DISA Valve repair kit

I hope there is a room full of engineers at BMW who read this and hang their heads in shame. This DISA valve, EAC's headlight adjusters, EMP Stewart's water pump and of course Beisan's VANOS seals are all things done the RIGHT WAY. Not done to a price, and not designed to fail right after the warranty expires. It's both sad and fantastic that BMW's customers produce better engineering than BMW.

Originally Posted by Biasvoltage

I hope there is a room full of engineers at BMW who read this and hang their heads in shame.

No, there should be a room full of engineers giving the room full of accountants and bean counters one big collective evil eye. Ok, except for the CCV design. And I'll agree with you on the headlight adjusters. Ok, maybe the fluid-filled control arm bushings, too. Alright, both rooms should be hanging their heads.

Originally Posted by Biasvoltage

I hope there is a room full of engineers at BMW who read this and hang their heads in shame. This DISA valve, EAC's headlight adjusters, EMP Stewart's water pump and of course Beisan's VANOS seals are all things done the RIGHT WAY. Not done to a price, and not designed to fail right after the warranty expires. It's both sad and fantastic that BMW's customers produce better engineering than BMW.

There's nothing wrong with the OEM BMW water pumps.
They had some issues aeons ago. The composite impeller used nowadays is made out of a different material and outlasts the bearing.
Friendly 0.02

But you should throw in the cooling system, sketchy PS hoses, wrong CCV design, wrong rubber material for pretty much everything under the hood to glazing, cupholders, trunk loom design, wrong oil filter housing design (which warps and produces vibrations noises and if you have the mechanical tensioner which is hold in place by 2 bolts will exacerbate the issue and you have to change it to the hydraulic tensioner which uses the 3d bolt and mitigates the problem) to name a few. Nonetheless beautiful car to drive.

Well, as a strictly used-BMW buyer, this causes me great aggravation. But at the same time I can appreciate BMW's business model.
It's their job to create throngs of enthusiastic and loyal new car buyers that get a new lease vehicle every 4 yrs, not to create a stable community of long-time used-BMW drivers.

Some progress


Revision 3 of cam lever and flapper valve. Actual machined parts!

Note the reinforcement webbing on the flapper valve; probably not necessary since 6061-T6 aluminum is approx twice as strong as 30% glass filled nylon, but not taking any chances.

All machining is performed with radiused or ball nose cutters, the really small ones had to be special ordered. Unlike square end cutters, radius cutters don't leave any sharp inside corners that could some day lead to stress cracks.

Flapper valve is bead blasted after machining which is not just for looks. It also stress relieves and closes the pores of the aluminum.

Both parts still need to be anodized which will add a very hard wear resistant finish.



Shot of the flapper valve in the housing - perfect fit!



Shot of the cam lever end.

That is freakin' awesome!!!

Absolutely fantastic work.

Now this is "high speed" to quote Gumbi.

Nice work.

Eons into the future, some archeologist is going to dig up a crushed/fused pile of aluminum and plastic, with this odd piece of what looks like machined metal perfectly preserved!!

That's a really nice piece of work there, can't wait until I can put an order for one in! I can hear my DISA rattling, checked again last night. Man, almost a shame to hide nice machining like this in a goofy black box, there should be a little window to show it off.

I'm totally impressed! The maching looks excellent (I never use the word awesome as it has lost its value recently). What really gets my attention is the thoroughness of your work. E.G.- Adding webbing for extra strength, blasting/shot peening to relieve stress and to close pores in the material, and anodizing (I guess it serves the same purpose as "hard chroming") to ensure a durable surface demonstrates that you are truly a professional. Congratulations. When do we order?!!!!
P.S. Ever thought of working/consulting for BMW?

What you do on a Friday night if you have no life.


Since I'm anodizing them anyway, why not make them a nice shade of BMW black?






She looks real pretty in black, don't you think?



Small detailed parts need custom detailed fixturing to hold them during machining.








