"Best" aftermarket Vanos line?

[old///MFanatic]

I'd be interested in collecting any failure info on the aftermarket lines.
The downside I see to the flex line is that you have stress on the crimps from the tight bends, as opposed to the ridged OE line, but that's all just intuition.

These hoses are made at same line a quality S/S brake line is. A quality line design likely has passed the government “Whip Test”. Which consists of over pressuring the hose and twisting it around 800rpm for like over one and a half million revolutions. This allows user to know it’s not some cheap crimp or hose that would fail under use. Seeing how this hose doesn’t see nearly the movement a brake hose does it should be of little to no concern. Unless it’s made by some cheap company or China with no testing or oversight.

[JokerElite]

Here is the ECS line, as said, I liked it can run parallel to the cam cover

This motivated me to go with ECS since my factory one was leaking. Looks very neat. Thanks for those pics!

[gnoy26]

On 99% of vanos overhauls (unless a customer requests a different line) I install the revised Genuine OE BMW vanos oil line. I always suggest this part over aftermarket options as it fits great and with the additional mounting tab it will be a very reliable part. I have yet to see one of the revised lines fail. I also believe some of the original line failures are due to improper install during vanos overhauls. I've seen a few cars in which the top banjo bolt was torqued prior to tightening the vanos oil line lower mounting tab bolt which put additional stress on the line.


Revised Genuine OE BMW vanos oil line installed during a vanos overhaul.




With some of the aftermarket lines they rub slightly on the lower radiator hose, have different line internal diameter, etc. Also, I wanted to mention for those who have purchased the Bimmerworld vanos oil line, DOUBLE CHECK your torque spec for the banjo bolts. The instructions I've seen have said to torque the banjo bolts to 20 ft. lbs!!! This is incorrect and will lead to stripping threads. I have notified them of this torque spec mistake and they said they would correct it in their installation instructions. The correct torque spec for the banjo bolts is 115 in. lbs (you should be using a calibrated inch lbs. torque wrench for vanos related work). Also, be sure to use a torque wrench for the vanos to cylinder head bolts. I've also seen a local installer strip these threads on multiple cars.. The correct torque spec for these bolts is 89 in. lbs.

very clean!

[nextelbuddy]

+2 for revised OE line. It's expensive but it looks the best, fits the best and will last the longest..when you have a extremely high pressurized line, you want the best no reason to have any added risk.

I used the v2 lines on both of my vanos overhaul on both my cars.

[old///MFanatic]

+2 for revised OE line. It's expensive but it looks the best, fits the best and will last the longest..when you have a extremely high pressurized line, you want the best no reason to have any added risk.

What backing do you have that it lasts the longest? The original that it’s almost identical to surely hasn’t been bullet proof.
As for “looks the best”..that’s subjective to each person, no?

[Ramage]

Reviving this thread.

On Saturday, my updated OEM Vanos pressure line (Part #11367837614 - This is the revised OEM part) developed a leak, losing about a liter of oil in under a minute and creating a mess on the underpanel. I noticed a loss of power at higher RPMs and a strong smell of burning oil when accelerating. After topping off the oil, I carefully (keeping the RPM below 3K) drove the car home. The leak is constant but worsens when the Vanos system demands pressure, so over the 10km trip home, I only lost another half-liter of oil. Between the liter already in the underpanel and the .5 liter I added on the way home you could trace my route by the trail of oil drops left behind.

I bought the OEM part in February 2013 for just $81.72 and installed it immediately. It’s been on the car for over 12 years, which is a solid return on investment.

I have ordered the Bimmerworld line (my dealer is saying 2 weeks for the OEM part which I also ordered for eye watering $276.51 Canadian) .

[0-60motorsports]

Reviving this thread.

On Saturday, my updated OEM Vanos pressure line (Part #11367837614 - This is the revised OEM part) developed a leak, losing about a liter of oil in under a minute and creating a mess on the underpanel. I noticed a loss of power at higher RPMs and a strong smell of burning oil when accelerating. After topping off the oil, I carefully (keeping the RPM below 3K) drove the car home. The leak is constant but worsens when the Vanos system demands pressure, so over the 10km trip home, I only lost another half-liter of oil. Between the liter already in the underpanel and the .5 liter I added on the way home you could trace my route by the trail of oil drops left behind.

I bought the OEM part in February 2013 for just $81.72 and installed it immediately. It's been on the car for over 12 years, which is a solid return on investment.

I have ordered the Bimmerworld line (my dealer is saying 2 weeks for the OEM part which I also ordered for eye watering $276.51 Canadian) .

Please let us know the point of failure once you find it.

[Ramage]

Please let us know the point of failure once you find it.

The leaking Vanos pressure line is still on the car, so I can record a video to show the issue. It seems the leak is coming from where the lower banjo fitting connects to the foil-covered hose.

Some context on what happened before the failure:

Last Thursday, I drove the car to my office and noticed something felt off. In the 5 AM rush hour traffic, I couldn’t push the car much, but I felt a slight hesitation. On the way home, still in heavy traffic, the CSL intake sounded deeper than usual. About halfway home, the check engine light came on. I initially suspected an issue with the IAT or MAP sensor wires, but after pulling over, I confirmed they were fine.

Once home, I connected the GT1 diagnostic tool and pulled code 184: "Function, inlet VANOS." The Vanos test was failing. My car has been sluggish on the advance time, and the inlet Vanos test has occasionally failed completely.

Example:from a few months ago

On Saturday morning, I removed the Vanos actuator and used a Dremel to open the back for inspection. Three of the six solder joints appeared cracked, so I resoldered them and epoxied the cover back on. While the solenoid valve was off, I decided to sonic clean it, both with the solenoids open and closed.

This is just a theory, but I suspect the cleaning freed up the valves significantly. After reinstalling the Vanos actuator, the first time I pushed the car, the hose failed. It’s possible the 12-year-old line was accustomed to reduced pressure and couldn’t handle the restored full function, causing it to give out.

Once I get the hose replaced I plan to run the Vanos test again and see if things have improved.

[BCEXP]

I dunno, I've had the factory version 2 line for like 6 (?) years and it is still holding up well. Never really thought about it since LOL. Street driven and the occasional mountain run.