DIY: E46 Idle Control Valve (ICV)

[kbok]

How much was the valve to replace?? Just wondering. And Clean it out with break cleaner?? or electrical cleaner?? Thanks for the post. very awesome.

List price of idle control valve is $211, $150 at RM European
(M54, 2005 325i) #13411744713

[Carl winslow]

Gweedospeedo thanks for the write up was having some stuttering issues when she got warmed up,hopefully this will get it!

I did this..and found it took me about 1.30 hours,thanks.
[QUOTE=

1-3: Optional, but recommended
4-8: Optional, just for more space
10: First, remove the electrical connection, then this step. If you did not do 4-8, angling up and slightly rotating will allow it to come out.
11: Optional, just for more space
12: There is also a 10mm nut holding a bracket over the ICV bracket that needs to be removed first

Ben[/QUOTE]

[Lpminniti]

Thanks Gweedospeedo for the writeup the pictures were very helpful and saved me a lot of time especially the "artwork"
I have the Bentley manual but it was almost useless as it lacks many details despite its "heft"
I just finished replacing the Idle Control valve as was recommended by the dealer. It was not too bad and it took me about 2 hours.
I had the most trouble loosening and removing the clamp holding the idle air duct against the Idle Control Valve (see arrow on picture #12)the screw is facing away from you and it is very difficult to get to, even with a 6mm wrench, it must have been installed with the engine off the car.
I have to admit to cutting a few corners and skipping a few steps (3,4,5,6,7,8 and 11) but I was able to put everything together anyway.
Nothing beats the satisfaction of doing it yourself and sticking it to the dealer that wanted to charge me $500 for the job
Infact this was part 3 of a DYI adventure that started with the Left anterior CV boots,(difficult) thermostat (easyest)and now the Idle Control Valve(somewhere in between).
Thanks Gweedospeedo!

[danewilson77]

i got the info on the F fitting for you.....Oops....old post......well maybe the info below will help someone

The F fitting that is broken on your car is described below...





The little elbow is the one you need

[FDiesel77]

NEED HELP!!!! the write up is fantastic.... but cant see pictures!! im lost any help would be appreciated

[zanardi13]

Just did this...also seemed to help the rough idle on our car (short test drive also with a couple of stops). Definitely alot of carbon/oily residue buildup throughout the intake system. I think these cars must dump oil in through the pcv system somehow. I will try to SeaFoam it and see how that works.

[slvrXI]

Im curious if you are planning on doing this... should you seafoame first? or after?

[22ocean]

Just wanted to thank you for posting this. I have a 2002 330cic that was, at start up, idleing like it was driving over railroad tracks and would even cut off on occassion at stop lights from low rpm's. Now, I've NEVER worked on my own car before and feel borderline retarded when I look under the hood, but the way you layed out this step-by-step post, I figured that I'd give it a try. So, I followed the steps you listed, and also cleaned the T-Shape Idle Regulating Valve since it was already out anyway, and PRESTO! My car runs like it just rolled off the show room floor! I had almost forgotten what my BMW was supposed to run like. So thanks again for this awsome post. And, if anyone is thinking about trying to do this themselves, trust me, just do it!

[danewilson77]

Yeah baby....that's what its all about!!! I'm stoked that the extra time he took helped you out.....

[a007prav]

Glad I could help!

Alright Pal, Cheers for putting this up. Unfortunately my car is at the garage, and he has had it for about 2 weeks and trying to find the fault. He has been tellin me one of the senors are failing and he trying to find which one.

It sounds like the same problem, in occasions the car has difficultly to idel and put the pedel down only cures the problem after about 5-10 seconds. Otherwise the car is fine.

Is this simliar to what you had?

[bishop1977]

i would do this but i don't have rough idle, i cleaned my maf, and i have a superchager in the way

[dwpauly2]

into the idle control valve once the boot is off, leaving the valve in place? I've got to replace the boot - car is idling fine ('02 330ci) - but thought I'd try to clean the valve while I had it exposed, unless someone convinces me otherwise. Thanks.

[danewilson77]

into the idle control valve once the boot is off, leaving the valve in place? I've got to replace the boot - car is idling fine ('02 330ci) - but thought I'd try to clean the valve while I had it exposed, unless someone convinces me otherwise. Thanks.

No....not really because....I assume your cleaning because you had indication it may be sticking....and after you clean it.....you need to rotate in your hand "quickly" like the throttle on a motorcycle to verify freedom of movement of the valve itself.

If you just shoot it in there, then re-assemble, you may not have fixed your problem, hence wasting your valuable/precious time.

OK...so re-reading the above, you didn't have indications....but if your gonna clean for ease of mind, I suggest remove it...IMHO.

[Phillips0417]

Remove it, clean it, reinstall. Easy squeezy lemon peezy.

