FIXED IT! Exhaust Valve Rattle on My BMW F80 M3

Wanted to make this follow up video to address the exhaust valve rattle noted in my Valvetronic Designs F80 M3 exhaust video and how to fix it (thanks to Valvetronic for jumping in the comments to provide the steps). I also wanted to address the actuator install and identifying the fixing bow (the part I wasn't sure about).
After following their actuator reset steps and tightening everything up, we're good to go. If you didn't see the original video and are interested in a serious exhaust for your F80, check it out: • New Valvetronic Design...
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:08 - Actuator reset
02:41 - Fixing bow install
03:19 - Situating the bow
03:36 - Before and after
03:45 - Wrap up
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Featured Products/Tools:
Fixing bow: www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-...
Note: make sure to validate fitment. This won't fit on the stock F80 exhaust.
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Thanks for watching!
- Jeremy
#f80m3 #exhaustrattle #fixingbow #valvetronic

[@MrSouthernInfo]

Thanks for this video. I got my exhaust installed yesterday and I have this issue. I will be getting this resolved today.

[@jgo.m3]

That sucks, but I'd be interested to hear what gets done to fix it. One of the next videos I'm doing is testing a suggested fix from Valvetronic to see if that works (been meaning to do this for months now).

[@HotRodM4]

Good follow-up video from your last big video!

[@jgo.m3]

Thanks brother! 🍻 Now back to more fun stuff.

[@ianounanian8990]

Thank you so much, this was so helpful 👍

[@jgo.m3]

Awesome! Glad you found it helpful bro 🍻

[@unrealeck]

I have had the Remus system on my car since 2019 and it's way louder than this rattle. I think it's possibly hitting the heatshield but it stops rattling after about 5 or 10 minutes of driving the car. But it's a loud and deep rattle especially with the valves closed.

[@jgo.m3]

Yeah I had a similar issue when I had the Remus system. I'm pretty sure it was rubbing/rattling against the heat shield right before the 90º bend (after the down pipe connection) and you could hear/feel it under the passenger front seat (it settled after cold start). Clearance was much better with the Valvetronic setup.

[@ianounanian8990]

Hello Thank you very much for the install video of the exhaust, that was very helpful as well as this one, I appreciate you taking the time to make these videos. My question is regarding the actual angle of the exhaust itself. My exhaust seems to be shifted towards the drivers side, bring the exhaust itself pulled forward more towards the drivers seat. Any ideas or thoughts about what I did wrong? Thank you once again for your time and help, Ian

[@jgo.m3]

Hey bro, much appreciated! Really glad to hear you found this helpful. The only thing I can think of that really contributes to exhaust alignment on the F8X is how you connect to the down pipes. You should tighten the driver side connection first, since that's a floating flange, and then do the other side. Beyond that, depending on which system you have installed (is it the Valvetronic?), you might run into issues if you don't get the different sections seated correctly. For example, we had a bit of a struggle getting the muffler connection on after the mid pipes were in place due to the angle you need in order to get the connection started and then pushed all the way in. We probably should have assembled it all before lifting it in place, but doing it in sections isn't impossible. If neither of those things help and if you have the Valvetronic setup, drop them a line - I had really positive experiences with responses to questions. Good luck man, hope you get everything figured out! 🍻

[@ianounanian8990]

Thanks for the detailed reply I appreciate it 👍. I think I screwed up with the red hanger. Instead of doing the smart thing like you guys did I thought that I should push out the hanger in place instead of dropping the whole hanger, via the 2 bolts. That was the was worst idea ever because it took forever since I had to crawl under the car like you did. By the way seeing you having to crawl under the car is very, very helping because you are seeing what 99% of car DIY-res😊 are seeing vs a diy exhaust install with people that have access to a car lift. Thanks once again and I look forward to seeing more videos👍. What is the next mod you are planning on doing?

[@jgo.m3]

Ah I gotcha.. yeah that could be an issue. And yeah brother, the under the car struggle is real for most of us haha. Next mod is probably going to be down pipes. I've been debating (and talking about) them for a while now, but it's really the last point of stock restriction I'd like to get rid of. I'm hoping it doesn't make the car absolutely obnoxious but we'll see! Hope to get a set on soon. Thanks for watching 🍻

[@classics07]

Any way to fix the alignment of the tips/exhaust? Passenger side seems higher than the driver, and the tips themselves seem to stick out pretty far. Otherwise it sounds great! Awesome video.

