DIY: S65 Throttle Actuator

da jemster wrote

I have all the symptoms at 89K miles. So I started with Bank 2 and as I pried it open, a piece fell out. I've circled it in red in the pic. It looks like a gasket/washer but it feels like it broke off some plastic piece because of it's rough edges. Any idea where it goes?

BTW, thanks to JonM, pbonsalb, drummer20 and pshoey for your responses.

Yeah that comes out of all of them. I believe it is an o ring/gadget that goes on the centering pin? I really don't remember but I remember thinking there was only one area it could have gone and I just put it back there. Sorry I can't be more specific. Maybe someone else will chime in.

da jemster wrote

I have all the symptoms at 89K miles. So I started with Bank 2 and as I pried it open, a piece fell out. I've circled it in red in the pic. It looks like a gasket/washer but it feels like it broke off some plastic piece because of it's rough edges. Any idea where it goes?

I think that is the "nubbin" that is heat-stalked in place on the locating pin. You have to cut/break it to open the actuator casing. Normal. Good of you to find it and not let it get lost inside the casing on reassembly. You don't need it, you can pitch it. If anyone inspects your actuators they will know they have been opened before.

It was bugging me not knowing...like discovering an extra bolt/nut after buttoning up everything. Jon's right.

da jemster wrote

It was bugging me not knowing...like discovering an extra bolt/nut after buttoning up everything. Jon's right.

Yep, that is it. Technical term I am giving the part is "nubbin".

so i got the code 2b16... replaced the gears in actuator bank 2, but still no go. Actuator doesnt even move the arm when ignition is switched on as opposed to bank 1 which works fine. I am assuming its not the gears, but the actual electronics on the actuator. any help ? or anything else i can look at before i buy a new actuator

thanks in advance

jattxxxsaab wrote

so i got the code 2b16... replaced the gears in actuator bank 2, but still no go. Actuator doesnt even move the arm when ignition is switched on as opposed to bank 1 which works fine. I am assuming its not the gears, but the actual electronics on the actuator. any help ? or anything else i can look at before i buy a new actuator

thanks in advance

I had spoken with Andrew Lang (I believe he was the first one to tinker with the wheels), later with Turner and BW both. From what I gathered, changing the actuator is the solution (unfortunately). Per Turner, they would keep it as spares (consumables) when they raced the S65. I replaced one of the actuators (Bank 1) and I guess its only a question of time....

Lutfy

ok so i bought a used actuator and replaced it. my actuator is working and the light for the actuator is gone, but now i am getting a different light and idle and drive is really rough now. and i am still getting check engine light with reduced power. do i need to do anything ? or maybe somebody can direct me to a solution

thanks

errors i am getting
275A,4,Unknown
2796,2,Throttle: adaptation values incorrect
2B57,2,Unknown

jattxxxsaab wrote

ok so i bought a used actuator and replaced it. my actuator is working and the light for the actuator is gone, but now i am getting a different light and idle and drive is really rough now. and i am still getting check engine light with reduced power. do i need to do anything ? or maybe somebody can direct me to a solution

thanks

errors i am getting
275A,4,Unknown
2796,2,Throttle: adaptation values incorrect
2B57,2,Unknown

I got those same codes when my TA failed. Probably just need a new one, vs a used one.

I finally finished the replacing the gears preventatively and put the car back together this weekend. It ended up being quite an ordeal replacing the gears cuz I am not as mechanically inclined as I hoped. I broke a gear, broke a shaft, nicked a shaft with a grinder on the bearing surface, bent an output arm, and stretched out the output arm's shaft hole even. My dad finally came through, fixed the output arm to my amazement and got me over the finish line. But hopefully these rebuilt actuators will last a long time with the new gears. I put about 30-50 miles on the rebuilt ones this weekend and the throttle response is smoother than ever. Once actuator has odometer gears in it and it feels very smooth to move the arm. The other has the i6 automotive gears from the UK with the brass and delrin center gear because they come with a shaft too and I had broken my shaft haha (phrasing)... but watch out those i6 center gears have screws and mine were loose, I loctited those suckers in there to be safe. I will report back one day and we'll see which set of gears dies first heh.
Also they say you don't need to lube the odometer gears but I sprayed some 3M silicone wet lube on both sets of gears...I just couldn't assemble them completely dry and that 3M stuff is good for high temp and low rpm stuff I hear.

