Car is acting like the timeing isnt advanceing. runs very smooth but doesnt pick up, timeing is advanceing, the boost is fine at 7lbs, i reinstalled the vanos unit and double checked my cam timeing, no check engine light, whats every ones thoughts?

You may have installed the vanos wrong, is it a single or dual? What year and model BMW is it? PM me a fax number to your shop, you may need the BMW repair instructions to straighten this out. There are several special tools involved to disassemble the vanos and re-assemble it, but you may be able to improvise a bit.

You did plug in the vanos solenoid, right? Did you plug it in to the correct connector? Some of those are interchageable, do a double check to be sure. You may be OK since the check engine light isn't on, but it never hurts to re-check it.

all my wire diagrams were wrong and that was realy screwing me up, the harness from the crank pos / speed sensor where it plugs in to the vanos and the fuel rail wire loom was hooked up incorrectly, man that car feals insane

Some of those connectors aren't "idiot "proof, but sometimes they lay in the correct position when you start putting it back together, sometimes not. Dont feel bad, we have done the same thing at our place. Another thing to remember on those M50-M52 style motors is that ground wire (coil ground) by the thermostat housing, if you forget it the ignition coils will back feed into the DME and fry the secondary circuit. Now your looking at a new DME, $1,200-1,500!

dont the coils ground out on the bolts mounted to the head that come up throu the valve cover?

They will fire without being on the valve cover, notice there is only one or two actual ground straps going to only one or two coils, not all six. The wire I mentioned has a shunt resistor in it and is used to monitor the secondary circuit for misfires and to identify each coil to shut it down. When the wire is off the secondary voltage goes straight through the DME and frys it, engine just quits and your bosses wallet is $1200 lighter.

is it a little brown wire?

Been a while since I've seen one, it may black or a brown wire in a black sheath, but it has a
eyelet and attaches on the upper bolt for the thermostat housing.

how do you ground an electrical circuit to a steel bolt running through an all aluminum thermostat housing and head/block?

jason

dummmm duuuu dummmm duummmmm dummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

FM

i prefer AM

xfm

Well since Jason didn't bite at it FM is for Fucking Magic, technical term we use in the shop and now at our training center.
As for grounding the wire through the steel bolt on the aluminum head, aluminum is conductive and grounds very well. There is a ground strap that is on the aluminum motor mount that goes to the steel chassis frame and dont forget, the Z8 is an all aluminum car.