Alternative to expensive Throttle Actuator replacement?

[MarkFT]

Looks like I may be in for the dreaded and somewhat pricey Throttle Actuator replacement in the near future as I got the P1628 code yesterday.

In doing a bit of research, I see that a group of owners out of the UK seem to be taking their's apart and replacing the worn cog (where that is the problem rather than the electronics):

http://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/showthread.php?t=94742

Has anyone here done this or something similar? Seems crazy to spend nearly $2k on parts alone (parts with the same poor design) when you can fix it for much cheaper.

[BzsBimmer]

Several people here have done it.
If you're in CA and iirc Oregon, and under a certain mileage you should qualify for a warranty under emission related repair.
Do a search on here.

[MarkFT]

Just to close the loop, I ended up ordering the replacement parts to rebuild both of my throttle actuators from alpina527 of M3cutters.co.uk and they seem to be working perfectly! Much cheaper than replacing the whole thing x 2!

[FazerBoy]

Originally Posted by MarkFT

Just to close the loop, I ended up ordering the replacement parts to rebuild both of my throttle actuators from alpina527 of M3cutters.co.uk and they seem to be working perfectly! Much cheaper than replacing the whole thing x 2!

Hi,

I'm in the UK and had the pleasure of having Ian (alpina527) personally swap out my cogs for his upgraded ones. He opened my actuators and simply changed the cogs themselves.

He showed me examples of standard plastic cogs that had simply worn away and his opinion is that when this happens the electrics overheat and cause the actuator to fail. This is bound to happen at some point as the standard cogs are plastic on plastic and wear away as they contact each other.

I did this as a preventative measure and hope that my actuators last for the life of the car.

You can search for various threads on M3 Cutters and you will see pictures of the upgraded cogs etc. Ian is an engineer by trade and the cogs are very well engineered and constructed.

Jack

[Alohaaaaa]

Super easy to take apart. I replaced a set in about 45 minutes.

[pbonsalb]

Jeff at Odometer Gears is also making gears. Should be available at the end of the month. $225 for 4 gears to do both.

[Move Over]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Jeff at Odometer Gears is also making gears. Should be available at the end of the month. $225 for 4 gears to do both.

Will be waiting for these to keep mine working.

I haven't looked into this issue much, are the gears the main cause of actuator failure? I've seen some with mosfet failures as well.

[MarkFT]

Originally Posted by alxmlr789

Will be waiting for these to keep mine working.

I haven't looked into this issue much, are the gears the main cause of actuator failure? I've seen some with mosfet failures as well.

Anecdotally, it seems that most people attribute the mosfet failure to running worn gears for too long, which puts undue stress on the electronics, causing them to overheat. So, it seems that if you replace the mechanical parts soon enough, you'll save the electrical. I haven't seen any concrete evidence one way or the other, but it seems to make sense.

[burtonsbs5114]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Jeff at Odometer Gears is also making gears. Should be available at the end of the month. $225 for 4 gears to do both.

Please keep us posted on this!

[imstimpy]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Jeff at Odometer Gears is also making gears. Should be available at the end of the month. $225 for 4 gears to do both.

Is there any additional information on Jeff's solution? ie: metal or plastic? I've been dragging my feet on ordering a new actuator over the past six months, hoping an affordable repair would come up.

[pbonsalb]

Check his website.

[thekurgan]

Deleted (re-read cutters)

[imstimpy]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Check his website.

The website says "coming soon". I guess I'll email.

[EJT86]

I was told maybe two more weeks for odometer gears

[pbonsalb]

I emailed. He said end of July.

[whats77inaname]

This thread is so full of win. A cheap, lasting alternative that I'll be doing for preventative maintenance, much like the rod bearings.

Thanks for the information, gentlemen!

[burtonsbs5114]

Does anyone have a DIY for replacing the gears??

[MarkFT]

Originally Posted by burtonsbs5114

Does anyone have a DIY for replacing the gears??

Alpina527 from M3cutters.co.uk provides detailed instructions for replacing the gears when you buy them from him. Check out this link for details:

http://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/showthread.php?t=94742

When I replaced them, I used this DIY to get the throttle actuators out...

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=735033

...and then used Alpina527's instructions to replace the gears. Worked like a charm!

[alpina-527]

Originally Posted by MarkFT

Just to close the loop, I ended up ordering the replacement parts to rebuild both of my throttle actuators from alpina527 of M3cutters.co.uk and they seem to be working perfectly! Much cheaper than replacing the whole thing x 2!

Nice to hear all went well mark. Hope you can get back to enjoying the car again.

[Move Over]

Just talked to jeff on the phone. 225 for a set for both actuators. Pretty good deal considering the price of a new actuator.

[imstimpy]

Here is Jeff's response to my email:

Originally Posted by Jeff@Odometer Gears

Thanks for the email. I am hoping to have the first run in about two weeks. We are waiting on the final parts of the tooling to be finished and then they ship the mold to me to run.

We are using a high temp nylon with carbon fiber fill. There are a few more ingredients mixed in that we keep proprietary so the competition has a harder time copying what I do. This material is used to make a transfer case gear we produce. We haven't had any trouble with wear or breaking over the past couple of years. The transfer case application is a lot more brutal environment than the TB. I don't make parts to wear out. If they actually do or you beat it with a hammer, I will replace the part.

I understand there are actually two companies in the UK making the gears. The one you mention is doing a great job at it. I build parts for the US market first and then the rest of the world. My main business is with the wholesale market to repair shops. One of our good customers asked us to look into these parts because of the cost from the UK. I also target regular users like you and me as a secondary market within. A new motor is around $700-$1,200. You are getting the same item back that will fail again. If I can make and sell the parts for an economical cost to an end user, and have a better than OEM part in the end, that is what I like doing. There have only been a few parts that we decided to make that were already being made. Generally we stay away when someone else is doing a good fix at a good cost. For this one, we believe there is a large enough market for all and no one in the US is currently making the parts. Besides, with using very specific material, we should be able to produce the parts for less than trying to machine them and then assembling them together. To buy them from the UK, you are almost better just to buy a new unit if you were a repair shop. It isn't worth their time to buy the parts, wait for delivery and then install. Customers want their cars back fast and the shop wants to deliver quickly.

Finally, to be able to sell to all the wholesalers in the US, we have to be great at making parts. We are a very small business and our parts are often lost on the shelves of the large wholesalers. If we ever registered 0.01% of their business, it would be an amazing event. They like us because we are very dependable, high quality, great customer service and hassle free. If you would like to talk on the phone, please call me anytime and ask for me. I'm always eager to help others.

[kaede]

Originally Posted by alxmlr789

Just talked to jeff on the phone. 225 for a set for both actuators. Pretty good deal considering the price of a new actuator.

Can't wait!!! For $225ish thats MUCH better than replacing the Throttle Body Actuators. Will pick up a set immediately as soon as he have em for sale!