Im a new user & new owner of a E46 318i (2002)
bought as a cheap work runner.
so far it appears that this model has some what of a list of poorly designed components.
either way i thought i would list what I have needed to replace thus far under the catagory of common issues.
1. timing chain tensioner.
After a little reading around online i discovered this is an extermely common issue with the N42 engine and steams from a poor original design. thankfully BMW has released a part to correct this issue.
symptoms were an amost diesel sounding engine and a sloppy pickup down low in the revs. i also read that this can cause the chain to jump a tooth which will give very poor performance & through EML warning ( lucky for me mine hadn't jumped a tooth)
easy issue to solve though, upgraded part seems freely availible online, i got mine on ebay for around $30, and changing it was a 5 minute job requiring nothing more than a 27mm ring end spanner.
2. vanos solinoid seals.
once again a common fault talked about online. issue as i understand it is poor material selection by the engineers @ BMW.
symptoms: oil leaking from the front of the engine around the two solinoids , i believe this one can also causes a power issue as well.
another easy 10min job and the O rings availble online.
3. vacuum pump on the rear of the engine.
symtoms: very stinky oil burning smell & smoke from the rear of the engine , particularly after start up.
found a seal kit online and it looks to be a slightly more painfull job being on the rear of the engine. parts were about $20 and im expecting between 1/2 an hour to an hour to fix.
4. interior console & gear stick surround
the car i have has the mat black and silver paint finish. which looked like S&*T scratch and marked, why would BMW have bother using paint?
symptom: just looks ugly when the paints been scratched
removed the console and gear stick surround and scrubbed off the paint with eucalypus oil and house hold cleaning products. also used an old stiff tooth brush and green (plastic) dish scrubber (for some reason the paint was soft ish to start with)
buffed the console and used magiures rubber detailing material. came up looking new.
gear stick surround originally silver in colour (with the window switchs) hand sanded with 2000 wet and dry sand paper, then buffed with grinder / polishing pad (foam type) and some highend maguires compound.
end result a deap black mirror like finish ,in my opinion far nicer that the original mat silver finish. certainly a 100x better than the scratched silver finish
anyhow, do the guru's here know of anymore common issues with the e46 or the n42 engine i should inspect or keep an eye out for?
bought as a cheap work runner.
so far it appears that this model has some what of a list of poorly designed components.
either way i thought i would list what I have needed to replace thus far under the catagory of common issues.
1. timing chain tensioner.
After a little reading around online i discovered this is an extermely common issue with the N42 engine and steams from a poor original design. thankfully BMW has released a part to correct this issue.
symptoms were an amost diesel sounding engine and a sloppy pickup down low in the revs. i also read that this can cause the chain to jump a tooth which will give very poor performance & through EML warning ( lucky for me mine hadn't jumped a tooth)
easy issue to solve though, upgraded part seems freely availible online, i got mine on ebay for around $30, and changing it was a 5 minute job requiring nothing more than a 27mm ring end spanner.
2. vanos solinoid seals.
once again a common fault talked about online. issue as i understand it is poor material selection by the engineers @ BMW.
symptoms: oil leaking from the front of the engine around the two solinoids , i believe this one can also causes a power issue as well.
another easy 10min job and the O rings availble online.
3. vacuum pump on the rear of the engine.
symtoms: very stinky oil burning smell & smoke from the rear of the engine , particularly after start up.
found a seal kit online and it looks to be a slightly more painfull job being on the rear of the engine. parts were about $20 and im expecting between 1/2 an hour to an hour to fix.
4. interior console & gear stick surround
the car i have has the mat black and silver paint finish. which looked like S&*T scratch and marked, why would BMW have bother using paint?
symptom: just looks ugly when the paints been scratched
removed the console and gear stick surround and scrubbed off the paint with eucalypus oil and house hold cleaning products. also used an old stiff tooth brush and green (plastic) dish scrubber (for some reason the paint was soft ish to start with)
buffed the console and used magiures rubber detailing material. came up looking new.
gear stick surround originally silver in colour (with the window switchs) hand sanded with 2000 wet and dry sand paper, then buffed with grinder / polishing pad (foam type) and some highend maguires compound.
end result a deap black mirror like finish ,in my opinion far nicer that the original mat silver finish. certainly a 100x better than the scratched silver finish
anyhow, do the guru's here know of anymore common issues with the e46 or the n42 engine i should inspect or keep an eye out for?
Last edited:
