Idle issue with 550 kit

Hi,

Anyone with an ESS kit run into this issue? I’ve got a 2011 e90 with a 550 kit installed brand new last year. Got several thousand miles on it already. Right after the cold start, the idle would fluctuate, then go away once the car is warmed up. Plugs are under a year old. It's done this since day one. Any ideas? Thanks.

3M wrote

Hi,

Anyone with an ESS kit run into this issue? I’ve got a 2011 e90 with a 550 kit installed brand new last year. Got several thousand miles on it already. Right after the cold start, the idle would fluctuate, then go away once the car is warmed up. Plugs are under a year old. It's done this since day one. Any ideas? Thanks.

Possibly the breather valve. $85 part and takes under 45 minutes to install. There's a diy that has been commented on recently so it should be easy enough to find.

Do you see any fluctuations after filling up the tank?

I would start with the breather valve as Boof mentioned.

Also, the service interval is 7.5k to 10k for the spark plugs. Change them if they are more than that.

JsL wrote

Do you see any fluctuations after filling up the tank?

I would start with the breather valve as Boof mentioned.

Also, the service interval is 7.5k to 10k for the spark plugs. Change them if they are more than that.

I think that depends on how hard the car is driven. I drive my car fairly lightly, mostly highway cruising miles, and when I changed the plugs at 15k supercharged miles they looked almost brand new. I also made no additional power on the dyno after replacing them. So now I replace them every other year, roughly every 15-20k miles.

I agree with Boof, change the breather valve.

Seems like a very common issue that's frustrating..

I don't think its your SC kit. I have the exact problem with stock engine. I changed out the breather valve like people suggested but problem still arises..

RC Post wrote

Seems like a very common issue that's frustrating..

I don't think its your SC kit. I have the exact problem with stock engine. I changed out the breather valve like people suggested but problem still arises..

Next step would be your idle control valve in my opinion.

JsL wrote

Do you see any fluctuations after filling up the tank?

I would start with the breather valve as Boof mentioned.

Also, the service interval is 7.5k to 10k for the spark plugs. Change them if they are more than that.

No fluctuations after tank fill ups. It's only after cold starts. Thank you all for the info.

RC Post wrote

Seems like a very common issue that's frustrating..

I don't think its your SC kit. I have the exact problem with stock engine. I changed out the breather valve like people suggested but problem still arises..

Never had this problem when I was NA but we both seem to have the same issue where it only fluctuates after the cold start. I'll replace the BV either way and see what happens. Are you replacing your ICV?

I’ve got this issue too with my ESS 625 kit.

On a cold start the idle is very lumpy for a few minutes then settles down once the car is warm. Doesn’t do it in when I start the car from warm.

I’ve called it an issue rather than a problem because I suppose I can live with it. Once the car is warm the idle is smooth with no fluctuations. On the other hand if it’s a simple fix I’d like to fix it.

3M wrote

Never had this problem when I was NA but we both seem to have the same issue where it only fluctuates after the cold start. I'll replace the BV either way and see what happens. Are you replacing your ICV?

I don't plan to change it out anytime soon, you?.. I just don't want to change out a part that's not confirmed fault and waste time and money. Let's see how long I can live with it first I suppose.

It's completely normal thru out the day after warm up


Seems like a phenomenon for our cars from what I've been reading

FazerBoy wrote

I’ve got this issue too with my ESS 625 kit.

On a cold start the idle is very lumpy for a few minutes then settles down once the car is warm. Doesn’t do it in when I start the car from warm.

I’ve called it an issue rather than a problem because I suppose I can live with it. Once the car is warm the idle is smooth with no fluctuations. On the other hand if it’s a simple fix I’d like to fix it.

I'll let you know if replacing the BV fixes it. It'll be a couple of weeks before I can replace it since it'll take a week or so for the part to get here from the US.

RC Post wrote

I don't plan to change it out anytime soon, you?.. I just don't want to change out a part that's not confirmed fault and waste time and money. Let's see how long I can live with it first I suppose.

It's completely normal thru out the day after warm up


Seems like a phenomenon for our cars from what I've been reading

I'll hold off on the ICV if replacing the BV doesn't fix it. I'll keep dealing with it for now and use the $$ for RB.

I have the same exact problem and it happened exactly when ESS 625 was installed. I was never able to solve the problem. I have asked some tuners and said slight idle bouncing at cold start is nothing to worry about but to me that's a problem and can't find what is causing it.

FYI, I replaced BV with new one but it didn't help at all.

Same thing here. ESS 650 kit. Asked many people and no one could give a precise answer. Been living with it for the past 5k miles. It's annoying, but I've never had any problem.

OneSickM wrote

I have the same exact problem and it happened exactly when ESS 625 was installed. I was never able to solve the problem. I have asked some tuners and said slight idle bouncing at cold start is nothing to worry about but to me that's a problem and can't find what is causing it.

FYI, I replaced BV with new one but it didn't help at all.

Well shoot. I guess I'll hold off on the BV as well. Is there someone with an ESS kit that has cold-start delete?

3M wrote

OneSickM wrote

I have the same exact problem and it happened exactly when ESS 625 was installed. I was never able to solve the problem. I have asked some tuners and said slight idle bouncing at cold start is nothing to worry about but to me that's a problem and can't find what is causing it.

FYI, I replaced BV with new one but it didn't help at all.

Well shoot. I guess I'll hold off on the BV as well. Is there someone with an ESS kit that has cold-start delete?

Forgot to mention that I do have cold start delete

I had the same issue when I put my Gintani kit, if you have a weak Idle control valve the supercharger will push it overboard and cause it to exhibit issues.

Matheus wrote

Forgot to mention that I do have cold start delete

Thanks for the info. So at one point does yours fluctuate if you don't have the cold start? I asked ESS about the cold start delete but they advised against it.

WickedE93 wrote

I had the same issue when I put my Gintani kit, if you have a weak Idle control valve the supercharger will push it overboard and cause it to exhibit issues.

So did you replace your ICV and it fixed it?

3M wrote

So did you replace your ICV and it fixed it?

Yes sir!

3M wrote

Thanks for the info. So at one point does yours fluctuate if you don't have the cold start? I asked ESS about the cold start delete but they advised against it.

This is what mine looks like

It goes away after 2 minutes or when car is already warmed up. Only happens in cold start.

WickedE93 wrote

Yes sir!

That's good to know! Did you replace it yourself? Any tips? I found a DIY thread for it.

https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=842102