It's easy to remove and even easier to reinstall.

[anacondatcu]

i'm having some trouble with removing the lower intake boot. i've got the clamp loosened and out of the way but can't get a good grip or pull hard enough to get it to come off. i'm going to borrow a hair dryer tomorrow in hopes of heating the rubber to loosen it more. Also, on my black mounting bracket, to the right of the right red circle in step 12 my throttle cable is connected to it on some mounting device. not sure what to do with it, i don't want to mess it up or break/stretch it. not sure how to upload pictures...first post

[genuity]

List price of idle control valve is $211, $150 at RM European
(M54, 2005 325i) #13411744713

It's cheaper at autohausaz.com

[TSM330X]

Does anybody know if the broken f connector pictured above is available at Pepboys or Autozone?

[4G63 T]

Bring back pix please!

[danewilson77]

That's my F pin and I highly doubt its available at anything non bmw. It was like 3 bux at dealer....or throw into one of your bigger orders at ecstuning.

Does anybody know if the broken f connector pictured above is available at Pepboys or Autozone?

Bring back pix please!

What do you need pics of?

[Troutfish]

Bring back pix please!

Who wants to read a book when you can watch a movie?


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STy-J10DtiU[/ame]

[G. P. Burdell]

GWEEDOspeedo, thanks for the tutorial. It's a great supplement to BMW TIS and its so-so photos. I just finished replacing my car's idle control valve this afternoon...

I thought I would post an update. I had originally replaced the ICV and intake boots two years ago in an effort to quiet a whistling noise that I heard when the engine idled in warm weather. Earlier this year, I also replaced the DISA valve because it was chattering. It turns out that the whistle had nothing to do with the air intake system or the DISA valve.

A couple of months ago, I replaced my car's fan clutch and power steering pump in the same weekend. The whistle has been gone ever since, and I suspect that the fan clutch was the real culprit.

Not everyone will have the same results as I did, but if your car whistles at idle, you haven't been able to track down its source, and you need a new fan clutch anyway, you might be in for a pleasant surprise.

[aldrichgo4]

The little plastic F fitting is the exact part I need. I can see from your post what the part number is, but can't seem to find anyone who sells it. Do I need to go to a local dealer and see if they have it?

[maparriott]

The collective knowledge on this forum saved me $100's, so I want to post my experience. I have a 2002 330ci.

My Check Engine Light had been on for a while, but I didn't notice any decrease in performance or fuel economy, so I ignored it. I also had the high pitched whine that others have described under certain engine loads. With the colder weather in the past 2-3 months, I've had a rough/surging idle and stalling. I also experienced an error that simultaneously set off the EML, DSC and yellow brake lights. I read elsewhere that this might be a vehicle speed sensor problem. I removed all four sensors, cleaned them, cleaned the housing--didn't fix the problem.

Went to Autozone and had them pull the OBD-II codes. I had a laundry list including: P0171, P0174, P0313, P1083, P1085 P1501.

I pulled the intake assembly, and found a giant hole in the lower intake boot where it branches off. My gash was about an inch long. While I had things pulled apart, I also removed the DISA and the Idle Control Valve. My DISA unit was still functional, but very dirty. I cleaned it and the ICV with brake cleaner. In addition to the large gash in the lower boot, the smaller vacuum hose on the "F" fitting had dryrotten. It broke during disassembly. I got the lower intake boot from my BMW dealership for $40ish. I picked up the vacuum hose at the parts store.

After letting the DISA and the ICV dry completely, I reassembled everything. Idle was steady (despite the cold weather) and performance was much better. After a few days, my Check Engine Light went off. The high-pitched whine also went away.

That's been two weeks ago and things are still perfect. Also-- the DSC, EML, and brake light error that had been happening just about every time I drove anywhere has not returned.

[thekubiaks]

I learned something during this project which might help. I replaced the ICV on my 330i with a new one. I reassembled evything and about a week later started getting codes again (DSC, EML, etc) I took it to the dealer to see if their computer showed anything else. Their computer also stated that the ICV was throwing codes and that I should replace it. Since the ICV was new, I doubted that it was bad.

So, last week, I pulled the ICV back out of the car, looked at it (it was spotless inside) I put it back into its proper place. I was sure I had it seated as far as it would go. Just for good measure, I took a short 1" diameter rod and placed it againset the rubber mount on the ICV and gave it a moderate whack just to make sure it was seated. I felt the ICV move about another 1/4" and felt a "click" as it seated properly.

I guess the first time I replaced the ICV I didn't seat it far enough and the codes popped up when the motor was cold and the ICV was probably leaking.

It has been running great for the last week with no codes and perfect idle. (Hope I didn't jinx myself) but I think it is fixed.

[danewilson77]

What were the codes?