S65/S85 throttle actuators - electrical failure SOLVED

[highwaystardoritos]

bookmarking your site if/when I need your service <3

[New2Roundel]

Originally Posted by highwaystardoritos

bookmarking your site if/when I need your service <3

Same! This is a great service to the community.

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by abdul28

LOL! I won't say any names. I don't want to backbite. That's beside the point. On another note, I called 3 local dealerships in Michigan. The service dudes had guts to tell me that this job took 4.5 hours. And that it was a VERY difficult job to do. We all know, this job takes 1.5-2 hours max. I can do it in 45 minutes. I asked what they would charge me for parts and labor. A FAT BILL OF $2,070.00! I mean. Give me a damn break. This is worst than hwy robbery.

I thought I should give a local reputable "Euro Shop" a call and see what they say. This shop has 4.8 Google reviews. Hundreds of reviews! They quoted me $2,040.00! They also said it would take 4.5 hours. Whats worst is that the man told me he does at least 3 to 4 TA jobs a month. Man. I feel bad for those ///M owners.

I wonder if those are mostly aftermarket warranty cases allowing them to charge exorbitant prices...would explain why we can't get decently priced warranties. Such a scam.

[douglee25]

Did Abdul28's posts get removed from the site?

I don't see them but I see others quoting his posts?

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by douglee25

Did Abdul28's posts get removed from the site?

I don't see them but I see others quoting his posts?

Haha big brother swooped in.

[gazosnic]

Originally Posted by ksteckba

Haha big brother swooped in.

Probably for advertising w/o being a paid sponsor.

[pbonsalb]

He had not yet registered as a forum sponsor, so any posts that were considered offers to sell were deleted. Maybe he will register as a sponsor and pay the fee or maybe those who want rebuilt actuators will find him independently through his website. Not all sellers of useful BMW E9xM3 products pay the fee and become forum sponsors.

[douglee25]

Ah, 10-4.

Thanks for the update.

[jookydrinker]

So about 2 weeks ago, right after gassing up the car, I started the engine and the check engine light came on and the car immediate went into limp mode. I was near work at the time and limped the 20km's home. After arriving home, I turned off the car and turned it on again. Check engine light went off, and car was back to normal power. I scan the codes and the codes for both throttle actuator came up. I decided to order the actuator gears from Amazon and replace them.

I just finished the job, and these are my notes:

1. The old gears in the actuators weren't too worn. A few teeth were thinner than others. I still replaced them with new ones.
2. The power mosfets on the circuit board looked fine. None looked burnt.
3. I checked the resistance between the power and ground leads that come from the electric motor. They measured ~3.5 ohms. I wiggled them to see if the resistance would change...it did not for either actuator.
4. I cleaned and lubed (WD-40) the throttle body linkages that the actuators tug on.
5. I cleaned each throttle body (the dirty side) as best as I could...took forever!

After putting everything back together, I went for a test drive and no codes so far! I hope this is the last time I have to do this.

Oh, my mileage is 120,000 km.

[CJAGZ]

Originally Posted by Sean1933

I'm sure many of you are aware of, or experienced first hand, the common faults with the throttle actuators fitted to both of the above M3/M5 engines. I recently suffer this same failure and was determined not to path the stealers £800 each, especially when you really should be replacing both.

Many people are aware of the gear wearing issue and a couple of members have started to manufacture replacement gear sets which is awesome. However the secondary failure on quite a few actuators seems to be electrical, as many suspect, this being due to the backlash of the worn gears causing constant adjustment and overheating of the electrics. When this happens it seemed only a new replacement from BMW was the answer. Well I think I have cracked it.

My failure started when I was 60 miles from home so triggered I would try and get it home instead of waiting 3hrs for an AA low loader. Jerky throttle response followed by the eventual Christmas tree dashboard and error messages. The journey home was painful, but rather fun, as she hated cruising by WOT was fine . Having read the codes it registered P1628 being bank 1 throttle actuator. Once I was home, she was stuck permanently in limp mode and failed the pre-start actuator test. Following removal of both actuators I inspected and noted the gears were worn as many of us have come to find. Thinking this just meant I had to get the gears sorted I rotated the middle gear through 180degrees (less worn contact points) and refitted, hoping no codes would flag. No such luck, same code. I removed again and swapped the electrics over but left the main actuator bodies in their original positions - the only error then registered P161F being bank 2 throttle actuator, confirming the error had followed the board, not the gears. I removed both actuators for further inspection and found - you can see one of the MOSFET transistors is rather black:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ea8rpk62u...%2056.jpg?dl=0

I then removed the blown Fet using an iron and de-older braid:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/n0jfuq79kd...%2043.jpg?dl=0

Following lots of investigation I located a replacement source from the states, this is the part - each board has 5, so just I case the others were fried but I bought spares, 15 in total ( they cost £2 each inc postage):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tez8wix9xb...%2033.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1snj7mvju7...%2015.jpg?dl=0

And here is it fitted:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/49oac6syy0...%2001.jpg?dl=0

Following refitting, she started first time, no error code on pre-check Annandale no error when running for 10 mins ( with tests at various throttle positions). As a side note, these engines sound epic without the plenum fitted!!!