Also in some cases, the boards have been salvaged by replacing a FET or and other parts. I know of at least one guy who blew the FET twice before fixing the gears and a month later, after fixing the FET and gears, he was running with no issues. However, your car might be out of commission for a while if you don't have a lot of time to keep trying cheap fixes or if you break things like me haha

drummer20 wrote

I finally finished the replacing the gears preventatively and put the car back together this weekend. It ended up being quite an ordeal replacing the gears cuz I am not as mechanically inclined as I hoped. I broke a gear, broke a shaft, nicked a shaft with a grinder on the bearing surface, bent an output arm, and stretched out the output arm's shaft hole even. My dad finally came through, fixed the output arm to my amazement and got me over the finish line. But hopefully these rebuilt actuators will last a long time with the new gears. I put about 30-50 miles on the rebuilt ones this weekend and the throttle response is smoother than ever. Once actuator has odometer gears in it and it feels very smooth to move the arm. The other has the i6 automotive gears from the UK with the brass and delrin center gear because they come with a shaft too and I had broken my shaft haha (phrasing)... but watch out those i6 center gears have screws and mine were loose, I loctited those suckers in there to be safe. I will report back one day and we'll see which set of gears dies first heh.
Also they say you don't need to lube the odometer gears but I sprayed some 3M silicone wet lube on both sets of gears...I just couldn't assemble them completely dry and that 3M stuff is good for high temp and low rpm stuff I hear.

Also in some cases, the boards have been salvaged by replacing a FET or and other parts. I know of at least one guy who blew the FET twice before fixing the gears and a month later, after fixing the FET and gears, he was running with no issues. However, your car might be out of commission for a while if you don't have a lot of time to keep trying cheap fixes or if you break things like me haha

seems like lots of work if nothing was wrong in the first place

kb9uwu wrote

seems like lots of work if nothing was wrong in the first place

It ended up being a lot of work but I wouldn't say there wasn't a problem. The gears I replaced were in terrible shape, very worn down and sharpened just like all the pictures on here where people's have failed...there wasn't a code from the computer yet but I bet there would be within 6 months time. I think I just averted overheating the circuit board to failure and might have "renewed" my actuators for another 40k miles.

There's another benefit that I am noticing that I hadn't even been thinking about as well. All along, I was just concerned with saving the cost of new actuators. So the side benefit is the throttle response seems way smoother now. I have the 6MT and the gas pedal always made the car feel a little jerky or even just blipping the throttle in my opinion ever since I got it 2.5 years ago. I thought maybe I was just sloppy with the clutch or the subtleties of a light flywheel but now I know the throttle gears and probably the squeaky, sticking linkages were part of the problem. Last couple days, I'll be driving and I noticed that I have been conditioned to expect the car to lurch a little depending on the situation and it doesn't happen now. I would even go as far to say that if you are experiencing jerkiness in your throttle/clutch negotiations that seems excessive, it may be an indication that your actuator gears are on their last legs.

I used the instructions today to replace my bank 1 actuator with a new one and they were great. I never would have guessed that the actuator would fit around that wiring harness even with the connectors disconnected. Thanks to the OP!

One day I will open the broken one to check it out.

WayneM3 wrote  

I used the instructions today to replace my bank 1 actuator with a new one and they were great. I never would have guessed that the actuator would fit around that wiring harness even with the connectors disconnected. Thanks to the OP!

One day I will open the broken one to check it out.

Yeah ///W is a champion for doing this for all of us.

Thought I might as well chime in since im having the same issues as everyone else. I have a 08 M3 E93 that has about 62K miles on it. I only get the codes when i start the car and it goes into limp mode. This happens completely randomly and of course like everyone else can be "reset" by turning off the ignition and back on again a random amount of times.

I got the following error codes:
1. 2737 Filling plausibility, bank 1
2. 2B22 Throttle valve actuator pre-drive check, bank 2
3. 2B21 Throttle valve actuator pre-drive check, bank 1
4. 2B59 Coolant thermostat, monitoring
5. 2B2D Throttle valves initialisation, bank 2


I ordered the gears and had my mechanic replace as instructed from odometer gears (great guys btw) cost: $225

Few weeks went by and I still have the same F'in problem so im guessing its the electronics this time. I think ill just suck it up and buy the TA from Gil

I havent contacted the dealer yet but I'd say it would be a waste of time anyway since i have a 08.

