[gT-BMW]

Sup e90 got that 2aac code for a couple of months now so i decided to address this issue by pulling the intake manifold off and found both of my disas valves are shot. So i looked into replacement and found fcp euro selling both as a kit for $600. This is the best but most expensive option.Theres no way im paying for that junk piece of plastics that cost more than oem clutch kit. Unbeliveable.

So i decided to try out jdm speed. This is the cheapest option. It comes with a 2 yr warranty. The outer disa comes with a metal shaft. The smaller one does not. They both Seems to be identical except that the markings on the aftermarket disas are scratched off. Both disa wires snapped into place. Ive read that was an issue but it wasnt for me.

There are some differences most notable, these aftermarket valves when tested in inpa they open the opposite way. If u test it closed, it opens. Also the smaller disa motor is quite loud.

So are these going to work? I dont know!! But ill keep this updated!! For now here are some pics!

[yupetc]

If it's got metal shaft with plastic flap, you will still have a risk of the flap snap in half where the shaft cylinder portion is. It's actually the weakest parts of the flap. I've bought an aftermarket DISA unit only to find half a year later that the flap snapped into two halves, each fallen into cylinder 3 and 4's runners. Was lucky nothing else smaller fell into the chamber or to obstruct the intake valves. Also on my aftermarket unit, the shaft metal half way down, and plastic again to the end. It's the most irresponsible and dumbest design ever. Whoever rebuilt this really need to be kicked in the nuts.

If the OEM motor unit still works great, you should look into buying the full aluminum flap and still metal shaft kit to build your own DISA. That's what I ended up doing. Got all my low end torque and good gas mileage back immediately after the fix.

[gT-BMW]

Originally Posted by yupetc

If it's got metal shaft with plastic flap, you will still have a risk of the flap snap in half where the shaft cylinder portion is. It's actually the weakest parts of the flap. I've bought an aftermarket DISA unit only to find half a year later that the flap snapped into two halves, each fallen into cylinder 3 and 4's runners. Was lucky nothing else smaller fell into the chamber or to obstruct the intake valves. Also on my aftermarket unit, the shaft metal half way down, and plastic again to the end. It's the most irresponsible and dumbest design ever. Whoever rebuilt this really need to be kicked in the nuts.

yikes! unfortunately when one goes this cheap route, we sign up for try at your own risk. I felt like rolling the dice because i diy everything on my car. I got creative with the pcv hose so i can have my intake out in less than 40 mins.


[/QUOTE]If the OEM motor unit still works great, you should look into buying the full aluminum flap and still metal shaft kit to build your own DISA. That's what I ended up doing. Got all my low end torque and good gas mileage back immediately after the fix.[/QUOTE]

I would love to do this. Do you have a link?




So heres an update. got everything install yesterday adaptions reset started driving it around. Even though the valves open/close opposite way in inpa it doesnt feel to be a problem.

Throttle response has sharpened up. Got a nice smooth strong pull all the way to redline 6500rpm i think i falls off. there used to be a dip at 3-4k rpm, thats gone. also the engine sound changed. before it had a nice hummm. now it growls when i accelerate . Its driving like it once did when i first did this 3 stage swap 2 years ago that made me not want to sell it

Since both my valves failed ive been driving it for awhile like that so i notices these small differences. So the only thing left now is how long will it last and testing jdm speed customer service.

[yupetc]

Same thing with me. After I replaced the DISA with that aluminum repair kit and put everything back in, it drives like a dream. I can't believe I've tolerated driving with broken DISA flaps with that loss of low end torque for that long. The 3-stage intake is really worth doing if you take care of the flap part.

[b1aze]

I also just bought a set of these and I will be contributing to this thread with any comments/issues I have. I’ve broken down 3 OEM disa units myself with no success in salvaging them so I’m hopeful this will be a good option for my 3SI swap!

[gT-BMW]

Originally Posted by b1aze

I also just bought a set of these and I will be contributing to this thread with any comments/issues I have. I’ve broken down 3 OEM disa units myself with no success in salvaging them so I’m hopeful this will be a good option for my 3SI swap!

So far they seem to be working properly. the only issue it seems is that they go bad fast so the challenge would be to catch the failure before it happens. this is what i will be updating in this thread as time goes by.


Couple years ago i trapped 97-98mph in the 1/4m track with the oem disas. at 11/19 i trapped 95mph with the broken disas so ill be going to the track again shortly to see if i can trap 97-98mph again. also have a new clutch so i can launch my car higher. technically at 97-98mph with a 60ft at 1.7 or less it should do a 14.0-13.9. thats what ill be shooting for if these disas actually work.

[Silnismo]

Interested, please keep us posted

[b1aze]

Well, that kinda sucks...

This valve works opposite of what it should! See the attached comment of proper function and the linked video showing OPPOSITE function.

https://vimeo.com/388099239

I’m assuming the smaller one will do the same thing.. it’s due to arrive tomorrow.

I agree that it looks to be an OEM Mahle part with the numbers scratched off. I wonder if they were OEM rejects that someone bought to resell....

[gT-BMW]

damn that really sucks. i was hoping that after adaption reset it would fix that. I was also suspicious about this power increase that im thinking its all in my head which is why i want to get some data on these at the track. based on the video now im expecting my car to trap the same as it was when disas was broken. If it does then we know these are junk real soon!