This has been a much bigger time investment than I had originally hoped. When you are going to make one of something, production efficiency isn't a really big deal, but when you hope to make lots of something, and sell them at a reasonable price, it's a very big deal. Every cut, every tool change, total number of tools used, size of cutters used, difficulty in fixturing, etc, etc, all have to be optimized. The cam lever piece was no problem, but the flapper valve is a different story. There is a lot of fine detail on that piece, some of which needs to be cut using 3D surfacing tool paths which take MUCH longer than normal 2D tool paths. I'm very happy with the finished product. I was able to eventually end up with reasonable machining times without cutting quality anywhere. I'm a very, very picky person, so for me to say that I'm happy with the finished product says something. Let's just hope everyone on the planet (even if they don't have a BMW) will want one of these.

Originally Posted by BikesStillRule

I'm a very, very picky person, so for me to say that I'm happy with the finished product says something. Let's just hope everyone on the planet (even if they don't have a BMW) will want one of these.

Well, I do want one - even if I have a BMW. You have Paypal?

Great work....looking forward to the field test results. I feel confident that you will be able to solve any unforseen issues that may arise with the new assembly, as long as you stick to it with this level of determination and diligence.

F.... chinese parts on ebay. You won't see any knock-off replacement parts with this attention to detail and craftsmanship!

With the diverse skill set available within the BMW community we should be able to reverse or re-engineer and solve many of the chronic problems that plague our beloved bimmers.

I wish you were the one who made my super duper space-age cup holder I bought out of CA last year. A $160 disaster!!!!!!!

BikesStillRule This is an awesome design!
This past weekend I finished replacing the CVV in my wife's 2004 X3 2.5i. What a job! I left a few screws and some knuckleskin in the process. The design of this is a joke! Makes me miss my Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with the $2.50 PCV valve.
BTW, I also removed the DISA valve to get a good look at it while I was in there and it is shot. I, like others that have posted, am very interested in your fix. From posts above, sounds like late Feb before we can get them. Thank you for your innovations and ideas, please keep them coming.

Originally Posted by BikesStillRule

I don't want to speak too soon but..... we have had several design reviews about the CCV issue, so look for some re-design ideas coming in the next month. Current direction is an easily serviceable unit that requires minimal amount of labor. Problem is all of this stuff is keeping me from progressing on my M54 engine build.

What are some design examples for the CCV...?

Thanks!
Jason

Well, I do want one - even if I have a BMW. You have Paypal?

Yes, no problem.

From posts above, sounds like late Feb before we can get them.

I'll have 4 complete kits ready to ship by mid week. These will be with a stainless steel pivot screw instead of titanium, for those how don't want to wait until mid to late Feb for the titanium ones to be ready.

What are some design examples for the CCV...?

I don't want to get into specifics in this thread about the design and why we chose it. I will start another thread once I get this DISA thing wrapped up. The basic idea though will be a very accessible system that can be easily cleaned out as part of routine maintenance. Total time required to service the system should be about 15 minutes and zero cost. The interval will depend on the age of the vehicle, weather conditions and driving style. A low mileage car, driven mostly on the highway in warm climates may be able to go 3-5 years between cleanings. A high mileage car, driven mostly short distances in a cold climate may require cleaning at every oil change. Unlike the stock unit, replacement parts will also be available if it ever becomes necessary to replace something such as the vacuum diaphragm. I hope to start preliminary CAD modeling in a couple of weeks. I'm pretty excited about concept and I think people will be pleased when they see the CAD models of the design.

Originally Posted by BikesStillRule

Yes, no problem.


I'll have 4 complete kits ready to ship by mid week. These will be with a stainless steel pivot screw instead of titanium, for those how don't want to wait until mid to late Feb for the titanium ones to be ready.


