turns out to be p1381 advance timing as per my obd says. No codes no but I thought i did something wrong.
That’s awesome, it’s a job and a half but I’m glad people are tackling these at home.
Quick question, how did you know if the timing was bad? Was your timing chain was tight? When you open the cover ?
Do you know if you can put the crankshaft sprocket part of chain back together on the train without the oil pan removed?
If you’re not touching the oil pump chain, it should be possible but the oil pump chain will be under tension as you won’t be able to block the tensioner.
Can a 328I xdrive engine be installed in a BMWV528I xdrive? The 528 is 2012.
Thanks. I appreciate all your feedback and suggestions
It should work just fine. I replaced mine (Z4) with an engine from a BMW 328i.
So you have to replace the ooo pump and other things yo or can you just replace the timing chain ?
It is recommended to change both as they both go bad at the same time usually. However, it is possible to just change one. You will need a friction gear changed if you take it off as they are not reusable.
so cool bro
Have run a scan but only vanos error keep coming up
Thank you great video. I have to perform this procedure on a 2013 Bimmer 528i What special tools do I need ? Thank you
Check the description, I have the list of tools and parts I bought! Thanks for watching.
@@SimpleCarGuy Thank you
Was it hard to you on a 528i? I have a 2014
Hi, quick question, did you replace the oil pump chain and sprocket? If so, did the larger sprocket easily drop after removing the crankshaft bolt? Thanks!
Yes, it easily dropped once the bolt was removed and the 3 bolts were removed that were holding the oil pump assembly
Any help would be appreciated
hello sir. is there a torque spec on the timing tensioner? also do you need the tensioner tool if your just replacing timing tensioner? many thanks!
You can replace just the timing tensioner without everything else, it’s much easier and you just have to remove parts around to get to it. You must replace the sealing ring (should come with a new tensioner) and tighten to 80nm.
SimpleCarGuy thank you very much! 🙏
Hi I found small thin metal shavings and pieces of plastic from the timing guides did you have that too?I hope it's not from the bearings, waiting in timing tools to take off the chain
I had metal shavings, but no plastic. Unfortunately, my engine also had rod bearings that needed to be replaced. So, I can’t tell if it was from chain or bearings.
@@SimpleCarGuy ok thanks I hope the metal shavings did not cause any more damage, I didn't have a knocking just a lot rattling when I Rev the engine
@@SimpleCarGuy you have a video on the rod bearing?
I replaced the engine instead of fixing the rod bearings. Simply because that could have also caused issues in the head of the engine and it would have cost me more overall.
Bmw there amazing driving cars but they require a lot of love and attention 💸
I got 2 bmw and a Mini Cooper s, so I have my hands full keeping them going. Enjoy all of it!
Thanks for watching!
Bmw did that to these cars on purpose to keep them in the dealership dor for repair services. They do that so they can't financially take car od their dealers because dealers make little money from selling cars they make their alot money from repairs
@@zlord1199 It s more like the American dealers having this kind of problem: "making little when selling car and having to make money on repairs. The dealer practice the long oil changes to the extreme, skipping one or two, while the car owner, who is actually leasing and not giving a damn, will not know. These cars may get up to 50k miles having done one or two oil changes max and zero air filter change. Same for other fluids and so on. Once they pass the 50k miles (especially those that have been leased) some of them become a time bomb. But it is not BMW fault. It is just how dealers maintain cars for people leasing them and not having to worry beyond warranty expiration date.
@@SimpleCarGuy HI Buddy...do you recommend to put an engine of bmw328ixdrive into a 2012 528xdrive.
Thanks for your help
Also requires you to remortgage your home a few times
If BMW says the engine has already gone bad can the timing chain still be replaced? Or do I now need to just replace the engine. Thanks.
Depends what has gone bad in it. BMW is not covering their butts and not doing timing chain jobs and opting for replacing entire engines. If you have belt valves and or rods that are knocking, it’ll be cheaper to put a new engine in.
So how can you know if timing chain goes bad? Can it effect the valvetronic motor? I got a n20.
Usually you will hear the chain slap on idle or slow revving of the engine. you can also usually find wear on the chain itself (you can see it through the oil filler cap) or even metal shavings in the oil pan. I'm not sure if it can effect the valvetronic motor.
is taking the drive gear oil pump torx bolt ccw as regular bolts or it is different.