[lowrydr310]

I just picked up two intakes from two different cars (both the same - 2006 330i) and revoved the DISA valves to test. I connected to the capped connectors on my car's intake (2006 325i) and used INPA to trigger them. It's really straightforward. One set worked fine for the most part; the large valve would open and close when commanded, I did this about 20 times to test operation and it was smooth and sealed completely. The smaller one worked most of the time, but there was one instance where it didn't close all the way. I commanded it to open and it opened, and then commanded to close again and it closed. It was that 1 out of about 20 times it failed to completely close. Does this mean it's bad?

From the second manifold I have, I removed both valves and they're busted. The flap on the large one is wobbling badly at the base of the shaft, and the flap on the smaller has about 30 degrees of rotational free play.. not good.

[b1aze]

Further confirmation -
I got my OEM valves from FCP (1 day ground delivery what?!) and the OEM Mahle valves actuate properly.

The JDMSpeed ones are faulty for sure.

I’ll be installing the intake, doing an OFHG and flashing the 130i software on Sunday.

[nsjames]

well that's disappointing.

[gT-BMW]

sup yall just want to end this thread by concluding that yes these are JUNK!!! now i know why fcp euro is charging $600+ cause this is the only way to go lol



So i was on my way home from getting parts to show how to reverse the polarity the easy way but on the way home i noticed a loss of power. so when i get home i test the disas, i hear them moving but still wasnt convinced that it was working. so pulled out the outer disa the one with the metal shaft and saw the motor was working but the flap wasnt moving. so yea these are going back to jdm speed.

OEM IS THE ONLY WAY

[The Nightman]

Thanks for sharing. It's a shame there are no viable alternatives to OE valves

[tlow98]

Ah, well, damn. Thanks for the leg work, guys.

[tlow98]

Anyone tried these Vaico units?

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-assemble...AaAj13EALw_wcB

More reasonable than 6 bills, and have a reputable name behind them.

[Skoidat69]

I bought used Disa valves and rebuild kits.. I jacked my small up taking it apart. So I ordered another and it came today and it was practically new so I sort of felt bad busting it up to rebuild

[b1aze]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Anyone tried these Vaico units?

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-assemble...AaAj13EALw_wcB

More reasonable than 6 bills, and have a reputable name behind them.

In my opinion, if you do the "cost-benefit" analysis on an OEM set of valves from FCP, they pay for themselves within 2-3 years if you just replaced them as a maintenance thing instead of waiting for them to fail.

The Vaico units need to have a longer if not double use-life to make it worth using them over OEM.

Again, just my opinion.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by b1aze

In my opinion, if you do the "cost-benefit" analysis on an OEM set of valves from FCP, they pay for themselves within 2-3 years if you just replaced them as a maintenance thing instead of waiting for them to fail.

The Vaico units need to have a longer if not double use-life to make it worth using them over OEM.

Again, just my opinion.

Great way to think about it. I agree.

[AoS810]

What mileage and year are you guys at where your Disa valves are failing?

I recall reading on here that there was a revision to the Disa valves that were much more durable than earlier versions.. anyone know when this revision occurred? I have a February 2008 build date E90 N51 w/ 157K miles on the original Disas.

[The Nightman]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Anyone tried these Vaico units?

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-assemble...AaAj13EALw_wcB

More reasonable than 6 bills, and have a reputable name behind them.

Vaico units are also prone to early failure:

4k miles: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1641468
3k miles: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...5&postcount=41
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showp...22&postcount=6
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show...1#post23478021

[The Nightman]

Originally Posted by AoS810

What mileage and year are you guys at where your Disa valves are failing?

I recall reading on here that there was a revision to the Disa valves that were much more durable than earlier versions.. anyone know when this revision occurred? I have a February 2008 build date E90 N51 w/ 157K miles on the original Disas.

2007ish? The latest revisions have metal shafts, but can still have motor failures due to oil ingress:


https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...6#post25634056

Originally Posted by johnmyster

I harvested 80+ junkyard manifolds over the past 2.5 years. I finally stopped, as it has become rare to get good factory valves.

Circa 2007 the valves hit their latest revision, with metal shaft. The large part number ends in 114. The small is 538. Those three digits are stamped on the shell, on the edge opposite the connector IIRC. These later valves mostly fail due to oil getting past the seal and gumming up the motor. It slows down the motor and then they fail to fully open/close. Sometimes you'll find a good large valve, but for some reason the small fails first. It actuates at lower RPM, so maybe it's based number of cycles, or perhaps it gets greater oil exposure due to position. If you can find a later model one with low miles, you might be good. The year of manufacture is the first two numbers etched on the front of the valve. (IE, 2011 is 11.) For instance, there's a set of 2011 valves on ebay for $275.

Prior, there were two model numbers for large valves (537 and 929) and one for small (928). These valves primarily fail due to shaft/flap deterioration. I don't recommend them. These are the ones you see shaft/flap/seal rebuilds for. IMO, not worth the effort. Once the shaft gets loose, oil is also getting into the motor.

I tried some of the $80 ebay china valves. They worked, but with a different noise (and slower) than good BMW valves. The problem was that the connector didn't fully seat, so the locking tab didn't engage. I couldn't sell that to my customers. You might not mind the connector, in which case you may get some miles from them. The price sure is right.

Supposedly the Vaico is a better aftermarket alternative. I have no experience.

FCP Euro OEM is really the only dependable option, but you pay.

Both valves can be changed without pulling the manifold down the road if you have one give up. The small one is more of a pain, as you need to pull the throttle body (to get to the screws) and the alternator (to get it out.)