I don't want to get into specifics in this thread about the design and why we chose it. I will start another thread once I get this DISA thing wrapped up. The basic idea though will be a very accessible system that can be easily cleaned out as part of routine maintenance. Total time required to service the system should be about 15 minutes and zero cost. The interval will depend on the age of the vehicle, weather conditions and driving style. A low mileage car, driven mostly on the highway in warm climates may be able to go 3-5 years between cleanings. A high mileage car, driven mostly short distances in a cold climate may require cleaning at every oil change. Unlike the stock unit, replacement parts will also be available if it ever becomes necessary to replace something such as the vacuum diaphragm. I hope to start preliminary CAD modeling in a couple of weeks. I'm pretty excited about concept and I think people will be pleased when they see the CAD models of the design.

I am very excited about getting this going (CCV real replacement)...!
Also curious on what you plan to do to the oil dipstick tube, and drainage...

I am also interested in your Disa valve fix/solution...
Are you selling these Disa kits yet, or are you waiting for tests first...?

Thank you!
Jason

Originally Posted by BikesStillRule

I don't want to get into specifics in this thread about the design and why we chose it. I will start another thread once I get this DISA thing wrapped up. The basic idea though will be a very accessible system that can be easily cleaned out as part of routine maintenance. Total time required to service the system should be about 15 minutes and zero cost. The interval will depend on the age of the vehicle, weather conditions and driving style. A low mileage car, driven mostly on the highway in warm climates may be able to go 3-5 years between cleanings. A high mileage car, driven mostly short distances in a cold climate may require cleaning at every oil change. Unlike the stock unit, replacement parts will also be available if it ever becomes necessary to replace something such as the vacuum diaphragm. I hope to start preliminary CAD modeling in a couple of weeks. I'm pretty excited about concept and I think people will be pleased when they see the CAD models of the design.

You get Kudos from me. The level of engineering detail on the DISA looks excellent from the photos. Looking forward to the CCV solution you come up with. I'm sure I speak for many stating... THANKS, I can only guess how much effort and time you are putting into this.

Sorry if I missed it somewhere above, but can you list the BMW models this will cover (at least the 5 series)?

Thanks,

Eric

Originally Posted by ericono

Sorry if I missed it somewhere above, but can you list the BMW models this will cover (at least the 5 series)?

Thanks,

Eric

It's the DISA p/n 11617544805. If you look that p/n on realoem, it will show you the models it covers. Here:
Part Cross-reference

RealOEM.com Home
Part 11617544805 (Adjuster unit) was found on the following vehicles:
E39: Details on E39
E39 530i Saloon, Europe
E39 530i Touring, Europe

E46: Details on E46
E46 330Ci Convertible, Europe
E46 330Ci Coupé, Europe
E46 330i Saloon, Europe
E46 330i Touring, Europe
E46 330xi Saloon, Europe
E46 330xi Touring, Europe

E53: Details on E53
E53 X5 3.0i SUV, Europe

E60: Details on E60
E60 530i Saloon, Europe

E65: Details on E65
E65 730i Saloon, Europe

E66: Details on E66
E66 730Li Saloon, Europe

E83: Details on E83
E83 X3 3.0i SUV, Europe

E85: Details on E85
E85 Z4 3.0i Roadster, Europe

Z3: Details on Z3
Z3 Z3 3.0i Coupé, Europe
Z3 Z3 3.0i Roadster, Europe

Nuts, I was all set to get one of the first pieces, but in all the excitement, I skimmed over the fact that this is for the M54, not the M52TU I have...

It's the DISA p/n 11617544805.

Thanks doru for posting that application list, I need to give you a commision.

It also fits p/n 11617502275 which is superceded by the above number. The p/n's are stamped on the housing but the unit needs to be removed to read the number.

As soon as I can I will get my hands on the version for the 2.5L models and the M52tu models. Maybe we will get lucky and the internals will be the same. If not I will definitely make a version for the 2.5L and possibly the M52tu.

Does anyone have an old unit in their possession that would be willing to send it to me, it would save me $275.00 ea.

+1 on the M52TU. Unfortunately I don't have one to send you. Just the one in the car, and my wife would not be a happy camper if I took that out for an extended period!