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      11-27-2013, 07:36 AM   #45
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Also is the hp performance different in red or white mode or does it only effect the loudness and you mentioned grinding off the plate can give it a permanent red mode, do you have a photo to show me where the plate is exactly as the guys at the workshop don't speak English so I want to make sure my explanation is spot on. Many thanks.....
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      11-27-2013, 10:07 PM   #46
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If you look at the muffler, looking at the first exhaust tip (far left), you should be able to see the plate. (I'm assuming the exhaust is already installed on the car)
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      11-28-2013, 04:52 AM   #47
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Hi cj. Yes installed already, there is a butterfly looking thing, do I take that off too and do I disconnect the tubes? Happy tks giving
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      11-30-2013, 09:50 AM   #48
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3rdgear View Post
Hi Artemis. I just installed the ak mid with real axle but the wireless is missing somewhere, so my question is without wireless, is the system in red or white mode, the tubes are connected and I see smoke out of all four pipes but doesn't seem that loud. The guys installed it tells me without the kit it's in red mode as the gates inside the pipes are open when they checked but I think you know more so pls advise
Further discussion re that question: see from post #22 onwards in this thread:
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=833219
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      11-30-2013, 02:32 PM   #49
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj- View Post
Did you get around to adjusting it? What setting worked best for you? Did you find that over time, the flapper resonates again?
Hi CJ,

I did adjust it, it's easy to just lying on your back. Just adjust the length of the actuator by turning the threaded rod-end in or out. Just don't forget to tighten locking nut. In my experience you need to take off all 3 nuts on the actuator and disconnect the vacuum line and then turn the whole actuator. I couldn't get the rod end to come of easily and I didn't want to damage linkage.

I have no idea what you mean by 'setting'. The flap is controlled as an on/off or open/closed valve. The trick is to adjust the actuator correctly so it has some travel left while the flap itself is sitting against it's seat.
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      12-02-2013, 07:42 AM   #50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3rdgear View Post
Hi cj. Yes installed already, there is a butterfly looking thing, do I take that off too and do I disconnect the tubes? Happy tks giving
If you look at the installation guide, your shop would have removed the plate that forces the Akra exhaust into "quiet mode" when they installed the wireless kit + flapper (butterfly looking thing). It should be in the box of materials given back to you after the install

If you want to do a comparison of the flapper closed/open, the arm can be pulled out for adjusting. If you pull it out (requires no tools, see below), you can manually control the arm and you can see how the car sounds while idling... (IIRC you do not have power to your wireless kit, which is why I'm suggesting this. Careful you do not burn yourself or breathe toxic exhaust fumes)

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1mmaniac View Post
Hi CJ,

I did adjust it, it's easy to just lying on your back. Just adjust the length of the actuator by turning the threaded rod-end in or out. Just don't forget to tighten locking nut. In my experience you need to take off all 3 nuts on the actuator and disconnect the vacuum line and then turn the whole actuator. I couldn't get the rod end to come of easily and I didn't want to damage linkage.

I have no idea what you mean by 'setting'. The flap is controlled as an on/off or open/closed valve. The trick is to adjust the actuator correctly so it has some travel left while the flap itself is sitting against it's seat.
By "setting" I meant what you described in the second half So you are trying to get the valve closed, without using up all the travel length on the arm? My goal when I was doing this was to make it as tight as possible... I guess your way makes more sense, since when it opens, with more travel length it will hold the flap open better (I don't even know how to describe this process via text. This probably sounds very confusing... But thanks for your info.!)

Regarding your adjusting method... (Also, 3rdgear, this is what I was referring too above). You can simply pop the arm off the actuator/butterfly device. The arm sits on a ball bearing and all you need to do is pull it away from the actuator. Requires no tools. Once it's removed, you can adjust the arm length without feeling like you'll damage the unit. (3rdgear: You shouldn't have to adjust it, but you can now manually move the arm with your hand and see how the car sounds while idling).


Question for folks with working setups: Do your cars ALWAYS start up quietly, even weeks after not starting up the car? Mine seems to lose the stored vacuum after 3 days prompting a very loud startup sequence (IE: red mode start up) until sufficient vacuum is built up to operate white mode. Is this normal?
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      12-02-2013, 12:49 PM   #51
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj- View Post
By "setting" I meant what you described in the second half So you are trying to get the valve closed, without using up all the travel length on the arm? My goal when I was doing this was to make it as tight as possible... I guess your way makes more sense, since when it opens, with more travel length it will hold the flap open better (I don't even know how to describe this process via text. This probably sounds very confusing... But thanks for your info.!)
Edit: i read my own story back and changed out some words like flap, valve and butterfly since they were all over place when i meant one and the same thing.