[@jgo.m3]

Thanks brother.. appreciate you checking it out 🍻 And yeah they were a little off; didn't have the driver side tightened enough and they were sagging but I fixed them later that day. As for them sticking out, that's intentional. I'm still playing around with the positioning but I like the look of them popped out a little as opposed to pushed all the way in. There's a fair amount of room to play with so you can tweak them a bit to suit your taste.

[@MrSouthernInfo]

Can you confirm something for me please. With the valve close around 1700-1900ish rpm do you get a rasp noise when driving around from the valve at all? I did order the fixing bow and had the car shop yesterday manipulate the other coiled up spring literally 4 times yesterday and the guy does not want to touch it anymore. He feels as though he is going to break the spring; the rasp is still there but not as bad when initially installed. TIA

[@jgo.m3]

I don't remember what the RPM range was for the rattle before I installed the fixing bow, but I feel like it was higher in the rev range. If you watch the install video during the revs, you can hear it I think between 5-7k. Otherwise, it was super noticeable during cold start.

[@djfinalmrimpossibletoignor2716]

Any link on where to get the fixing bow or the coil looking shape bow..?

[@jgo.m3]

Good call.. here's an OEM one that should work: www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-fixing-bow-18307620323 but make sure to check fitment; this wouldn't work on the stock F80 exhaust. I haven't seen any resembling the one I got with the Valvetronic Designs kit, but I'd bet they're generally interchangeable.

[@djfinalmrimpossibletoignor2716]

Thank you, mine is still stock.

[@ZaedEjaz]

Hey man, i had the rattling noise issue in my F83 after installing the Valvetronic exhaust and I installed the tension clip / bow. However when installing I had lots of resistance. I’m not sure if the valve is opening all the way or not. Could you share some picture of the valve open all the way - Sport or Sports+ mode.

[@jgo.m3]

Technically when the valve is open (sport/+) how much the valve is opened is being regulated by the factory actuator and usually isn't 100% of the way open. You could buy a valve controller (Valvetronic sells one or the dAHLer unit is a popular option) to force it open, which I'm considering. But it's an interesting question: if there's too much tension, would it hinder operation? I would guess no. I've seen the actuator wildly jump when the mode is toggled as it is free hanging (not good for the actuator btw) and it's a pretty violent reaction so I don't even know that we could apply enough tension with the bow to restrict it. I'm going to try the bow stretch method soon and see if that works to get rid of the rattle.

[@ZaedEjaz]

@@jgo.m3 with your factory actuator can you share how much yours’ is opening up?

[@jgo.m3]

I'm making a video on the fixing bow fix soon so I'll get it open at idle then (worth noting though that it's when you're driving that it attenuates)

[@ZaedEjaz]

@@jgo.m3 so during idling and pressing the gas don’t open the valves all the way?

[@jgo.m3]

@@ZaedEjaz nope, it adjusts depending on rpms. The aftermarket valve controllers fix this.

[@jonathansong4807]

Where do I buy the box and the spring thing? What are those called?

[@jgo.m3]

Not sure which box you mean (actuator?) but this is the fixing bow I used: www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-fixing-bow-18307620323

[@carsandcoldbrew6489]

Is this mandatory to do when installing the Valvetronics system?

[@jgo.m3]

Nah I don't think so, just if you have some rattle. In my case, I should have used the bow instead of the coil (which was included by mistake) but didn't know. And for the actuator tension, mine may have been a little off when I put them back on but I don't think that's always the case.

[@carsandcoldbrew6489]

I'm planning to use the coil it came with. Can you list the steps for me😂, sorry. Do I still have to take the valve actuator off if I'm using the same coil spring?

[@jgo.m3]

It's the same process with either the bow or coil. You have to remove the 3 10mm actuator bolts and position the clip between the actuator slot and valve slot but you'll see how it aligns when you have the clip positioned between the 2 slots. Once aligned, tighten the bolts again and you're good to go. If it's slightly off when you clamp it back down, do the startup and open/close valve sequence and that should seat it all the way in place.