Plan now will be to get the gears changed for new ones, but all in all a massive result I feel. 2 new, 'improved actuators' for under half the price of 1 new one. RESULT.

Hey everyone! I first want to say hello to everyone and say that I am a proud of a 2008 e92 M3! I look forward to talking to all of you and and gaining knowledge through all the vets in this forum. I am wondering if anyone has had this problem or code pop up:

Owned the car for 9 months now but tucked her away for winter because where I live, the snow falls would destroy the car from our city not plowing our roads properly. I had the newer OEM battery on a trickle charger all winter and it was a beautiful spring day so I decided today’s the day! Hooked it up, sat inside and started up beautifully; just like I left her in fall. I decided to let it run enough for the vehicle to warm up and then I shut it down. Went inside to have lunch and decided to go back out for a ride.

I started the car and Got the check engine light saying reduced power(put me into limp mode),emissions increased, dsc disabled, tire pressure monitor disabled. I pull the code which was P161d (throttle valve adaptation failure spring test failed bank 2) I noticed this is very similar to the code in the initial post but had f at the end instead of my d. The code’s description says could be 1 of many things. mechanical problem, faulty throttle valve, throttle valve harness is open or shorted, throttle valve circuit poor electrical connection, OR faulty engine control module.

This is where it gets weird. I thought maybe by fluke the code came up because I put the battery into the car after a long winter so I reset the code while the car was on. I shut the car off and started it again. The dash was clear; no codes! I took her for a quick boot for about 30 minutes and it ran beautifully as if nothing happened. Full power and no issues. I came back home and decided to shut the car off and start it up again to see what would happen. Again, all the same message warnings come up with the check engine light. Car runs but in limp mode. I reset the code again, turned off the car and started it back up. All warning lights disappeared. It seems I can reset the code while in the accessory position or when the car is on but the messages won’t disappear until I cut power off to the car and start it again. If I try to clear the messages while I’m in accessory and then start right after, the warnings stay and the code won’t properly clear.

Can anyone let me know if they think this could be the electrical component of the bank 2 throttle actuator?? Was this a complete fluke? I know these are really common in failing and in my service history from the previous owner it looks like bank 1 was done under warranty but I’m scratching my head...

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

[jookydrinker]

Originally Posted by CJAGZ

Hey everyone! I first want to say hello to everyone and say that I am a proud of a 2008 e92 M3! I look forward to talking to all of you and and gaining knowledge through all the vets in this forum. I am wondering if anyone has had this problem or code pop up:

Owned the car for 9 months now but tucked her away for winter because where I live, the snow falls would destroy the car from our city not plowing our roads properly. I had the newer OEM battery on a trickle charger all winter and it was a beautiful spring day so I decided today’s the day! Hooked it up, sat inside and started up beautifully; just like I left her in fall. I decided to let it run enough for the vehicle to warm up and then I shut it down. Went inside to have lunch and decided to go back out for a ride.

I started the car and Got the check engine light saying reduced power(put me into limp mode),emissions increased, dsc disabled, tire pressure monitor disabled. I pull the code which was P161d (throttle valve adaptation failure spring test failed bank 2) I noticed this is very similar to the code in the initial post but had f at the end instead of my d. The code’s description says could be 1 of many things. mechanical problem, faulty throttle valve, throttle valve harness is open or shorted, throttle valve circuit poor electrical connection, OR faulty engine control module.

This is where it gets weird. I thought maybe by fluke the code came up because I put the battery into the car after a long winter so I reset the code while the car was on. I shut the car off and started it again. The dash was clear; no codes! I took her for a quick boot for about 30 minutes and it ran beautifully as if nothing happened. Full power and no issues. I came back home and decided to shut the car off and start it up again to see what would happen. Again, all the same message warnings come up with the check engine light. Car runs but in limp mode. I reset the code again, turned off the car and started it back up. All warning lights disappeared. It seems I can reset the code while in the accessory position or when the car is on but the messages won’t disappear until I cut power off to the car and start it again. If I try to clear the messages while I’m in accessory and then start right after, the warnings stay and the code won’t properly clear.

Can anyone let me know if they think this could be the electrical component of the bank 2 throttle actuator?? Was this a complete fluke? I know these are really common in failing and in my service history from the previous owner it looks like bank 1 was done under warranty but I’m scratching my head...

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

This sounds very similar to what happened to me. For me, I initially got the check engine light, traction control light, limp mode and all that after start up. Cleared codes. Drove a few more times over the next few days, then lights came back. I ordered gears and replaced them both actuators. No lights for a few more drives, then lights came back. That was a couple days ago. I'm gonna take out the actuators again to see what else might be wrong. I probably should solder the power and ground leads that are spot welded as per Kanid's post on page 7.