Any advice from anyone in regards to the codes? I'm just glad i only get them when i start the car and not driving down the road

Well if you already took care of the mechanical stuff with the gears, you could try replacing some of the ICs on the circuit board. You'll have to do some soldering though. There is a throttle actuator rebuild company in the UK that claims that replacing all the fets and a few other components fixes the circuit board in 80-90% of cases.

celtic23 wrote  

Thought I might as well chime in since im having the same issues as everyone else. I have a 08 M3 E93 that has about 62K miles on it. I only get the codes when i start the car and it goes into limp mode. This happens completely randomly and of course like everyone else can be "reset" by turning off the ignition and back on again a random amount of times.

I got the following error codes:
1. 2737 Filling plausibility, bank 1
2. 2B22 Throttle valve actuator pre-drive check, bank 2
3. 2B21 Throttle valve actuator pre-drive check, bank 1
4. 2B59 Coolant thermostat, monitoring
5. 2B2D Throttle valves initialisation, bank 2


I ordered the gears and had my mechanic replace as instructed from odometer gears (great guys btw) cost: $225

Few weeks went by and I still have the same F'in problem so im guessing its the electronics this time. I think ill just suck it up and buy the TA from Gil

I havent contacted the dealer yet but I'd say it would be a waste of time anyway since i have a 08.

Good luck with the dealer. I tried that when mine went bad at 39,000 miles right after I bought it. And they said it's only good for 7 years, so the 08's are sol even with well below the 70,000 mile cutoff. It really pisses me off that they don't good will it with such low miles and especially given that it's a friggin' manufacturing/design flaw!!!! Who puts plastic, non lubricating, unlike material gears inside a steel housing in the middle of the effing V!!!!!!

Yeah its frustrating for sure that they have a KNOWN problem with a significant number of them and dont do anything at all if your out of warranty. My local dealership are an embarassment unless your buying a car then they roll out the red carpet. I am just going to order one from the internet and have my mechanic replace it. Thanks for all the info guys. sucks that everyone is having these issues.

celtic23 wrote  

Yeah its frustrating for sure that they have a KNOWN problem with a significant number of them and dont do anything at all if your out of warranty. My local dealership are an embarassment unless your buying a car then they roll out the red carpet. I am just going to order one from the internet and have my mechanic replace it. Thanks for all the info guys. sucks that everyone is having these issues.

The best I could do on the price was from Bmw Minnetonka. I checked like 4-5 different sources. It was $875 shipped when I got it a few months ago and the prices change every month. I deal with kelsea Stigen there. She's really nice.

Thought maybe someone could give me some advise. I've read through the entire thread and seems I have a decision to make. Gears or whole new TA.

2009 M3 with 148000 miles.... My car fires up no problem and drives no problem, until I give it heavy throttle. Then it will go into limp Mode. If I turn the car off and back on, it goes away every time.

The car was a 1 owner before me and always serviced at the BMW place, but I can't access the records, past 50K miles. I can see a ton of visits to the dealership on car fax, but no details. It just about HAS to have had these replaced before, just not sure how long ago.

My thought is since it doesn't initially turn on in limp mode, and only goes into limp mode under heavy throttle that it might be a good candidate for the gear replacement? Have I caulght it soon enough?



It's throwing the P154e Code which is hard to find, though google, but when I took it in the BMW place said the TA bank one needed replacing.

malibu73@gmail.com wrote

Thought maybe someone could give me some advise. I've read through the entire thread and seems I have a decision to make. Gears or whole new TA.

2009 M3 with 148000 miles.... My car fires up no problem and drives no problem, until I give it heavy throttle. Then it will go into limp Mode. If I turn the car off and back on, it goes away every time.

The car was a 1 owner before me and always serviced at the BMW place, but I can't access the records, past 50K miles. I can see a ton of visits to the dealership on car fax, but no details. It just about HAS to have had these replaced before, just not sure how long ago.

My thought is since it doesn't initially turn on in limp mode, and only goes into limp mode under heavy throttle that it might be a good candidate for the gear replacement? Have I caulght it soon enough?



It's throwing the P154e Code which is hard to find, though google, but when I took it in the BMW place said the TA bank one needed replacing.

Check here

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=928325

EJT86 wrote

Check here

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=928325

Sorry, I guess I should have been a little more specific on the code. I've only found it in two places online. One where you just referenced and then another thread someone started that ended with them just taking it in under warranty.

I'm fairly confident its a code related to the Throttle Actuator at this point, Both google search and BMW dealer confirmed. From what I've read it will through all kinds of different codes, just haven't seen this one discussed much.

My main question for people who have changed gears do you think I have caught it soon enough?