I’m not sure what you are asking. It’s a regular torch bolt
@@SimpleCarGuy because i heard in the b58 engine the torx bolt of the drive gear opens clockwise and closes ccw. The opposite of any bolt the world. That's why I asked if this engine the same. Thanks
Thank you
if the timing chain guides are in great shape u do not have to pull the oil pan at all, or even have to remove half of what you did. pop valve cover, lock flywheel, lock cams remove balancer. loosen the cam gear bolts, loosen the crank bolt, remove timing chain tensioner, remove the cam sensors then cam gears,remove guide bolts then pull out crank bolt slowly leave oil pump gear on crank snub. pull chain and guides out the top as a assembly easy peasy. only time u pull pan is if guides are shredded
Thank you very much for the information, when I was working kn this I couldn’t find any information or it was very limited so I went by the technical manual.
No problem.
do you have a link with all the detailed steps (with photos) for this type of replacement (preventive replacement without a failure)?
ps: I own a 2014 x3 xdrive28i; 34k miles in 7 1/2 years but have driven it hard often . I might do this as a project later (no time pressure)
btw do you have any videos on how to replace the thermostat?
thanks
@@mindanalyzer8302 no link as this was from experience but i can tell you this being a xdrive its harder because you would have to remove the transfer case to drop the oil pan...if you went that route. Also you need special tools to lock the cams and crank because there is no timing pin that locks the crank pully to the crankshaft. You can mess up badly very easily
After how many miles, I need to replace timing chain? i have N20 E84 x1
Usually it isn’t based on how many miles you have driven. Once you hear a ticking sound coming from the engine, that would be a good indication to get it checked out. As a preventative I would change the chain tensioner before getting into replacing the timing chain.
Around 80k, you should start paying attention to it
yo bro where can u check which engine code the car has?
You can use one of these: CREATOR C501: amzn.to/2Y8i0Mr
By any chance, can you link the diagram for the timing?
Go to new tis dot info. You can find everything there. If you specify what diagram you are looking for exactly, I can look that up for ya.
RealOEM.com
How long do you think this would take to do on a hoist with the right tools ?
If you have a lift, it would definitely make it a lot easier. I think if I was doing this for the second time, I could probably do it in 3-4 hours total.
Can you use that for head gasket remove also right ?
Do you mean the timing tool?
Is the X3 i28 2016-17 n20 is more reliable than the older models 2013 ?
Absolutely, they upgraded the engine materials after 2013 and it’s a lot more reliable.
Me again; did you have trouble taking off the oil pan. Seems to be stuck between the trans and the oil pump. Thank you
No, I had no issues with that. It did take 5-10 minutes of moving it around the subframe yo be able to remove it completely. You may need to twist it all kinds of ways to get it out,l. What car are you working with and is it all wheel drive?
SimpleCarGuy I finally got it out. Just had to push the subframe forward and then back. I guess I didn’t drop it enough but got it working. I’m working on a 328i n26 with rwd. I might do a video of the steps too. All the info is good for somebody doing this job. Thanks for the quick response.
Glad you got it out. It’s hard making a good video while doing all of this stuff. Angels are impossible and sometimes you are so frustrated at a step the last thing you wanna do it video it lol. Hope you do make a video of some steps, I’m sure it will help someone!
SimpleCarGuy lol yup pretty crazy trying to record while you are ready to kick the car lol
I was trying to fit the timing tool and rotated the engine backward slightly and the chain slipped and now one of the camshafts is out of alignment. What to do?
Adjust the camshaft so that it fits on the alignment tool properly. That's what it's for, to make sure everything lines up before you put it back together. There is a little slot for a wrench on the camshaft.
Thanks sir....already have it locked down.
And one more thing, when I went to loosen the Crank shaft bolt I had the alignment tool inserted but forgot the flywheel tool. It bent the alignment tool but thankfull it didn’t break. I got it out and straightened it but now there is some slack in the flywheel when I try to reverse as opposed to it being completely locked forward and back......but definitely no slack forward.
Is there another alignment mark on the crank for TDC for me to just verify TDC?
@@popptj There might be, but I'm not aware of it. It has been about a years since I did the job, so I recommend checking on forums etc.
Do you have a TIS/Service manual for N20? Link? newtis.info is dead now.
You can get INPA or ISTA (don’t remember which one that is) now that newtis is dead. I don’t have any service manuals otherwise.
Doing one today on 2014 528i, we did not remove the oil pan
You don’t have to if you’re not replacing the oil pump chain or sprocket.
Hai just wanna ask,where to buy the engine manual?
Google TIS + make and model of your car. First result should be what you are looking for. Thanks for watching!
@@SimpleCarGuy sorry,what is TIS?
