[warpwoof]

Hey guys, long-time lurker, but I made an account because I need a little help.

My 335i doesn't have the type of power down low that it should. It feels like turbo-lag and I thought it was a software issue. Today I got it checked out at a dealership, and they said they suspect it's carbon buildup on the intake valves.

They said they can clean it out using a process involving blasting walnut pieces/dust at it. Apparently this is not covered under warranty and will run about $700. I decided to research this before giving them the go-ahead.

I called a few other dealerships, one said they do this every now and then and use a liquid/chemical process that will run me about $350. Another was shocked and said of course it's covered under warranty. Another had no clue what I was talking about.

Has any run into this issue? Was it covered under factory warranty? If not, how much should I pay to get this fixed?

Any help greatly appreciated.

[ragingclue]

Welcome to DI.

Do a seafoam treatment. You can search for it in the Turbo subforum I believe.

[timmahh]

Lexus has a TSB out for their DI engines for this exact issue; something along the lines of DI being so precise and efficient that not everything burns out of the cylinder and causes carbon buildup.


Two steps forward one step back?

[BTM]

Originally Posted by timmahh

Lexus has a TSB out for their DI engines for this exact issue; something along the lines of DI being so precise and efficient that not everything burns out of the cylinder and causes carbon buildup.


Two steps forward one step back?

LOL

"nope, not a problem, that just means it's working too well"

[warpwoof]

Originally Posted by ragingclue

Welcome to DI.

Do a seafoam treatment. You can search for it in the Turbo subforum I believe.

Thanks for the tip. I had heard about that. It seemed more like a preventative measure...I'm wondering if it's too far gone at this point as it's approaching 50K miles.

[Transport3r]

I just did a seafoam treatment at 45000 miles.
A metric shitton of crap came out the exhaust and i would dare say i gained enough power that it was noticeable on the buttdyno.

Do it!

[WWONG]

Originally Posted by timmahh

Lexus has a TSB out for their DI engines for this exact issue; something along the lines of DI being so precise and efficient that not everything burns out of the cylinder and causes carbon buildup.


Two steps forward one step back?

The surprise isn't what Lexus said. The surprise is that Lexus even uses turbos. WHAT?

[CrimsonIvy35i]

Originally Posted by joshuo

I just did a seafoam treatment at 45000 miles.
A metric shitton of crap came out the exhaust and i would dare say i gained enough power that it was noticeable on the buttdyno.

Do it!

What do you mean it came out of the exhaust, can you elaborate on the procedure? What did you have done?

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by WWONG

The surprise isn't what Lexus said. The surprise is that Lexus even uses turbos. WHAT?

What?

[warpwoof]

Originally Posted by CrimsonIvy35i

What do you mean it came out of the exhaust, can you elaborate on the procedure? What did you have done?

It looks like this:

[Transport3r]

'Seafoam' is a solvent that you have sucked into the intake manifold through the DV vacuum line. This solvent will coat the inside your engine (including valves) and break down a significant amount of the carbon buildup on them. The carbon buildup then gets expelled out of the car through the exhaust system.

On a DI turbo engine, i'd say this wouldn't be a bad idea to do every 10K.
Make sure that shortly after you do this (<300miles) you change the oil, cause a tiny bit of it will get in your sump and it will lower the viscosity of the oil. My car actually prompted a change after driving about 25 miles the next day.

Originally Posted by CrimsonIvy35i

What do you mean it came out of the exhaust, can you elaborate on the procedure? What did you have done?

[CrimsonIvy35i]

Originally Posted by joshuo

'Seafoam' is a solvent that you have sucked into the intake manifold through the DV vacuum line. This solvent will coat the inside your engine (including valves) and break down a significant amount of the carbon buildup on them. The carbon buildup then gets expelled out of the car through the exhaust system.

On a DI turbo engine, i'd say this wouldn't be a bad idea to do every 10K.
Make sure that shortly after you do this (<300miles) you change the oil, cause a tiny bit of it will get in your sump and it will lower the viscosity of the oil. My car actually prompted a change after driving about 25 miles the next day.

So, in order to do this you need to have it taken to the dealership, or you can do it yourself?

[Transport3r]

the dealer will probably charge hundreds to do it, if they will at all.
If you're a bit mechanically inclined, and have an extra pair of feet at the pedals to keep the engine from stalling, you can do it in less than 1hour. The hardest part is getting the vacuum line off, but if you put a 2mm slit in the end of it, it'll pop right off.

Here's the original thread on how to do it:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...hlight=seafoam

[CrimsonIvy35i]

Originally Posted by joshuo

the dealer will probably charge hundreds to do it, if they will at all.
If you're a bit mechanically inclined, and have an extra pair of feet at the pedals to keep the engine from stalling, you can do it in less than 1hour. The hardest part is getting the vacuum line off, but if you put a 2mm slit in the end of it, it'll pop right off.

Here's the original thread on how to do it:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...hlight=seafoam

It looks difficult!! Other people were saying that meth is another optio, how would you use meth, or how do you add it?

[CrimsonIvy35i]

Wow, I wished an experienced person would Seafoam my car here in Massachusetts.

[Transport3r]

It looks intimidating at first, but it's not that bad actually. I actually took off the entire HVAC cowl, engine cover and air intake to get to the manifold nipple.

Meth is not unlike having a nitrous setup. It injects a water/methanol mixture into the engine. Its primary function is to make more power for a brief amount of time. As a side effect, the intake valves get hit with the mixture and this cleans them somewhat. However, meth will not clean the exhaust valves, and it's not something you'll benefit from if you're not already substantially modified.

hope that helps!

Originally Posted by CrimsonIvy35i

It looks difficult!! Other people were saying that meth is another optio, how would you use meth, or how do you add it?

[CrimsonIvy35i]

Originally Posted by joshuo

It looks intimidating at first, but it's not that bad actually. I actually took off the entire HVAC cowl, engine cover and air intake to get to the manifold nipple.

Meth is not unlike having a nitrous setup. It injects a water/methanol mixture into the engine. Its primary function is to make more power for a brief amount of time. As a side effect, the intake valves get hit with the mixture and this cleans them somewhat. However, meth will not clean the exhaust valves, and it's not something you'll benefit from if you're not already substantially modified.

hope that helps!

Well, I could take it to a bmw shop(non dealership) and let them know the procedures and maybe they'll automatically know how to do it. Either way, did you notice any difference in the car's performance? Thank's a lot for the info btw.

[blacknbean]

that 350$ process is just a 10$ can of seafoam. ive seafoamed my car like 3x in 10k and it gets better each time. better idle and smoother pickup. i first did it as 45k so i bet it was super grimey in there. my plan now is to do it every oil change.

[gun6slinger9]

Originally Posted by WWONG

The surprise isn't what Lexus said. The surprise is that Lexus even uses turbos. WHAT?

Direct injection does not have to be turbocharged...

[TheRedBaron]

Originally Posted by gun6slinger9

Direct injection does not have to be turbocharged...

Audi's FSI V8 in the RS4, S5, and R8.. for example.

[F32Fleet]

This is common for DI engines due to the lack of port injection which allows gasoline to wash over the valves (reason for all those adds regarding gasoline detergents).

Of course the type of motor oil used could make the problem worse.

[wrickem]

Go to the 3rd dealer who said "of course it's covered under warranty".