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Hexon Autowerks Hybrid 1+ Turbos and Inlets
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04-22-2016, 12:16 PM | #1 |
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Hexon Autowerks Hybrid 1+ Turbos and Inlets
What's up guys. I'll first introduce myself as I lurk on forums and don't post much if at all.
My name is Jake. I've been an automotive tech for 9 years. Unlike many techs I don't turn down work so I'm well versed. That being said I've come from aftermarket modifications of rotarys, Hondas, Nissans, Subarus, DSMs/EVOs, etc. At one point I've owned every one of these mentioned platforms. Back story of our (my wife's DD 07 335xi). Car was purchased with 120k and the P.O. had turbos done shortly before then, long story short the installer RTV'd the F***ing oil drains! As you all know this is a huge no-no, especially with the N54 not having the best oil drain setup to begin with. In hopes of not having to replace the turbos I chased some of the easy stuff first: Valve cover, RB PCV valve, vent valve, etc to no avail. Onto the review of Wayne with Hexon. 1/31 First inquired about Hexon's sale to upgrade turbos with inlet kit and put a depost down of $500 to secure my order. I was advised that my kit would be ready at the end of February. 3/3 Advised my Turbos were finally ready. Okay no biggie, a week behind, I needed time to get funds together anyway. 3/10 Advised Wayne that I was ready to pay. 3/15 Advised shipment ETA of 3/29! 3/18 Wayne finally sends me an invoice after I continually bugged him that I was ready to pay and had made arrangements to get my car in at work so I could R+R (remove and replace) the turbos. At this point I'm getting a little irritated by the whole run around of now 2 weeks passing and I hadn't paid till then, let alone having received a tracking number...and the shipment date is now 3.5 weeks later then what I was originally told on 3/3. 3/21 I get DHL shipment conformation. 3/23 I received the turbos. Holy-fast-shipping DHL! Pretty awesome but still sucks I'm now an entire month behind schedule. Whatever shit happens. I inspect the turbos and they look great, HOWEVER there is no install kit (gaskets and seals) WTF. I advise Wayne, that night I didn't recieve the install kit. 3/25 Refund received for install kit as I sourced it locally from my BMW dealer. 3/26 Pulled turbos and while I had the engine cradle out I replaced my oil pan gasket. Upon removal I inspected the oil pan and to my surprise the oil and oil varnish was incredibly clean. P.O.s had really kept to religious oil changes it appears based upon the thousands of engines I've opened up for inspection. I also inspected my valve seals, clean and dry! Walnut blast was done 8k ago on my intake valves by myself. (I'm a tech duh!) What a pain in the ass job to do both, but saved time doing it separately! I also R+R'd the thermostat since your literally right there and it's cheap insurance. Since the cradle was out I also took the time to install a RH 335IS engine mount since mine has made noise from day 1(check out the tsb). So here's noteworthy info:
Fired the car up. SWEET! runs good, no leaks. I'm pumped! I let the car run in the shop till it hits operating temp and probably 5 minutes of IDLE time before I leave with the car. The car never smoked idling. Go to pull the car out of the shop and it starts running like crap and smoking. Drive the car around the block and I get misfire codes, dumping trails of smoke. Pull the car back in the shop and move some coils around. (Less then 600 miles on coils) No change, cylinders 1 and 2 misfire. Hmmm okay, weird. Double check all my work, everything looks great. WTF. Go for another drive and I got weird valvetrain noise and another code for timing correlation and the exhaust vanos solenoid. At this point I'm relieved, but frustrated. I then had my Dad run a new Vanos solenoid up to my work. By now it's 7pm at night and I started at 630am. I'm totally spent physically and mentally. Replaced the vanos solenoid and kept getting codes for it. Now I'm really frustrated and fried. Drained the oil thinking maybe it didn't like the new oil. ( It's suggested in the diagnostic flowchart) Pulled the drainplug - HOLY shit thats a lot of metal.....hmmm what the....it's aluminum?Non magnetic for sure! Now I'm just done. I'm so pissed I go home to figure out what the hell is going on. Next few days I got some injectors to swap in thinking that my injectors finally shit the bed with the misfires/smoke from being stuck open...but all that metal had me pondering. 4/1 Acquired some low mileage index 9 injectors for $100 to address my misfires/smoke. Car runs great for a 2 mile test drive loop. SWEET!! Let the car idle outside while I grab engine covers, etc. Come back out to the car blowing smoke like crazy and misfiring terribly. Pull all 6 spark plugs. 4-6 look awesome...perfect actually. 