Ok, glad you got it My goal was to eliminate the rattle when the flap was in closed position. The rattle meant something was having some play while the vacuum was 'on' and thus something was not under 'enough' force. I checked the stroke length of the actuator and the stroke is longer than needed to move the flap from open to closed; this means we have some travel left in the actuator. I adjusted the actuator so that it's about 2mm from it's end (mechanical stop) while the flap is already in it's seat. So the flap stays under load while it's in it's seat.

If i understand you correctly you mean that you otherwise would open the flap to far (turn it more than 90 deg) and effectively start closing the opening again, correct? This is not possible since the butterfly is mechanically limited on both sides.

Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj- View Post
Regarding your adjusting method... (Also, 3rdgear, this is what I was referring too above). You can simply pop the arm off the actuator/butterfly device. The arm sits on a ball bearing and all you need to do is pull it away from the actuator. Requires no tools. Once it's removed, you can adjust the arm length without feeling like you'll damage the unit. (3rdgear: You shouldn't have to adjust it, but you can now manually move the arm with your hand and see how the car sounds while idling).
The ball socket should be locked into place with a small 0,5mm locking pin going across the opening (while the ball joint is in the socket) effectively preventing it from coming out (same system applies to the early years/after market 'tuning' gas lifts for you hood). It's clearly visible in the picture below:


The locking pin pictured is a typical. It's made out of one piece and has a secondary part that is perpendicular to the actual locking part. This second part is bend to be slightly smaller than the radius of the socket and can be pushed on neck of the socket (like pictured above). This in itself is a lock for the locking pin (hope you can still follow , if you can )
This second part was actually missing on my setup. I took of the whole actuator because I didn't want to risk bending or losing the 0,5mm pin.


Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj- View Post
Question for folks with working setups: Do your cars ALWAYS start up quietly, even weeks after not starting up the car? Mine seems to lose the stored vacuum after 3 days prompting a very loud startup sequence (IE: red mode start up) until sufficient vacuum is built up to operate white mode. Is this normal?
I'll test tomorrow. Never checked this. 3 days already sounds like a long time to me.

Last edited by 1mmaniac; 12-02-2013 at 12:55 PM..
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      12-02-2013, 07:42 PM   #52
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Hello 1mmaniac really appreciate your input but I'm not going to pretend I understand all this as it is getting more and more complicated with new parts and names coming to the tutorial. So to my understanding from earlier input, I take off the butterfly flower pot completely by grinding off the block off pipe will activate the red mode permanently. And I can confirm this works by checking the outter pipes and make sure the flaps are completely open same as the inner pipes.

I can't even upload photos of my car to this forum so u can imagine how difficult this ak wireless issue is to me.....
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      12-03-2013, 11:49 AM   #53
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Akra butterfly valve closed (code white):


Akra butterfly valve open (code red):


Akra butterfly valve open (comparison with the inner exhaust tail pipe):
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      03-30-2014, 06:46 PM   #54
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Just pulled the car out of storage today. I had forgotten how much fun it was to drive

I'm getting some rattle at low RPMs, especially when starting off from a stop. Always around 2k rpm. I'm wondering, maybe I'm looking in the wrong spot? What if I'm experiencing wastegate rattle? I'm assuming the sound would be amplified with a cat free exhaust system? Anyone have any experience with this?

I checked the exhaust when the car was off and there was no movement on the wireless system flapper. The ONLY movement was side to side (IE: Not in the same direction that the arm is supposed to move). I'm not sure if that's where the rattle is coming from. Do you guys have this issue? It's the whole butterfly assembly, not just the external part. I can hear it move inside the exhaust side ways. I suspect this could also cause it to rattle, but only a guess. I'm going to try and zip tie / secure the whole assembly so it doesn't move and test again.

Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj- View Post
Question for folks with working setups: Do your cars ALWAYS start up quietly, even weeks after not starting up the car? Mine seems to lose the stored vacuum after 3 days prompting a very loud startup sequence (IE: red mode start up) until sufficient vacuum is built up to operate white mode. Is this normal?
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1mmaniac View Post
I'll test tomorrow. Never checked this. 3 days already sounds like a long time to me.

1mmaniac: Did you ever have a chance to look into this?
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      04-03-2014, 01:46 PM   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj- View Post
Just pulled the car out of storage today. I had forgotten how much fun it was to drive

I'm getting some rattle at low RPMs, especially when starting off from a stop. Always around 2k rpm. I'm wondering, maybe I'm looking in the wrong spot? What if I'm experiencing wastegate rattle? I'm assuming the sound would be amplified with a cat free exhaust system? Anyone have any experience with this?

