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      05-17-2017, 10:13 PM   #138
chadillac2000
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Drives: 2015 BMW M3
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Asheville, North Carolina

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Even though I just finished up with a large round of modifications, I've found myself tinkering with my setup once again. This time I started tearing things down for a few different reasons.

I had become fatigued from the constant noises expelled from the HKS blow off valve under the hood. I was impressed and entertained for the first 6 months or so, but the combination of inlets, trimmed engine cover for catch cans, BMS cowl covers and the HKS BOV made it audible whenever the throttle was lifted no matter the RPM or boost level. That, coupled with the fact the fact that I'll probably be pushing 25psi when I upgrade the turbos, I wanted a more robust (and quiet) combination of charge pipe and blow off valve.

Enter the proven Evolution Racewerks black anodized long charge pipe with a black Tial blow off valve bolted on. It was slightly used, but I was able to purchase this one for exactly what I sold my previous Evolution Racewerks short charge pipe with HKS blow off valve. Besides a few little paint chips, everything looked pretty much brand new.





Before I uninstalled the current setup and sent it off to the new owner, I took the time to transfer over the rubber o-ring for the interior seal of the charge pipe, the large C-clip, and finally the 3.5 BAR sensor and BMS adapter.



I quickly got to work taking off the intakes, engine cover, old charge pipe, throttle body, and pulled back the catch cans in preparation to remove the intake manifold.



Why would I go through all of this simply to get the charge pipe setup swapped out? Even though I hadn't broken off the plastic OEM vacuum source nipple on the intake manifold, with this new Tial blow off valve, I wanted to have a dedicated vacuum source with a larger diameter hose. Hopefully this would avoid the fluttering that some people experience with inlets, as well as make the BOV respond instantly.

Because of the orientation of this particular charge pipe, I would be able to utilize a very similar location for the larger vacuum source I'd be creating. Seeing as I'm the planning ahead type, I'd already placed an order on Amazon so I'd have all the necessary supplies to make this as quick and painless as possible. With the intake manifold removed, the old nipple was plugged, and an 11/32" drill bit was used to tap the new vacuum source.



Following the initial drill bit pass, I took a 1/8" NPT tap and created a threaded spot to screw in the 1/8" NPT to 1/4" barbed fitting I also had.





The barbed fitting threaded in perfectly, but considering there would be a lot of pressure flowing through this manifold at times, some added protection would be needed. Some JB weld on the threads and surrounding areas would be enough to do the trick. I was very careful with this portion of the project, as I've seen some very messy DIY results due to sloppiness on this step.



Add some 1/4" (6.35mm) high temperature silicone vacuum hose, a small hose clamp to ensure the barbs hold, and now this Tial BOV should have no problem operating properly.



At this point I also took a flashlight and took a peek at my intake valves. With 61,000 miles on the odometer I cleaned my intake valves spotless and installed catch cans on the high and low sides including an external PCV system. With 74,500 miles on the odometer today, I was somewhat disappointed at what I saw. The valves weren't fully gunked up, but there were plenty of deposits on all 6 cylinders. It appears without some type of injection setup in conjunction with all the other preventative steps I've taken, eliminating intake valve cleanings completely may not be possible. Oh well, at least I'm getting better at removing my intake manifold.

As did my last, the Evolution Racewerks charge pipe fit great and came with high quality clamps. I made sure to get the charge pipe fully seated and all the t-clamps on the upper intercooler hose to charge pipe connection tightened and over the bead. The black anodized pipe and black finish of the Tial BOV look great in the engine bay and are much preferred over the previous polished look.



With everything bolted back on, its hard to tell the engine bay is even modified. The charcoal colored filters, and black plasti-dipped upper components, black catch cans, etc. keep everything subtle and stock-looking.



Before firing up the car, I turned on the ignition and connected with my JB4 Mobile App, activated the 3.5BAR TMAP option, and saved the settings. The car cranked without issue and there were no leaks under vacuum that I could find.

First impressions of this setup over the old:
  • Under low throttle driving situations, the Tial BOV is essentially silent.
  • Once you reach boost levels around 10psi, things become audible.
  • Letting off the accelerator under full boost or during shifts, the sound is sensational!
  • No fluttering under any boost levels with my MMP inlets.
  • This is a setup I can enjoy far more as a daily driver. The cowl filters no longer let in a whoosh any time the gas pedal is released. In fact, I have to purposely dip deep into the throttle before the Tial shows itself.
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2008 BMW 135i Single Turbo Build Thread HERE
2016 BMW M5 Competition Build Thread HERE
2015 BMW M3 Build Thread HERE

Last edited by chadillac2000; 05-17-2017 at 10:24 PM..
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