1-3 are drenched in oil...what the hell. Compression test. 170psi across the board. Okay...I don't have dead cylinders or a bent rod. There has to be something going on with the turbo. Considering the car was fine when I drove it there and it's isolated to the front bank. At this point you may have seen my post's using my wife's facebook in the 335i group. (I hate FB, though nice for certain instances: parts/quick info/etc) I start tearing the car back apart. Front turbo has massive shaft play, is leaking externally from the CHRA, and is blowing oil into the exhaust killing my front lamada probe. I later inspected the rear turbo which also has considerable shaft play, is leaking externally as well although dry in the exhaust. 4/1 I contact Wayne. At this point I'm pissed. I just spent all this time and money on junk turbos. Consider even the fact that I'm not paid to install these. Wayne agrees to send me a new set, gasket set, lamada, etc. 4/6 Given ETA of 10 days from that day. So lets figure the 16th considering Wayne told me his production crew is working overtime. Thats not including Sundays. So my turbos should ship out 4/18 right? Nope. 4/12 I haven't received a deposit for my core turbos ($500) nor any update on the proposed shipment date of my turbos. I'm so pissed at this point I almost tell Wayne I want a full refund, which he agreed to, but after reading the bad reviews of VTT and other turbo manufacturers costing way more and the additional time and dicking around with turbo cores - I decide to stick with Hexon and give Wayne the opportunity to make this right. 4/15 Advised the replacement turbos will be delivered by 4/22. Ok great. I can get the car running by Saturday the 23rd? 4/20 Advised my Turbos were ready, install kit shipped. 4/22 - Today. Finally get my $500 deposit for my original cores and FINALLY get DHL shipment confirmation. I dumped 10 quarts through the pan with cheap out to "Flush" any remaining metal out of the pan, the oil passages will be flushed with brake cleaner and compressed air followed by my pan "flushing" method, followed by rapid oil and filter changes with Mann oil filters and Rotella T6 followed by a final fill of Liqui Moly 5w-40. Additionally I'm sending in an oil analysis to blackstone after I explained them the situation and advised them I'm looking for confirmation of what types of metal are present. It's by pure luck my Boss is super cool to let me even have the car sit in our service parking this long, provide me with a loaner car for my wife to drive, let me work on the car in the shop and let me take time off work to speed up the process. Hopefully people can get a better representation of Hexon through my review. I will update this thread once I get time to install the turbos. (Did I mention my wife's 24weeks pregnant with our first and I'm in the process of remodeling our house before the baby comes?! LOL I'll sleep when I'm dead.) Oh! As for the inlets. They need minor tweaking to fit perfectly. Fitment is 7/10. The rear silicone coupler is very tough to squeeze in the firewall and block. The front pipe mounting bracket needs to be shimmed or bent away from the block to avoid contacting the drive belt and components. In the midst of this my phone died so I lost a lot of pictures I'm in the process of recovering. Stay tuned. Rant over. Last edited by viprez586; 04-23-2016 at 07:32 AM.. |
04-22-2016, 01:45 PM | #2 |
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Yikes. Not happy to hear about the inlets. I just got mine in and having them installed tomorrow. Hope I don't run into issues.
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Previous: 2007 E90 335i | 2008 E92 335i | 2009 E82 135i Current: '25 ///M2 Portimao Blue |
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04-22-2016, 01:52 PM | #3 |
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Minor tweaking its no biggie. A good installer/tech will see that and know what is necessary to get them lined up.
Maybe mine got bent? Did you get a revised rear inlet tube accommodating for the rear inlet PTC heater? I'm still waiting on that, now that you mention it. |
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04-22-2016, 02:47 PM | #4 | |
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Previous: 2007 E90 335i | 2008 E92 335i | 2009 E82 135i Current: '25 ///M2 Portimao Blue |
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04-22-2016, 06:08 PM | #6 |
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Rockauto is out of stock. I plan on doing all 6 when the time comes.
I'm not paying $200+(my cost @local bmw) each for injectors when I just need to get the car going for the time being. Especially after shelling out $1500 on turbos. $200 for install kit, and another $100 for the vanos solenoid. Trust me...I've been doing this long enough to know the quality of used, new OE, and aftermarket parts. Airtex/wells buys large quantities from OEMs and reboxes them targeting the aftermarket crowd. Your welcome. |
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04-23-2016, 02:40 AM | #7 |
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Having had the same issue you had with Wayne in terms of constantly pushing dates back I empathize with you. When I got my 600RR I was wondering where the hell the install kit was that ordered. Turns out it ships separately from another vendor in the US. Something he never mentions and probably should start mentioning to people. Would save them frustration and his as well from having to refund the charge on so many orders. Thankfully so far my turbos haven't had any issues hopefully your new set is better.
