2006 3.0si - destroyed DISA

Fabiantir

Member
Hi all,

Not much to say other than if you get DISA codes, check asap!

I bought my E86 near the end of 2024 and since I got it, it's always had a slightly rough idle. Fuel economy has been fine, and it's always felt plenty quick so I didn't treat it with much urgency.

I smoked the intake and found a leak from the sound gen pipe - that sorted the slightly positive fuel trim but did not cure the rough idle.

I consistently had weird behaviour after using cruise control, but the rest of the time the car was fine, so I put that down to maybe an electrical issue and I don't use cruise control that much anyway.

Anyway, this week things were a bit worse - idle felt worse than usual and I had a couple of moments where the engine almost cut out. I scanned the car and up comes 2AAB. Since this is for the big DISA, I thought may as well whip it out over a lunch break and see what's what.

What greeted me was an utterly obliterated DISA valve. The green seal is destroyed, and the flap is hanging on by a thread. It's completely loose in the housing so I assume that the gear at the bottom is wrecked as well as the pin at the top.

Mercifully, I can actually see the pin stuck in the intake, so I think I can retrieve that relatively easily. But my god, I was living on borrowed time there.

Once that's sorted, I am hoping it will sort out the idle and maybe some catalyst efficiency codes as well (from lean running). Then it will be on to the OFHG, oil cooler, and rear brake shields 😅
 
You were very lucky!! My DISA flap took a trip into the valve train just before Christmas. No warning, just went from nice, pleasant running to lumpy, noisy, vibrating lump. Plastic flap stuck in inlet valve but stayed in one piece and metal pin didn't contact valve faces. Luckily near to home and Indy garage managed to all recover bits and replaced DISA. Still not great but could have been worse.
 
:oops::oops::oops: This is exactly what went through my head when I pulled it out! Got v lucky this didn't turn into a bigger job. Planning to get the small one out soon when I've got a bit more time to pull the alternator and try to go underneath the intake manifold
You were very lucky!! My DISA flap took a trip into the valve train just before Christmas. No warning, just went from nice, pleasant running to lumpy, noisy, vibrating lump. Plastic flap stuck in inlet valve but stayed in one piece and metal pin didn't contact valve faces. Luckily near to home and Indy garage managed to all recover bits and replaced DISA. Still not great but could have been worse.
 
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