Hi there! we have a 2010 (pre LCI) cooper N12. It's been throwing P0015 and 2845 recently. Done some poking around and lead to believe it will be a VANOS actuator getting a bit nackered. Looks like the first port of all is to whip them out and clean the gunk out of them and try again (maybe a short term solution).

What I would like to know, is whether from that code I can determine whether it is exhaust side or intake side vanos. Going to do both, but planning on swapping them round to see if the fault follows but it would be useful to know which is playing up. The description is [B CAMSHAFT POSITION -TIMING OVER RETARDED BANK 1]

Secondly, if a vanos actuator is failing, is it more harmful to the engine on one side or the other? I'm thinking that if swapping them and the issue appearing on the intake side is for some reason more damaging to the engine, probably not a great idea, although it seems that some people recommend it.

Finally, for cleaning, brake cleaner ok??

Thanks in advance for your knowledge.

 

exhaust vanos solenoid. clean it or get it replaced. it is easy and somewhat cheap.


https://autoservicecosts.com/obd2-codes/p0015/
https://www.justanswer.com/bmw/773ql...stem-288d.html

 

 

Hi , I am having the same error code issues, have you still not had any more code errors?. Which would you recommend front/exhaust vanos or camshaft sensor or both? . Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

I did my front and that got rid of P00015, then a few months later the code for the rear one (intake) came up and I ended up replacing that one too. For about 1/2 year now, no codes.

Note the rear (intake) is WAY harder to replace. check around, I think I posted some pics, or hints to help with that.

 

Just to add a little information to this thread for future travelers, I just bought a 2010 Cooper N12/non-S like the OP. It had the P0015 code (using Torque, haven't used BMW tools yet on it) and the code immediately returned when it was cleared. It also had about 2.5 qts of very dirty oil. The maintenance minder showed -8000 miles. Was there 20k on the oil? I hope not but I'm not sure. Deferred maintenance, so say the least.

Anywho, low oil and dirty oil. Also original plugs and coils at 65k. Not horrible, but I had some coils lying around and picked up plugs and slapped all that in with an oil change. Cleared the code and it did not come back as it had before the work. So just throwing it out there, check/replace the oil and do a simple tune up if you get this code if you're due anyway. The car's a lot peppier as well. I pulled out the front VANOS solenoid anyway just to see if it was clogged and it was remarkably clean.

 

I have the same issue with my car and its no where near as peppy as it was previously. Almost seems like the throttle response is slower.
So you're saying replacing BOTH the front exhaust and the rear intake vanos along with a new cam shaft sensor will fix this problem?
How much we talking for OEM parts and labor to complete the whole job?

 

I don't think anyone was saying replacing the cam shaft sensor.

*MiniToBe and Kurtsunn said replace the front solenoid (it's behind the dipstick) also easy to check yourself and replace if it's damaged or you can just clean it. $50 part and an hour to your indy (more like 15 mins...) if you're not comfortable with it. Replacing both solenoids is a little tougher and a little more expensive and you're replacing a part that's not indicating a problem.
*I said replace the plugs and coils. Super easy to do yourself if you have the spark plug socket and you're even mildly handy. $150 in parts plus one hour to your indy. Also a good approach if you car has lost a step.

If you have a 10mm socket checking the exhaust (front) solenoid is easy and free. Spray it with a solvent like brake or carb cleaner if it's dirty, like a gummed up screen. Swap it with the intake solenoid for extra credit and see if the code follows the solenoid. That should be the first step with this code. Second step is to change your oil if it's close to due. 3rd step is to replace coils and plugs if they're questionable. After that it gets murky because it could be some other parts including components in the timing chain assembly.

All this is my opinion and a little experience with the matter so no promises but a good place to start. Good luck, post what you find.