Broken Jun B.L EVC valve on day 1, need help...

[ddaversa]

Hey everyone,

now I know this topic's been covered before; I read up on it before installing, and now that I'm having the problem, but it's so all over the place that I can't seem to gather proper information, so I'm thinking a new thread could be it.

I need help -- I just installed my Jun B.L EVC Exhaust on my Stinger today (done by a mechanic), we tested it on-site and it worked well. Took it home and on my very first drive home, I left with the valves on, it sounded amazing... two minutes later, I turn off the valves, works... then I try to turn them back on... dead! The system literally didn't last 5 minutes out of the garage that one of the valves (passenger side) is leaking. Brought it back, did vacuum tests, everything is fine all the way up to the passenger side valve. So for now we bypassed the "Y" connector and only my driver-side valve is functional, the other one is always off.

I can't explain the feeling -- it hurts. A lot. I was so excited to install this, and it died on me after 5 minutes. Sooooooooo with that said, the problem is well documented, I'm going to need to replace the valves. Does anyone know where I can find those? I had found a bunch on eBay that I actually wanted to buy before I even installed it -- expecting the problem, except the guy said he can't get them from the vendor anymore (Jun B.L) because now they do an electronic version! Panic level 50% lol.

Does anyone have some suggestions? Even if it's just a shop that sells them, I don't mind paying. I got the exhaust at a lower price on eBay, and while it was brand new, I don't mind accepting that ... that's what eBay is.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hojae84]

assuming vacuum line and 12v wire is all done up properly

before you try purchase and replace the value... eliminate the possibility of it being a simple straightening/minor bending back on the actuator
that is what happened for me after a shop installed mine. they didn't test it out that well
but i shined a flashlight on the outer pipes to see if they were opening/closing at the switch of a button

the open/close only worked once.. then only 1 side would open/close... other was just stuck

see the circled part? with the engine off, you should be able to smoothly push it up, and it will automatically go back down as there is a spring
test to see if you can push it up all the way without the mechanism binding
if it's binding as you push it up because it's not aligned well, you may need to get pliers to straighten out the part parallel to the red line

hopefully that works... if not then yeh looks like you need a replacement

 

[ddaversa]

assuming vacuum line and 12v wire is all done up properly

before you try purchase and replace the value... eliminate the possibility of it being a simple straightening/minor bending back on the actuator
that is what happened for me after a shop installed mine. they didn't test it out that well
but i shined a flashlight on the outer pipes to see if they were opening/closing at the switch of a button

the open/close only worked once.. then only 1 side would open/close... other was just stuck

see the circled part? with the engine off, you should be able to smoothly push it up, and it will automatically go back down as there is a spring
test to see if you can push it up all the way without the mechanism binding
if it's binding as you push it up because it's not aligned well, you may need to get pliers to straighten out the part parallel to the red line

hopefully that works... if not then yeh looks like you need a replacement

View attachment 53708

Oh wow, you're giving me a bit of hope here! I will try that with my mechanic tomorrow. Fingers crossed. I can't seem to find a single place where they sell replacements at the moment, apparently, Jun B.L stopped doing these in favor of the electric one -- kind of a slap in the face to current owners. I hope that statement is false.

 

[ddaversa]

see the circled part? with the engine off, you should be able to smoothly push it up, and it will automatically go back down as there is a spring
test to see if you can push it up all the way without the mechanism binding
if it's binding as you push it up because it's not aligned well, you may need to get pliers to straighten out the part parallel to the red line

So I did just that -- I wouldn't call it smooth. It had some resistance. However the same resistance (if not more) on the driver side, which works fine. Strange. Hopefully, we sort this out, it doesn't make sense that the valve broke on day 1, even my mechanic (certified BMW engineer, they install them there too) couldn't believe it.