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04-23-2016, 10:53 PM | #8 |
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OP, this is a very unfortunate situation and I am sorry to hear about it. I spoke with Wayne about the threads that popped up because they obviously affect my business as well being a dealer for Hexon. From your post and my conversation with Wayne it does sound like he is making the effort to take care of the situation and cover costs of other components affected for R&R. The metal in the pan is disconcerting. It begs the question of what is happening with everything. Oil starvation will quickly kill turbos and any metal going from turbos through the oil drains are in the pan and is filtered before going through the motor. The fact that you have simultaneous vanos issues and that the material in the pan is aluminum would lead me to believe that this may be a cam ledge issue. Obviously Wayne is fixing the turbo side of things. But if it is a cam ledge issue, it is just going to eat another turbo set and pour more aluminum through the motor. I would be inclined to investigate that prior to installing another set of turbos especially since the new stock turbos were replaced from failure prematurely.
I am not trying to misplace blame, but only connecting some dots based on the information provided and the material found in the oil. Aluminum shavings in the cylinder head will chew up valve stem seals quickly and if it's the front cam ledge a majority of the aluminum contaminated oil would be confined to those front cylinders based on the blocks drainback points. Please let me know if you decide to be proactive and investigate it and what you find. Chris |
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04-24-2016, 10:46 AM | #9 |
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I see where you would be concerned with such. However.
The car was driven to my workplace running perfectly fine. The oil was drained and inspected before installing the 1st set of Hexons. As i noted before the pan was CLEAN. The car was idled and driven around the dealership lot, shortly thereafter issues immediately arose. The metal in the oil is inconclusive as I have yet to send in an oil analysis. Who knows what type of metal it is, and furthermore the source without complete teardown, as it is all speculative at this point. What is undeniable: The bearings in the turbos are shot and I have metal in the oil. The turbos are still on the car but with a visual inspection (given the amount of shaft play as well) it appears the compressor blades have done some damage to the compressor housing. Which CAN indefinitely introduce aluminum into the engine. Given these circumstances it's clear that a cam ledge is unlikely. All of a sudden Hexon's idling makes my cam ledge take a dive? Tough theory I'm not sold on. Have some additional FFT: I removed and inspected the vanos check valves and vanos solenoids, Visually I could not identify a significant amount of metal in either to merit metal being a root cause of failure of the exhaust only vanos solenoid. (Metal doesn't solely choose to take out specific components) Additionally. If a cam ledge was a clear and root cause of turbo failure. Wouldn't BMW mention this in a very specific turbocharger failure bulletin? See attached. Lines and ports of block were blown out with compressed air. Cleaned with solvent and brake cleaner to provide a dry and fresh passage with little if any contamination. Remember original turbos failed due to excessive RTV build up around oil drains resulting in oil pooling in the CHRA. The only reason I decided to replace them was not for a poor running condition, but rather smoke on decel (high vacuum) followed by a quick surge of oil burn-off when accelerating (boost) following the high vac situation. Lastly after replacing the exhaust vanos, changing the oil multiple times. The car ran great. No codes. Then misfire resulting in my findings of a bank 1 misfire in conjunction with massive turbo failure. Let's be clear. Wayne has pushed back times way too much for me to empathize. If your not going to meet a deadline - don't tell me a definite timeline. Be realistic, that will earn my respect. I appreciate his effort to supply me with replacements and the install kit. However, this has become a major inconvenience over a time-line that is vastly unacceptable and unprofessional in a business model. |
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04-27-2016, 01:48 AM | #10 |
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Viprez586,
I am not siding with anyone here, or belittling the situation, like I said if their is an issue with the turbos, it is being taken care of. And i am not belittling the lead time issues and can attest they need to be addressed as well as Wayne meeting timelines he puts out to his customers. Please remember I am also a customer both as a Hexon dealer and because I am waiting on a set of turbos personally. I was just offering some outside observations. You mentioned you brought the car in running perfect, so I would then look to see what was done from the point of tear down to reassembly and then turbo failure just as a sanity check. I think betting soley that the turbos are bad from the start considering both are now damaged so quickly would be limiting the field of possible causes and I was only trying to point out that if it is an effect and not a cause then it would be wise to consider making sure something else wasn't the culprit. If it were me I would want to be sure I didn't leave any stones unturned to make sure there wasn't an underlying situation at play. As an example, you inspected everything before reassembly and it was clean and metal free. But you also stated that you used brake cleaner through the block oil circuits and chased it with compressed air. I don't know that I would try that in an assembled motor. "Lines and ports of block were