Hello everyone,

I wanted to start a project thread for "Gertrude," my recently purchased '04 Mystic Blue 330i 6MT. I had to give her a proper German name, and Gertrude means "spear of strength" which I thought was fitting for such a majestic ride!

I bought the car from another forum member who took had taken good care of her, so my goal is to carry the torch onward to build out a reliable and enjoyable daily driver. The first maintenance item I wanted to tackle was occassional hesitation when starting off and loss of low-end torque, which after research pointed to the ICV and DISA as culprits.

DISA
I didn't know what to expect when before removing the DISA because it wasn't making any noise, but when I took it off I found that the flapper valve was rotating freely, and that a small chunk of the middle of the blade had even come off! How does that even happen, and where did the plastic go? I immediately ordered a G.A.S. rebuild kit (with the upgraded fluorosilicone gasket), which I installed yesterday. I missed out on the group buy, but given the condition of my DISA I couldn't wait for the next one. All the reviews that rave about this kit are spot on; the build quality is excellent and the kit is incredibly well thought-out with the included thread-locker, silicone, and twist-tie to hold the vacuum lever in place.


Old DISA valve with mystery gouge in center


Old bell crank lever had worn down, vacuum pot is fine


G.A.S. rebuilt DISA with ugpraded gasket -- very painless to do thanks to the detailed instructions


ICV
Removing the ICV for cleaning was a chore, but less-painful than I thought it would be thanks to the P.O. who must have flipped the intake boot hose clamps (screws facing up) so they could be easily loosened. I don't have any records that the ICV was cleaned before, and it showed. A little CRC Throttle Body Cleaner got all the grime off and it started moving freely again.


Before cleaning the ICV

After completing both of these items the car accelerates without any hesitation, and it seems like MPG has taken a slight tick upwards. Not bad!


Alarm & Coding
I bought a used alarm off Ebay for extra peace-of-mind, and coded it myself with NCS Expert & NCS Dummy (which was such a quirky process it may become its own thread). I had to install VMWare Fusion with Windows XP on my Mac laptop to load NCS Expert, but once I had it set up I was also able to code euro hazards and visual arm/disarm only. It turns out I have an older LCM so triple-blink indicators aren't an option.


Upcoming Items
When I purchased the car, I also got all the parts for a cooling system refresh that the PO had bought but not yet installed; radiator, hoses, expansion tank, thermostat, and water pump. I've been keeping an eye on the cooling system and there are no visible leaks or cracks, so I am planning on doing the refresh at the end of the year when I have a little more free time. The rear diff mount also has some play in it, but may need to be done at a shop. There's also an occasional buzzing sound that I think is coming from the fuel pump; it sounds like it comes from the right rear passenger seat and usually occurs when I first start the car, and intermittently when I accelerate. Has anyone else had this issue, and is it a noise I can live with or a sign of a failing pump? And lastly, the VANOS seals are also original but there's no rattling or sign of failure, so I am not yet sure how necessary this might be (or if it can wait to be done with other items like the VCG and maybe plugs).

When I write it all out it seems like there's so much to do, so any suggestions on how to prioritize and group items to be done simultaneously would be appreciated. Thanks for listening!


-Andrew