 

[Hojae84]

what helped me was having someone turn the switch on and off while shining a flashlight, and compare to see how 'open' the valves are on the outer tips
compare both sides and also compare from underneath on the pic i attached
had to make tiny adjustments until it both opened pretty much parallel to the ground and closed fully when off
i also used a wire hanger (can use any long thin pokey thing) to nudge the valves open/closed for the one side thru the tips that wasn't working (it would work to open but not close, or the other way around i forgot) for me while i was doing all the troubleshooting since it seemed like they would get stuck in a position due to the binding due to misalignment
small adjustments then testing repeated a few times sorted the issue out for me

keep us posted - be curious to know what is causing this issue on your end
i do recall the valves being sold on ebay if the above doesn't seem to work
best bet may be to find an ebay seller for the same exhaust -- then msg them directly to ask
Seller :
partscombined <--- think this guy got me some

 

[ddaversa]

what helped me was having someone turn the switch on and off while shining a flashlight, and compare to see how 'open' the valves are on the outer tips
compare both sides and also compare from underneath on the pic i attached
had to make tiny adjustments until it both opened pretty much parallel to the ground and closed fully when off
i also used a wire hanger (can use any long thin pokey thing) to nudge the valves open/closed for the one side thru the tips that wasn't working (it would work to open but not close, or the other way around i forgot) for me while i was doing all the troubleshooting since it seemed like they would get stuck in a position due to the binding due to misalignment
small adjustments then testing repeated a few times sorted the issue out for me

keep us posted - be curious to know what is causing this issue on your end
i do recall the valves being sold on ebay if the above doesn't seem to work
best bet may be to find an ebay seller for the same exhaust -- then msg them directly to ask
Seller :
partscombined <--- think this guy got me some

I'll definitely write more on this after further testing, but I just hung up with my mechanic and he told me that he did in fact try to manually push them while I was doing the vacuum test, it didn't help. So it's not looking too good for me.

Basically, he connected the valves directly to a tool that he uses to test the vacuum and we figured the valve was leaking. He pushed it up, did the test, it was still leaking. So it seems it's just not airtight.

As for partscombined, he's indeed super nice -- I'm communicating with him right now! He's the one that had got me a deal (that I accepted) even before I got it installed, by precaution -- and unfortunately, he had to cancel my order because he can't get them from the manufacturer anymore. Jun B.L is discontinuing these in favor of the electronic valves. So now I'm checking with him if it's possible to buy just that part, and if so, I'll replace the whole thing with the remote control version. I really wouldn't mind having a remote control key for this! but considering my luck right now, I have very little hope.

I've also had 0 luck finding these anywhere else, so I'm feeling kinda hopeless right now.

 

[Hojae84]

I'll definitely write more on this after further testing, but I just hung up with my mechanic and he told me that he did in fact try to manually push them while I was doing the vacuum test, it didn't help. So it's not looking too good for me.

Basically, he connected the valves directly to a tool that he uses to test the vacuum and we figured the valve was leaking. He pushed it up, did the test, it was still leaking. So it seems it's just not airtight.

As for partscombined, he's indeed super nice -- I'm communicating with him right now! He's the one that had got me a deal (that I accepted) even before I got it installed, by precaution -- and unfortunately, he had to cancel my order because he can't get them from the manufacturer anymore. Jun B.L is discontinuing these in favor of the electronic valves. So now I'm checking with him if it's possible to buy just that part, and if so, I'll replace the whole thing with the remote control version. I really wouldn't mind having a remote control key for this! but considering my luck right now, I have very little hope.

I've also had 0 luck finding these anywhere else, so I'm feeling kinda hopeless right now.

is it just 1 side you need?

 

[ddaversa]

is it just 1 side you need?

One side is working, but if I can get valves, I will get anything between 2 and 4. If it died on day 1, I wonder how many I'll need if I plan to keep the car for at least another 3 years lol.

 

[ddaversa]

A little update; through partscombined on eBay, we got to communicate directly with Jun B.L about them. They won't produce any more valves. They don't recommend upgrading to the electronic system since that costs 500$ USD + shipping + work to solder it in. Instead, Jun B.L themselves suggested to just go to a body shop and get some variable vacuum valves & use them.

So I did just that. Ordered some valves that seem to be having a matching bolt pattern, and we'll try to fit those in. They all seem to be pretty standard, it seems the ones Jun B.L used have a weird "T-hat" shape, but they screw in the same way.

Once they're in (ETA Thursday), we'll see if we can replace them. I'll update/post pics then.

 

[ddaversa]

Done!

It took some extra work, but I managed to change the valves on both sides. Jun B.L suggested to just go buy them at a body shop & replace them, and on the picture they sent as a suggestion, they showed valves with 3 screws -- so that's what I got.

