[IN54NITY]

Originally Posted by raceyBMW

That's real strange that you got a fault on the after cat O2s after replacing the others, did you ever unplug those ones?

Nope, never have. I cleared it and will see if it comes back.

Check out those notches, waaaay better than that Amazon crap.

[raceyBMW]

HAHA, way better! That's awesome.

[E92_PewPew]

A big thank you to Alex, I cannot say enough the amount of work he helped in getting the valves cleaned. My hamstrings and lower back are still killing me

Unfortunately, my valves were plain disgusting and took way, way too long. Valve #1 & #2 took ages and were horrible, #3, #4, #5 were quick, and #6 gave medium trouble. Valve #1 & #2 took at least 10+ blow and suck , while the other didn't need that many. My car had 72K miles.


Valve #1



Valve #2



My camera wouldn't take good images of the valves, so Alex was kind enough to show the 2 horrible valves. There are no after images as night was approaching and I wanted to get the other valves cleaned. Take a look at Alex's after images and they appear very similar to that.

The car threw error codes and was idling pretty rough, until I cleared the code with Cobb. The car drove a little awkward in that it would shift gear around 3-4K RPM when my foot was fully on the throttle (I have an auto). After the car had a good nights rest, it's doing a lot better now.

Alex, I owe you more beer the next time I see you.

[IN54NITY]

^ Very glad to hear the car is running better. Your deposits were really tenacious: possible explanation is that I used CRC carb cleaner with my car, and used AutoZone carb cleaner with yours (because I ran out of CRC). I am going back to using CRC.

I personally found with my car that it took a day or two to be really smooth (ECU adaptation? ), also replacing the pre-cat O2 sensor helped with throttle response. My after cat O2 sensors have ~not~ thrown a code since I posted earlier (and cleared them). Certainly all my silent limp modes have gone away. (I did have several limps at the last two track days in late October but those were unrelated to cleaning the ports.)

thaar, you're next!

[IN54NITY]

chepy24, Cacicgt7, Evil///M, raceyBMW.... let me know.

[chepy24]

Originally Posted by aleckzandr

chepy24, Cacicgt7, Evil///M, raceyBMW.... let me know.

funny i was just thinking of this the other day! too bad we have this crappy weather!! maybe in a week or so if it clears up whenever you can

[thaar]

Looking forward to it!

[IN54NITY]

thaar, it was my pleasure. Sincerely hope the car runs better and it should. Pic is your cyl #1 port before the cleaning.

[mrvedit]

I recently completed my own walnut shell blasting under Alex's (my brother) guidance. I performed acceleration runs before and after and have posted them in this thread:
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1058710

According to the 1/8 mile ET/MPH, it picked up 38HP and sure feels like it.

[mrvedit]

Like Alex, I used the adapter and blasting wand from bimmerhelp.info. I also used the Harbor Freight (HF) portable blaster kit and their walnut shells:
http://www.harborfreight.com/portabl...kit-37025.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/25-lbs-...dia-92155.html

One difference is that I tapped the HF blast gun to directly hold the threaded wand. (I can still use the blast gun with its ceramic nozzle for sand.) Here are the pics of tapping the blast gun (pipe thread tap) and its then trivial assembly.







I see that Alex broke his plastic adapter after 4 cylinders. I cracked mine immediately where the shop vac nozzle fits in, but "fixed" that with a hose clamp. Maybe the instructions said to put a hose clamp there; they should at least.

[thaar]

Hats off to Alex. Truly a stand up guy with great knowledge (and way more patience than I lol). He's definitely a tremendous asset to the BMW community. I can't thank him enough for his help to do the walnut blast. It was a long day, but it certainly paid off. My car runs sooooo smooth now.

[raceyBMW]

Good to hear Thaar.

Alex, I really want to get mine done, I am sure they are horrible. Unfortunately I probably won't have time until after Thanksgiving because of other commitments and having to work on my DD 540i to get it running right again in this cold weather ($700 in parts going in this weekend....). What is your schedule looking like in December?

[IN54NITY]

Originally Posted by thaar

Hats off to Alex... ... but it certainly paid off. My car runs sooooo smooth now.

Thanks. And it is good to hear.

Originally Posted by raceyBMW

Good to hear Thaar.

Alex, I really want to get mine done, I am sure they are horrible. Unfortunately I probably won't have time until after Thanksgiving because of other commitments and having to work on my DD 540i to get it running right again in this cold weather ($700 in parts going in this weekend....). What is your schedule looking like in December?

No way. I won't be able to hang with you at HPR, your dirty valves are my edge. j/k I may have a weekend in December. December 6th and 7th are out though. Give me a ring.

[ChanceGavin]

That's a huge improvement after the blasting. I'm curious what mine look like with 97k miles on it.

[Zero_Cool]

To OP, I live near Nashville, which is a reasonable 3 hour cruise to Louisville. I just picked up my 07 e92 and would love to walnut blast it. Are you still willing to land a hand? Definitely willing to compensate for tools and guidance. I just rolled 87k on the clock, so would there be any other parts to replace while doing the walnut blasting to get ahead on preventative maintenance? Thanks in advance!

[16M4]

^Itll be the most expensive walnut blast from Nashville to louisville,CO

[Zero_Cool]

Originally Posted by Alfred

^Itll be the most expensive walnut blast from Nashville to louisville,CO

I guess that's what I for inferring Louisville ky hah. I'll just have to see if anyone in the part of the midwest has walnut blasting experience.

[wildcatcrazy]

I'm moving to Omaha in June, but I think that's still a good drive.

[chepy24]

HUGE shout out to Alex!!! cant thank him enough for the help he was seriously a bank of knowledge, my buddy and I learned alot! He was extremely patient and took time out of his day to help and teach. Not to mention he took my buddy and i for a ride in 335 and wow! Talk about an adrenaline rush! It totally changed my mind on cars anyone can go in a straight line it takes skill (and balls) to be able to track a car. Thanks again Alex car feels amazing

[raceyBMW]

How bad were your valves, and at how many miles? Is there a noticeable difference in how it drives now?

[IN54NITY]

Glad to hear it chepy! You're most welcome.

Like I said, Craig, your dirty valves are ~my~ edge.

Mu ah, mu ah ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Ha ha ha ha.

[IN54NITY]

Ok, I've tentatively got 2planker on Feb 28th, and after I help Cacicgt7 and raceyBMW, I'm going to take a break from this for a few months, I've got to get some skiing in.