blown out with compressed air. Cleaned with solvent and brake cleaner to provide a dry and fresh passage with little if any contamination." By using compressed air and brake cleaner in thr bkock ports you can blow the oil out from between bearing clearances and push the brake cleaner through there where it can do its thing. This is not the best situation for bearings and certainly could cause issues. Whether it did or it didn't I don't know, but it is a possibility I would want to inspect. There is some potential here for damage to occur unrelated to the turbos. And again I am not fighting you, they are being replaced under warranty that is a done deal already. I would just hate to see a new set be damaged from a something overlooked. Turbos starved of oil even briefly will eat the bearings in short order from metal on metal contact and I mean quickly. Did you send a sample to Blackstone? I think that is a smart move for sure. I think it would at least give you some better data. Like you said most of what is theorized is inconclusive without a tear down but at least the Blackstone report would illuminate any red flags. Chris |
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04-27-2016, 01:19 PM | #11 | |
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First I'd like to say thanks for your concern, I'm taking necessary steps to ensure a 2nd set doesn't die. I've removed the valve cover to see if there is any trace evidence of metal hanging around the vanos system since the cam sensors are magnetic along with the chain guides being a nice little nook/cranny for metal to hangout in. I found no such evidence of vanos/ cam ledge wear. Addressing your concerns: The lines were cleaned with solvent. Solvent tends to leave a film. They were then rinsed with brake cleaner - which leaves little if any film hence why it's used on brake components which transfer film during break in. Apples to oranges here but I've NEVER heard of engine failure from using solvent or brake cleaner to clean engine components. Pretty far fetched theory. This is standard procedure in automotive repair aside from engine teardown where things are hot-tanked and that "Soap" is VERY harsh in comparison and tends to leave a film as well. The ports on the engine block were blown out with compressed air ONLY. To reiterate: NO solvent or brake cleaner entered the engine. Again this is to remove any foreign material that may have made it's way in there and to double check there is no obstruction. Point being here is exactly that- the ports are free and clear. Again re-read the situation here. The cooling system was primed. I use an airlift made by snap-on. The best cooling system refilling tool due to the fact it eliminates air-pockets by pressurizing the system with vacuum. Again- Here this eliminates any potential for leaks and obstructions due the the fact you can monitor the gauge on the tool which would indicate an obstruction/leak. Following this procedure the electric water pump procedure was followed to be safe and not sorry. Oil - The system was primed by using the starter to rotate the engine with disabled spark and fuel. This ensures oil is fed to the turbos, greatly reducing any chance of oil starvation which Wayne said was an unnecessary procedure during our email conversation due to the fact they are fed with oil during balancing. (The oil is religiously changed with RLI 5w-40 and Liqui Moly 5w-40) I'm not sure what bearing surfaces are behind the turbo oil feed on the block. But I would imagine BMW would design no bearing surface to be staring down the line of turbo bearings to chew up. Speculating such is kind of crazy. Though I'd love to see an oil flow daigram of the n54 engine if anyone has access to such. Metal in the oil - I should have been more specific here. The amount of oil containing metal was noted at the end of the "Drain cycle" if you want to call it that. In reality it was not that much metal but had me thinking the turbos spit bearing material into the engine none-the-less. Given the fact the pan was just off - which is always the first step with metal-in- the-oil analysis, it weighed heavy (in terms of diagnosis) that I have excessive bearing shaft play in conjunction with metal in the oil. You don't go to the doctor with pain in your arm after a 10 minute workout and the doctor says "Well lets do some tests on your brain first." You goto the source indicating failure. Props to this guy doing it in his garage. See the attached images. I can't imagine there is a bearing surface behind these ports. TYPICALLY in most engines the cylinder head is last to get oil. Remember, the oil pump not only fights restriction to build pressure but also it has to pump oil against gravity to feed the Vanos system. Oil analysis. Was drained into a contaminated container so essentially useless @ blackstone. I will be following up the next oil changes at blackstone, or locally at Trico. Last edited by viprez586; 04-27-2016 at 03:01 PM.. |
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05-12-2016, 08:34 PM | #12 |
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I also ordered the hybrid 1+ turbos and inlets. I went to the shop today and They telling me the radiator is crack from squeezing the fan back in place. The front inlet is a horrible fitment. On top of that when I turn the car on it went to limp mode. I really hope the turbos are fuck and it's something simple that they forgot to plug in.
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06-06-2016, 11:05 AM | #15 |
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My rear inlet popped off and is getting it refit right now. It's a pain lol.
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Previous: 2007 E90 335i | 2008 E92 335i | 2009 E82 135i Current: '25 ///M2 Portimao Blue |
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08-07-2016, 08:27 AM | #16 | |
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