Sorry for rambling, but it looks like you've similar symptoms to mine, so it's looking like your Bank 2 throttle actuator is starting to go.

[Majdi]

Originally Posted by jookydrinker

This sounds very similar to what happened to me. For me, I initially got the check engine light, traction control light, limp mode and all that after start up. Cleared codes. Drove a few more times over the next few days, then lights came back. I ordered gears and replaced them both actuators. No lights for a few more drives, then lights came back. That was a couple days ago. I'm gonna take out the actuators again to see what else might be wrong. I probably should solder the power and ground leads that are spot welded as per Kanid's post on page 7.

Sorry for rambling, but it looks like you've similar symptoms to mine, so it's looking like your Bank 2 throttle actuator is starting to go.

I had the same problem as you. Changing just the gears didn't work for me either. Nor did changing Mosfets work. The circuit board is an extremely complex piece. Not easy to work on at all. I just bought Re-Manufactured Throttle Actuators from Mpower motorsports. Spent 350 a unit and it worked perfectly.

[CJAGZ]

Originally Posted by jookydrinker

This sounds very similar to what happened to me. For me, I initially got the check engine light, traction control light, limp mode and all that after start up. Cleared codes. Drove a few more times over the next few days, then lights came back. I ordered gears and replaced them both actuators. No lights for a few more drives, then lights came back. That was a couple days ago. I'm gonna take out the actuators again to see what else might be wrong. I probably should solder the power and ground leads that are spot welded as per Kanid's post on page 7.

Sorry for rambling, but it looks like you've similar symptoms to mine, so it's looking like your Bank 2 throttle actuator is starting to go.

So I went ahead and ordered a brand new throttle actuator. I disabled the negative battery terminal since I was working with electrical. Long story short I put it in today, started it up after everything put back together and it fired up with no codes so I thought everything was fixed. However when taking the battery off when working on car, I think it Cleared the code because the second time I turned it on, all the symptoms came back like before. So frustrated because I just spent $700 on a new throttle actuator that wasn’t broken to begin with??? What now??? Idle Control Device? That’s another $700 but I don’t want to start changing parts I don’t need to and I know that has an electric board too but it seems my idle is fine unless I start it with the code where it starts up crappy and the gas smells rich.

Just reminder that if I reset my code, my car starts and runs beautifully every time, no idle problem, no rich gas smell, has all the power and idles at approx 600rpm when warmed up. It’s the second time I boot it up where I get the limp mode power reduction, DSC disabled, tire pressure monitor disabled, etc. This problem started only when I put my battery back into my car after 5 months of winter. It ran immaculately before put away(same as if when I clear the fault code).

Same code, P161d

Can anyone please help?

[Jonzny]

Used M Power Motosports to replace mine this weekend, worked perfectly. No issues now!

[jookydrinker]

Update: Limp mode and error codes returned. I ordered rebuilt throttle actuators from M Power Motorsports. Arrived today and I put them in. Codes are gone so far, but I'll confirm again after driving for a few weeks. Fingers crossed.

[byroncheung]

How much labor cost should I expect to replace both TAs? I'm in NYC metro area where things tend to be expensive. I just got quote of around $1000 / 1 day of work, feel it's a little too high given what i have seen others been saying how much work is it to DIY?

[M3MPH1S]

Originally Posted by byroncheung

How much labor cost should I expect to replace both TAs? I'm in NYC metro area where things tend to be expensive. I just got quote of around $1000 / 1 day of work, feel it's a little too high given what i have seen others been saying how much work is it to DIY?

You're not wrong, but that's normal unfortunately. Same with spark plugs - $800?? - take a hike.

[turbo_joe]

I threw a code a couple weeks ago at a track day and went into limp mode. CEL was for Bank 1 Throttle Actuator. Order both of them from M Power after seeing all the great reviews. They showed up today so now I just need to tear the car apart and install them.

[byroncheung]

Originally Posted by M3MPH1S

You're not wrong, but that's normal unfortunately. Same with spark plugs - $800?? - take a hike.

ok i guess it is what it is...
maybe should get other maint done at the same time while they open it up... maybe i can do the spark plugs? but they are only 10k old... what else i can do?

[M3MPH1S]

Originally Posted by byroncheung

ok i guess it is what it is...
maybe should get other maint done at the same time while they open it up... maybe i can do the spark plugs? but they are only 10k old... what else i can do?

fuel breather valve is a good one, seems to affect most cars eventually. how many miles are on your car?

[byroncheung]

Originally Posted by M3MPH1S

fuel breather valve is a good one, seems to affect most cars eventually. how many miles are on your car?

about 48k... when the valve tends to fail?

[douglee25]

Originally Posted by byroncheung

about 48k... when the valve tends to fail?

Any point honestly. If you notice your vehicle stumbles after you fill it up with a full tank at a red light, you have the issue.

RMEuropean - part # - 13907838281-MFG14