Throttle Actuator Rebuild service

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

That is the theory, and that's likely correct in some cases. Take a look at my pics, do those gears look worn after 4k mi?

Not sure I follow mate, you mean those are worn and from Rebuild UK..?

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by Helmsman

Not sure I follow mate, you mean those are worn and from Rebuild UK..?

They are OEM and they are in fact not worn at all, yet still generated persistent CEL codes. Point being replacing them would not matter. If these original gears are fine then the theory of worn gears damaging the transistors falls apart too, at least in this particular case. That's my take on it. Cheers!

[CHE///MIST3]

I have about 4,000 miles on my Mpower rebuilds, very happy with them....I did the core exchange as a preventative maintenance, although the originals did throw the codes once but then went away. One thing I noticed when I removed my originals at 86K miles, one of the actuator springs/mechanism had a "lazy return" back to closed throttle when I manual moved the mechanism back and forth. I don't know what effect this may have had on my engine, but after replacing both units the engine's punchiness and response was much better. It's almost as if these parts (the OEM) need to be replaced anyways after a certain mileage if you want them to operate optimally.

GM

[pbonsalb]

Iyzmi probably had a defective unit if it failed at 4K miles. Failures usually take much longer.

[Green-Eggs]

I have my own theory why replacing the TA's doesn't work sometimes -- and it comes from our experience with Bert's car last week.

Bert's car has had a CEL and limp mode for 1-year. He always suspected it was TA's because many of the codes matched the threads here. But he never brought the car down to us until last week. But before he dropped it off, he talked to our tech guy and told him about a thread he saw here -- how the guy had all these codes, replaced the TA's, ICV, plugs, and coils -- nothing fixed his problem. The owner finally got under the car and found a small exhaust leak caused by a worn gasket at the collector to midpipe junction. We thought Bert was nuts when he brought this up and told us to check it if nothing else worked.

We bought Abdul's TA's and new plugs. We replaced the TA's and plugs, and the car went right into limp mode. We checked every ground wire and wiring harnesses and found nothing wrong. Nothing helped, CEL and limp mode persisted. The next day, we put the car on the lift and found a small exhaust leak on the driver's side header collector -- in the same spot mentioned by the guy in the other thread. All of Bert's codes were on the driver's side cylinders. We fixed the exhaust leak, and the CEL went away and right out of limp mode. It was a teeny exhaust leak -- so small you couldn't hear it.

Bert now has the car and reports that it's running perfect with absolutely no issues or limp modes.

What's the moral to the story? Maybe a bunch of the problems people are chasing with TA's are actually small exhaust leaks. That would explain why replacing them doesn't work sometimes.

[MTM]

Originally Posted by aswy6

Hey guys,

Just wanted to see how many of forum members here have actually replaced their Actuators from MPower Motorsports? I will likely order a set but little bit scared about deviating from stock but at the same time, I would like to solve the problem rather than waiting for it to come back couple of years later, plus its cheaper than OEM.

Thanks

As for the OP...I replaced both TA's in September. Had great success with MPower (see link here:
https://www.m3post.com/forums/showth...&highlight=MTM)

[4130]

Here is the link to Jason's post regarding the rebuild and upgrade. I'm neither affiliated nor a customer (yet). Just leaving info where it appears it may help in the discussion and future searches: https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=23046862

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by 4130

Here is the link to Jason's post regarding the rebuild and upgrade. I'm neither affiliated nor a customer (yet). Just leaving info where it appears it may help in the discussion and future searches: https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=23046862

Great link, Jason doesn't seem to make too much noise so good to get some further details on his work.
Wasn't aware of that they even change the driver electronics to higher specs, another clear upside in my book.

Makes me wonder, WTF was BMW doing when specing the TAs.

[DanMpower]

Bumping this thread.

I just received my two "upgraded" TAs from Mpower Motorsports.

So how is everyone's rebuilt TAs holding up so far?

Like many of you I considered buying a brand new set from FCP Euro but I figured why put in the same ticking time bomb? Jason said these are rebuilt to outlast the car, hoping he is right.

No issues with my original throttle actuators, never threw a code. I just wanted to do this as preventative maintenance.

[Helmsman]

Originally Posted by DanMpower

Bumping this thread.

I just received my two "upgraded" TAs from Mpower Motorsports.

So how is everyone's rebuilt TAs holding up so far?

Like many of you I considered buying a brand new set from FCP Euro but I figured why put in the same ticking time bomb? Jason said these are rebuilt to outlast the car, hoping he is right.

No issues with my original throttle actuators, never threw a code. I just wanted to do this as preventative maintenance.

All good with mine man, as expected!

[Addicted2Torque]

How have these performed for you now that more than a year has passed? I'm not clear how long a warranty Mpower offers on these either.

[aswy6]

Originally Posted by Addicted2Torque

How have these performed for you now that more than a year has passed? I'm not clear how long a warranty Mpower offers on these either.

Ended up putting stock once in there. Still going strong

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by Addicted2Torque

How have these performed for you now that more than a year has passed? I'm not clear how long a warranty Mpower offers on these either.

Lifetime from MPower.

[Redd]

My Rebuild UK units have been on the car for 4 yrs / 40k kms. Not a single hiccup in that time.