However, when we lifted the car back up, we realized it only had two screws. Literally _every_ valve I've seen in local shops & online looks like the one on the left, but Jun B.L had to do their own thing & make my life hard.

Cut off a screw, screwed one in (the other one is behind the plate, keeping everything in place), had to grind the holes a bit bigger, and the handle a bit so the stopper clip could fit, but after it was all said & done, it worked like a charm. Valves open & close on demand pretty fast, EVC goes from loud to completely silent in a second.

Also of note, I've seen many reviews about the Jun B.L sound vs Borla, but if you ask me, it's absolutely perfect. I do have the Jun B.L mid pipes installed, so those may make it a bit louder, but it sounds "just right" to me.

Side note, I'm upset today though, I had completely missed the Ultimate Performance's HFC Downpipe + Mid Pipe Combo Kit. If I had seen that, I would have gone for it. I want to squeeze as much HP as I can from this thing... so I might end up swapping them later this year & reselling my Jun B.L ones ...

 

[STINGER]

Had mine for maybe two years now, no issues with the valves. My exhaust is a custom one off from Jun though and it sounds very loud when open.

 

[ddaversa]

Had mine for maybe two years now, no issues with the valves. My exhaust is a custom one off from Jun though and it sounds very loud when open.

Oh, wow. How did you get something custom? I can't even get to their support directly.

 

[STINGER]

Oh, wow. How did you get something custom? I can't even get to their support directly.

I contacted them directly via email, they were very supportive.

 

[ddaversa]

I contacted them directly via email, they were very supportive.

Wow, I can't even find their email.
Edit: Actually, I had the email from their fb page, but they never replied.

 

[SKStinger]

Done!

It took some extra work, but I managed to change the valves on both sides. Jun B.L suggested to just go buy them at a body shop & replace them, and on the picture they sent as a suggestion, they showed valves with 3 screws -- so that's what I got.

However, when we lifted the car back up, we realized it only had two screws. Literally _every_ valve I've seen in local shops & online looks like the one on the left, but Jun B.L had to do their own thing & make my life hard.

Cut off a screw, screwed one in (the other one is behind the plate, keeping everything in place), had to grind the holes a bit bigger, and the handle a bit so the stopper clip could fit, but after it was all said & done, it worked like a charm. Valves open & close on demand pretty fast, EVC goes from loud to completely silent in a second.

Also of note, I've seen many reviews about the Jun B.L sound vs Borla, but if you ask me, it's absolutely perfect. I do have the Jun B.L mid pipes installed, so those may make it a bit louder, but it sounds "just right" to me.

Side note, I'm upset today though, I had completely missed the Ultimate Performance's HFC Downpipe + Mid Pipe Combo Kit. If I had seen that, I would have gone for it. I want to squeeze as much HP as I can from this thing... so I might end up swapping them later this year & reselling my Jun B.L ones ...

Glad you got it sorted.

I recommend doing some research on the HFCs before going that route. From what I’ve read they’re a bitch to install and it’s almost impossible to not break a stud off on the turbos. People have had over boost issues with them also. More trouble than it’s worth IMO.

 

[ddaversa]

Glad you got it sorted.

I recommend doing some research on the HFCs before going that route. From what I’ve read they’re a bitch to install and it’s almost impossible to not break a stud off on the turbos. People have had over boost issues with them also. More trouble than it’s worth IMO.

Ah, you are literally saying the same thing my mechanic just told me not even an hour ago. It's a finicky mod, and KIA will also gladly void my engine's warranty if they wanna be jerks. Plus since I already have the Jun B.L mid pipes, swapping those is a waste of time/money since they'll end up doing the same.

I think I'm good. The car is crazy fast, no ECL whatsoever, I think I should calm down now & enjoy my ride! lol

 

[NS_Stinger]

Had mine for maybe two years now, no issues with the valves. My exhaust is a custom one off from Jun though and it sounds very loud when open.

I bet it is loud when open, that's a muffler delete with the value open, that photo looks amazing, top notch quality by the looks of it.

 

[STINGER]

I bet it is loud when open, that's a muffler delete with the value open, that photo looks amazing, top notch quality by the looks of it.

yup, quite when closed and very loud when open. It's also 63mm all the way instead of 54mm.