Thabk you
TIS is Technical Information System. Basically a service a manual.
My car keeps shutting off when I go to punch the gas randomly it does it every blue moon sometimes it does sometimes it doesn't I noticed a bit of build up around the hpfs going to be replacing the gasket
If you aren’t getting codes, it’s hard to say. But it does sound like a HPFP to me, I have a video on how to replace it:
HPFP - BMW N20: ruclips.net/video/uZjtaqmoRtE/видео.html
@@SimpleCarGuy I get a random 0.2 evap leak and it comes and goes any idea?
It could be the HPFP, it could also be something like fuel tank breather line, you’d need a cold smoke machine to detect it. It could be soooo many different things as .020 is really small and probably wouldn’t be visible with naked eye easily, but wouldn’t hurt to do a visual inspection.
What are all the parts I would need to replace a fuel pump on the n20
The fuel pump with the gasket (should be included). That would be it for the parts.
@@SimpleCarGuy it don't need a sending unit on the 2012 528i
@@Luis92r are you talking about the low pressure fuel pump or the high pressure fuel pump (HPFP)?
@@SimpleCarGuy on the LPF does it have a sending unit on this model I looked up stuff on fcpeuro but only found the fuel pump and not sure how many parts need to be replaced in am lpf i cant find anything online
Thanks for this video. After witching this video i put my car Facebook market. 😂 Great video though.
How many miles you have on the car?
The car had ~114000 miles.
Can changing the timming chain tensioner avoid timming chain problems?
Absolutely, it’s one of the recommended steps of preventing issues. Of course you can also have issues with brittle plastic of timing chain guides, which is unavoidable. But the tensioner is a good start and very easy to swap.
@@SimpleCarGuy yes, that circle attachment on the timming chain guide, where the plastic broke, should have a metal washer and/or much thicker plastic for the circle clipping so it won't brake. Then the millage would probably greatly improve if the tensioner were swapped out at say every 70k.
Service might stretch out to 200k or more before replacement of the chain guide was really needed. Who knows how much longer it would last.
I think what's happening is the tensioner becomes weak and the chain is rippling through that track basically beating that circle, rubbing it back and forth until that plastic circle breaks, A new tensioner is just a screwout , screw in fix that should stop that.
Not sure how long that oil pump unit will last though. But it looked like all you need to do is pull the oil pan to get to it.
Just got it done. My motor was close to blowing up, no symptoms
At least you are safe now! It's a fun job, isn't it?
@@SimpleCarGuy $3,401 including various oil gaskets lol
@@iAlwaysSpeakTheTruth did you have someone else do it? I spent much less in parts, but I also didn't replace ALL gaskets on the way.
@@SimpleCarGuy yes someone did it for me
Does the tow hook always work for holding the engine?
It is the correct way to do it on this engine. I can’t vouch for other engines. Funny enough, the tow hook I used is from the Mini as the one that came with the Z4 did not fit.
Thanks for the reply. Do you have the instruction to drop the subframe?
@@ramiroparocua8070 it's more or less straight forward. You will remove all of the underbody protection, reinforcement plate, disconnect ride height sensor. Then you have to support the subframe with a couple jacks. I put one in the front and one in the back. Then you loosen 6 big bolts that hold it in place and slow lower the jacks watching for anything else that needs to be disconnected.
SimpleCarGuy thank you, I’m half way done. Working on the subframe today.
good
Would be guide work for e38 728i 1999 bmw?
Not at all, those cars have an m52 straight 6 engines. Completely different animal.
Are the spark plugs needs to be removed?
I don’t remember 100%, but I believe they should be removed since you’ll need to rotate the engine at some point by hand.
@@SimpleCarGuy yes that should be for that. Thanks
320i also has n20?
It did from 2012 to 2015, but it was a detuned version of the engine. Should be physically mostly the same.
Is this a problem for all F10 N20 or just a certain period of time? Im looking to buy a used F10.
For all, but much much more common on cars prior to 2013.
BMW 5 Series F10 Problems to Expect ruclips.net/video/uUdBEwJcPa4/видео.html
BMW revised the plastic material for 2014 models and onward to hold up better against the heat, but it's still plastic, it's going to disintegrate eventually, it's just a matter of how hard the car is driven and how old it is
what are the signs of how the car behaves, any noises, anything at all.. before it completely brakes one way or another ? Because from what i understand, it being an interference engine, it's too late to fix it then
You can usually hear the chain 'slapping' agains the cover or other parts if it's really bad or it will 'whine' if it isn't as bad. Sometimes you will also find metal shavings or plastic pieces from the chain or the guide.
