mintimperial Posted March 29, 2014 Report Share Posted March 29, 2014 Hi all, So since December I have had a loud rattle from the manifold and poor low end torque and it was the dreaded DISA valve! I looked at new ones and at £234 from the stealers (£361 fitted!!!!!) thought id do a little research. Ended up buying a refurb kit from i6 Automotive which replaces the wearing plastic parts with upgraded aluminium components, also changing the pin on the end, which can drop in and cause serious damage, for a much better design! The kit was £54.99 delivered. Pretty simple install if you have the correct tools. 2 x t40 torx bolts to remove the disa from the manifold Unit out and pretty filthy! Instantly noticeable is a lot of play in the valve caused by a majorly worn plastic bell housing. http://youtu.be/Yh-ewGUqoDc Took the back cover off and inserted a threaded bolt into the rear of the housing to get some purchase and pull it out. Came out easily, though it really shouldn't! Next job was the pin on the other end. Inserted a small flathead screwdriver and twisted to prise it up enough to grab it with some pliers. This pin can cause catastrophic damage if sucked in or dropped into the combustion chamber! Glad to see the back of it. Job was then to remove the flap, a little wriggling it out is needed! Next job was to clean the whole assembly before rebuild time. Used a Dremel type tool with the soft brush and some servisol foaming solvent. Greased up the interior where the new aluminium bell housing goes with the supplied blue grease. And also the new bell housing itself. New flap goes in, and new pin, which is a much longer pin and enters from the back side of the bell housing meaning there is no way it can fall in! Tightens with an Allen key. (Sorry forgot a pic of the new pin, but can be seen in the pics of the kit.) Vacuum coupling reattached to new bell housing, and kept on by retainer clip that is included. After this it was almost complete, but the orange seal around where the unit meets the manifold must be scraped out and replaced. I used the same small flathead screwdriver to scrape the rubber out and then got the rest with the wire brush Dremel attachment. New O ring goes in after being blue greased and jobs all done, You end up with a disa valve which is better than a new one from the dealer! Really not hard at all! No play at all! http://youtu.be/oyNyvgu1Sqs Installed back in the car with the 2 torx bolts, and pushing it in needed much more force due to the new O ring. A snug fit. Instantly the rattle is gone and the low end torque is better than since I've owned the car. A well worthy repair and glad I didn't buy a new DISA valve! Very happy with the result- hope this helps someone out! RickyZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee330Ci Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 I've got a funny feeling mines doing the same, that's made it look mega easy! How long would you say that took? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mintimperial Posted March 30, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 30mins!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee330Ci Posted March 30, 2014 Report Share Posted March 30, 2014 That's what I'll be doing next weekend then! Cheers, this guide is going to be perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 Just ordered mine, only £50 with free shipping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruesta Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 Great write-up, made it look real easy. Does anyone know if the 328 uses the same part? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 IIRC no because 328 is M52 and 330 is M54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B0B Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 Great write-up, made it look real easy. Does anyone know if the 328 uses the same part? It's worth checking with realOEM.com for the part numbers but I would suggest it is the same part. IIRC no because 328 is M52 and 330 is M54 My 323 is/was an M52 engine and apart from the throttle it is essentially the same engine. The disa valves look identical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R11CH Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 Am i right in thinking this kit would work on my 325 what with it being an M54 engine that i have. Their website states only for the 3.0 M54 ?? Think my rattle might well be the Disa valve and this guide makes it look so easy to sort out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B0B Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 Am i right in thinking this kit would work on my 325 what with it being an M54 engine that i have. Their website states only for the 3.0 M54 ?? Think my rattle might well be the Disa valve and this guide makes it look so easy to sort out I would ring them as it is a slightly different part number between 325 and 330 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mintimperial Posted April 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 They do a kit for the 2.2 and 2.5 also, but they are a different unit to the 3.0 yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruesta Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Great write-up, made it look real easy. Does anyone know if the 328 uses the same part? It's worth checking with realOEM.com for the part numbers but I would suggest it is the same part. IIRC no because 328 is M52 and 330 is M54 My 323 is/was an M52 engine and apart from the throttle it is essentially the same engine. The disa valves look identical. Thanks for the info. I just checked RealOEM and I don't think they are the same part. Look the same but has different part numbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B0B Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Great write-up, made it look real easy. Does anyone know if the 328 uses the same part? It's worth checking with realOEM.com for the part numbers but I would suggest it is the same part. IIRC no because 328 is M52 and 330 is M54 My 323 is/was an M52 engine and apart from the throttle it is essentially the same engine. The disa valves look identical. Thanks for the info. I just checked RealOEM and I don't think they are the same part. Look the same but has different part numbers Hmmmm I just checked and my 323 and 325 have different part numbers too, which would suggest there is a slight difference somewhere. I hate it when Ricky is right RickyZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Your welcome B0B 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruesta Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 (edited) Well this leads me to my last question..... Is it blindingly obvious when the part needs changing? My engine is a little tappy but nothing I haven't heard with other cars I've owned. (1st 6 pot BMW mind) I was thinking about changing it to be on the safe side, after spotting this great guide and seeing how easy it looked. But if they don't do the same up-grade kit for a 328...... Sorry for asking this on your thread mintimperial, by the way. Edited April 2, 2014 by Ruesta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_F Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 (edited) Just ordered one, hopefully do it this weekend Good write up btw Edited April 2, 2014 by Mark_F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee330Ci Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Done this on Sunday and wow what a difference! The car launches in the lower revs! Definitely recommend this mod/repair Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_F Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 I'm doing mine tomorrow!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_330CI Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 Can you remove the current one and check and replace if all ok, or doors removing it mean you need to replace parts? jammo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 You can remove but why not replace when removed ? Its a cheap fix to potentially save the engine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_330CI Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 You can remove but why not replace when removed ? Its a cheap fix to potentially save the engine You could say that about anything. when You've got a mortgage and wedding to pay for £50 on something that doesn't need to be done is a lot of money wasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 I have both and recently bought a kit A knackered engine a week before the wedding with lots to get still is a bigger headache than £50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_F Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 You can remove but why not replace when removed ? Its a cheap fix to potentially save the engine You could say that about anything. when You've got a mortgage and wedding to pay for £50 on something that doesn't need to be done is a lot of money wasted. It's well worth replacing even if it 'looks' ok. Trust me on that! RickyZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richie19 Posted April 14, 2014 Report Share Posted April 14, 2014 tbh if its not rattling and isn't loose then the chances of it flying off into the engine are slim. I was gonna rebuild mine, but after inspection its still in very good working order. So i ordered a new seal for the DISA from i6 automotive, and it has made a big difference in performance, probably due to the fact its now sealed tightly and I will just inspect it yearly for any signs of play/damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam330 Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Ive replaced the O ring on the Disa Valve but i still get that noise which is a vacuum leak , What can it be a new disa valve or replace all the other seals on the valve ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
