Z3 Vanos?

Harris

Dedicated Member
British Zeds
Joined
Feb 22, 2026
Points
28
Location
Rochdale
I'm trying to figure out if I need to have my vanos looked at. My 85k miles 2.2 manual feels a bit sluggish when I get to hills - have to use the gears and revs more than I'd expect for the engine size/car weight. It could be I'm just used to driving much more powerful modern cars but I keep coming back to wondering if there is a problem?
 
As a first call my suggest would be a code reader and see if anything is reported as the obvious problem.. If you dont have one in your toolkit, you should have :thumbsup:. If my Z feels poorly, its my first move...
 
Thanks. I did have access to one and the only issue was a cam sensor, can’t remember which one, so that was replaced…
 
You may have another issue crop up since then, I would check again before getting carried away.. There are a host of issues that may be causing the perceived sluggishness, best to put a line through those first I think...:thumbsup:

Also not all Cam angle sensors are made equal, this is a lesson I learnt the hard way...
 
Sounds like a good idea. What code readers are recommended?
Personally I use a foxwell 510NT, but there are far cheaper options that do the job, At the end of the day the one I bought has a load of functionality I never use, so I wasted money in reality.. Some of the other guys may have a more sensible recommendation .. Or you can do a search of the forum, plenty of info already here, In particular the different between plugs, the one one under the dash and the one in the engine bay often referred to as Pac man style.
 
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