Holy crap, you might as well replace the engine. So much work, i will never buy a bmw again.
It's definitely not an easy DIY, but for an experienced mechanic isn't so bad. This is why the value goes down so much after warranty expires.
are these interferance or non interferance ???
Yes, these engines are definitely interference.
Whoah! You did all that, just by referring to a diagram!
Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!
So my 328i fell victim to the timing chain breaking. BMW recommended a new engine of course and it cost $15,411,69. I would be a fool to pay that. It’s more than what the car cost. So my question is could I just replace the timing chain instead of replacing the entire engine?
That really depends on what happened. Did the chain break and the engine was spotted right away and no other damage done? If so, replacing the chains, guides, and sprockets should be fine. If it damaged anything else, that would have to be fixed as well. Usually if the chain has already snapped, it has done a lot more damage and not worth fixing. You can get a used engine for about $3500 and pay someone to replace
@@SimpleCarGuy the chain didn’t break. It’s loose and the oil pressure valve is jammed. I have already been looking at the used engines just in case.
Where the hell you buy the whole VVT, Chain, Guides kit...That are reliable parts...I got a 2007 328i that needs this done..They were quoted $6,000.00 to replace them...
Having trouble locking the flywheel, do I need to drop oil pan to get to it? I really don’t want to remove exhaust
Do you have a manual or automatic transmission? Mine was a manual and there is an opening for stopper right where transmission connects to the engine to lock the flywheel. You should have to remove any exhaust
SimpleCarGuy ah, I have an automatic, there is an opening but there is no visible locking point at the bottom of the car, even when in TDC. I guess I have to drop exhaust
Of course if you are replacing the oil pump gear and chain you will have to drop the oil pan and to do that you have to lower the subframe.
SimpleCarGuy I’m just doing timing chain, it doesn’t appear to be broken so I’m just doing it for preventative measure. Already have valve cover removed and parts/tools purchased
It says for automatics there is something you’re supposed to screw in to stop the engine from rotating. This should help:
www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e89-z4-sdrive28i-roa/repair-manuals/11-engine/11-31-camshaft/FYz9DVh0
please man...... if you want...record the right sound who make the engine...!! is so helpful for us
you sure know ur stuff
Why didn't you at least disassemble the engine to see the inside damages? it would have been very interesting
That's a lot of work and I wasn't sure there would be enough people interested in watching. I do have an n20 engine sitting in my garage right now.. what would you want to see?
Great explanation.
But one concern what is a bmw building now days what a poor quality engines , my M54 engine still pulling strong 424k on it and keeps going I love and I respect older Bmw generation but not the new Chinese junk.
Can you post the link for setting the timing chain, the one @ 7:34 min?
Go to new TIS dot info and enter your vin, you can then find the manual in there. Thanks for watching!
damn. No thank you on that motor. looks like almost a 3k repair given the hours. maybe doing the tensioner as a wear part early could help
Definitely something people should do if they want to keep a car with an N20 engine. Then just hope and pray that it will be fine. I would say it’s at least a $2000+ job including parts and labor.
the timing chain was in good condition. I think the rod bearings are shot on your car. Typical problem with the N20.
You are absolutely right on that. I decided to swap the engine as with rod bearing being bad the valves are usually damaged as well etc
SimpleCarGuy mileage ?
110k miles, bought at auction with ‘mechanical damage’
@@SimpleCarGuy The N20 engine on my x1 stalled couple days ago on the highway out of nowhere...the engine cranks now but it won't fire up! What are the chances that replacing the timing chain would resolve the issue as I'm 90% sure it's the timing chain guides...or would you suggest doing an engine swap?
@@8442116 before anything, I would scan the car to see what kind of BMW specific codes you are getting (don't use a generic OBD2 scanner). Then go from there. No start could be anything.. first thing I would look into would be the HPFP.
If you are sure it's the timing chain and no damage has been done, I'd definitely do the timing chain before an engine swap.
Another reason the hate BMW
Simple fix .. 5000k services not 12k
100%. I actually made a video on how to prevent this stuff back in the day!
Access to the timming chain is guide ins poorly designed.
You’re right, it’s a lot of work just to get there.
not bigi are you make a mistake just say the thru please. check my videos please
I'm not really sure what the mistake is.
Just dump all bmw's with n20 engines.
They CAN be troublesome, but luckily 2013+ are much better built.
@@SimpleCarGuy really?