I checked the exhaust when the car was off and there was no movement on the wireless system flapper. The ONLY movement was side to side (IE: Not in the same direction that the arm is supposed to move). I'm not sure if that's where the rattle is coming from. Do you guys have this issue? It's the whole butterfly assembly, not just the external part. I can hear it move inside the exhaust side ways. I suspect this could also cause it to rattle, but only a guess. I'm going to try and zip tie / secure the whole assembly so it doesn't move and test again.
Just check it when the engine is running. Let someone bring it up to the rpm you mentioned and have a fiddle with the flap. The spring + air pressure is not that strong, you can easily move the flap by hand while running and you'll know instantly if the flap is the problem.
I would imagine you should be able to hear the waste gate rattle when you pop the hood... but I've never experienced this myself.

My flap can also move a bit axially.

Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj- View Post

1mmaniac: Did you ever have a chance to look into this?
Wow... i can't remember I'll check again

Got a question for you though; I've noticed the following since installation of the Akra: While the Akra has 2 modes (open and closed) i always noticed a difference depending on the mode while doing a cold start. I basically have 3 noice levels:
- low: valve closed, doesn't matter whether the vale is open on cold start or not
- medium: valve open, but the valve was closed during the cold start
- high: valve open, during cold start

Do you have the same experience?

Why I'm asking? Since this Monday I'm unable to get to the high noice level anymore :S Overnight I'm only having the medium noicelevel. The big difference is in how 'raw' or 'sharp' the sound inside the car is. I, unfortunatly, can't comment on the actual soundlevel outside the car since I'm always driving it myself. I don't have the exhaust rumble on the downshift anymore or the rumble on just tipping the throttle gently (a blimp up to ~1300rpm) when idling.

In my car I have several RPM sweetspots on where the resonance is the best and car was sounding really raw. Two of those were around the 2200 and 2700 rpm range; they are almost gone now . The high rpm/load rumbles are still there but I absolutely loved my low RPM rumbles.
They are a bit louder when I'm accelerating quickly or the load is higher (driving up a hill or something).

I've check my valve position but is looks ok, the 'loud' pipes don't seem blocked in any way. I will check the rest of the piping as best i can this weekend.

The fact that the sweetspots are a bit louder when there is more exhaust gas I also suspect my ECU. I'm looking for a way to 'reset' it (clear fuel trims, o2 sensor behavior, lambda etc...) but haven't found it yet....
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      04-04-2014, 02:51 AM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1mmaniac View Post
In my car I have several RPM sweetspots on where the resonance is the best and car was sounding really raw. Two of those were around the 2200 and 2700 rpm range; they are almost gone now . The high rpm/load rumbles are still there but I absolutely loved my low RPM rumbles.
They are a bit louder when I'm accelerating quickly or the load is higher (driving up a hill or something).
Experiment with "M Mode" and default mode (non M Mode) and you'll notice that there is definitely a difference in sound. Default mode sounds better, especially in first gear.

The typical Akra sound seems to sing more obviously in default mode, during soft but steady acceleration, especially when the engine is still cold. Try with a cold engine in "Red Mode": accelerate slow and smooth towards 3000rpm and then accelerate progressively between 3000rpm and 4500 rpm to trigger the hallmark Akra rasp to kick in. To me that sounds a little better with the M button de-activated.

As we know, M Mode is a remap, a more sensitive setting (see page 14 of this document: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/attac...2&d=1396203865), and it also appears to have an impact on the sound.

More Akra trivia: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...8&postcount=36
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      04-04-2014, 04:02 PM   #57
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Artemis View Post
Experiment with "M Mode" and default mode (non M Mode) and you'll notice that there is definitely a difference in sound. Default mode sounds better, especially in first gear.

The typical Akra sound seems to sing more obviously in default mode, during soft but steady acceleration, especially when the engine is still cold. Try with a cold engine in "Red Mode": accelerate slow and smooth towards 3000rpm and then accelerate progressively between 3000rpm and 4500 rpm to trigger the hallmark Akra rasp to kick in. To me that sounds a little better with the M button de-activated.

As we know, M Mode is a remap, a more sensitive setting (see page 14 of this document: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/attac...2&d=1396203865), and it also appears to have an impact on the sound.

More Akra trivia: http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...8&postcount=36
I've only used the M-mode once.... I don't like it at all and never used it since so that cannot be the cause.

WHat you describe with the slow acceleration is exactly what i mean and that's what has changed . I never go above 3000rpm with a cold engine though.
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      04-04-2014, 06:44 PM   #58
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1mmaniac: Those different noise levels on start up is exactly what I'm describing. At least, I think it is.

When you get the ultra high noisy start, I suspect it's because you no longer have "vacuum" stored in the tanks. Once this happens, the flap is open and you get a noisy start. The car has to generate boost/vacuum and that's when things start to quiet down naturally.

Try this: Unplug the vacuum cable going into the AK wireless valve and plug it back in. Start the car. It will be ultra loud... Same sound.

My start ups are usually quiet if I limit the amount of time the car sits off. Usually after about 48hours+ I get a loud start.

I would think that if the whole system were perfectly sealed and free of leaks, I should be able to keep the system pressurized for a lot longer (between starts)...

Also, I have similar issues with my noise levels changing, much like you're describing. It no longer sounds like it did before...

Thanks for the suggestion on troubleshooting the noise. Going to get my wife to blip the throttle....
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      04-06-2014, 02:27 PM   #59
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Update. I solved my exhaust rattle. Had nothing to do with my car. I've been chasing this for over two seasons. Expensive exhaust with a zip tie in place on the arm, to secure inner flap from shaking inside exhaust pipe. Unbelievable. It's like a spacer is missing between pipe and arm. I'll take pics later... Exhaust sounds unbelievable... It's always been polluted by rattle, even at high rpms. I never realized....
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      04-07-2014, 02:14 PM   #60
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did you solve this rattle @-cj- ?? how???

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      04-07-2014, 07:28 PM   #61
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I'll take some pictures in the next day or so. But yes, that was the same rattle I had. Basically there's two things you need to do:

1) Ensure that there's no travel left on the arm. That way when it opens and closes it fully secures the butterfly (from moving forward towards front of the car, or backwards towards rear) valve inside the exhaust -(See this thread for more info)

2) You'll notice that the arm doesn't move, but the butterfly unit moves sideways (driver side - passenger side) inside the exhaust pipe. I suspect this is what causes the rattle. I'm still testing this, but I secured a zip tie around the actuator and put some sideways pressure, forcing the butterfly valve inside to stop moving. The arm still travels forward and backwards (white / red mode). In fact I added a dab of anti-seize to ensure there wasn't too much friction.

I'm still testing this out to see if it's solving my issue 100% --- It made a huge difference when I tested it once, but the weather sucks here right now and I haven't investigated further. I'll take pics when I get a chance.

If this fixes the rattle, Akrapovic needs to add a spacer around the arm leading to the butterfly valve.
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      04-07-2014, 09:12 PM   #62
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj- View Post
I'll take some pictures in the next day or so. But yes, that was the same rattle I had. Basically there's two things you need to do:

1) Ensure that there's no travel left on the arm. That way when it opens and closes it fully secures the butterfly (from moving forward towards front of the car, or backwards towards rear) valve inside the exhaust -(See this thread for more info)

2) You'll notice that the arm doesn't move, but the butterfly unit moves sideways (driver side - passenger side) inside the exhaust pipe. I suspect this is what causes the rattle. I'm still testing this, but I secured a zip tie around the actuator and put some sideways pressure, forcing the butterfly valve inside to stop moving. The arm still travels forward and backwards (white / red mode). In fact I added a dab of anti-seize to ensure there wasn't too much friction.

I'm still testing this out to see if it's solving my issue 100% --- It made a huge difference when I tested it once, but the weather sucks here right now and I haven't investigated further. I'll take pics when I get a chance.

If this fixes the rattle, Akrapovic needs to add a spacer around the arm leading to the butterfly valve.
thanks i'll be around checking this thread
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      04-09-2014, 09:38 PM   #63
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My fix didn't work 100%.. It helped, but it was too difficult to secure. I need to go back and look at doing it differently. But here's a video I shot of where I think the rattle is coming from. Do you guys have the same sound coming from your valve?

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      04-16-2014, 01:16 PM   #64
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -cj- View Post
My fix didn't work 100%.. It helped, but it was too difficult to secure. I need to go back and look at doing it differently. But here's a video I shot of where I think the rattle is coming from. Do you guys have the same sound coming from your valve?

I'm glad you found it. I will make a short video of mine this weekend.

Mine is still running 'strange'. Besides the sound i also notice a change and the throttle position vs rpm (or torque) this is noticable on downshifts since my rev matching is off. The car is also 'jerking' more in the very low rpm (around 1200 rpm, noticed it driving in traffic jams). To me it feels like the engine is running leaner.

I'm looking for someone in the neighborhood to have a look at error messages. Maybe I'll just visit the dealer this week....


btw: I have no vacuum after 48hrs.
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      04-23-2014, 07:19 PM   #65
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Hey guys.

Slight update. I suspect my rattle source to be my wireless kit flapper. Here's a sample video I shot demonstrating the issue:



I have a replacement which I'm going to have installed ASAP. I tried to make it rattle in the same fashion, but could not! It is a MUCH tighter fit than the one on my car.



I'll keep you guys posted if it solves my problem.
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      04-27-2014, 10:37 PM   #66
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Update: There's still *something* rattling on my car when I rev at low RPMs, but 95% of my rattle was solved with the replacement of the defective Akra flapper unit. Going to figure out where the other rattling is coming from, sounds like it's coming from the passenger side...
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