Audi A6 2.7 & 3.0 TDi EGR & Intake system cleaning info please...

[gupsterg]

Rights peeps ...

I recently acquired a top section of the manifolds (item 40) and a throttle body adapter item (item 31) Link:- http://www.jimellisaudiparts.com/sho...g=charge%20air

I've tried cleaning the top section manifold by manual method, gonna also use some bottle cleaner brushs to clean internally any ideas on what chemical may aid cleaning?

I've now in my possession new EGR valve, new EGR cooling unit , used EGR cooler, used top section manifold, used throttle body adaptor, only lack the lower manifolds items 46 & 47 on audi parts link above ... any peeps have any going? if anyone see some cheap ebay listings please PM ...

[MarkTM]

any ideas on what chemical may aid cleaning?.

Brake cleaner's what I've used on such components in the past, done outside well away from the house and wearing a pair of marigolds as the gunk will get under your nails and won't come out easily. I think some places sell EGR cleaning sprays...but maybe the same thing just double the price?

Naturally you can forget about the gloves if you're going for a manicure straight afterwards Gup!?

[Scott K]

What about oven cleaner? It's supposed to be designed to removed baked on carbon deposits. Might be worth a shot if you can get some good quality (industrial strength) stuff.

[gupsterg]

SO fellow members ...

Today I was scrapping away at the carbon in the top section of the manifold, I got to a point where the majority of it had been removed but there was the last layer left. I carried on scraping and sprayed intake with some WD40, the drier layer of carbon instantly soaked up oil and become this bubblegum like consistency glob.



Above video and below is a secondhand top manifold I bought to cleanup at leisure ...



As cleaning progresses can start to see the seems on intake ...





The aftermath of the cleaning area ...



After a rinse off with water ...







Here is a zoom shot of an area which was left after using screwdriver/coat hanger wire to clean intake ...



Above was then taken care of by using metal scourer attached to wooden pole ... note on the left of pic there is a divider, which I've marked on below photo as well ...



This smaller two chambers were more difficult to clean, I used a metal scourer attached to a electrical wiring rod by some disc's cut from topup cards (will upload more photos later) ...

Soon hope to do lower manifolds and nail the EGR woes I have ...

[gupsterg]

What about oven cleaner?

Good call mate ... I used some Big D and it was good IMO , was about £3 for a 6 pack of them ...



In post 64 the last photo where the red line is a divide occurs, the length/tightness of curves meant certain hand tools could not reach/clean effectively thus Big D's foaming action helped dissolve/soften these deposits so a scourer attached to a bendy electrical wiring rod could!

Also the shine it created on the metal throttle body adapter where EGR gas ports is, was amazing ...
It was so much quicker and brighter finish than cloth doused in diesel I used last time ...

Before ...



After ...



Only got to now run a cloth through the EGR ports you see in above photo ... again this is a 2nd hand TBA which I'm cleaning in advance, my original one is still fitted to car ...

[2fquick]

Wow sparkly clean : I didn't have that much time/patience.

Are you offering a clean & exchange service?

[MarkTM]

Gup, can you give some sort of timescale to dismantling/cleaning/reassembly please?

Something I might attempt if I knew I had the time.

[gupsterg]

Wow sparkly clean : I didn't have that much time/patience.

Thanks , the 2nd hand top intake & throttle body was £30 inc P&P from DE, most UK scrapper's don't seem to reply to my requests, IMO well worth the £££ to be able to leisurely clean and enjoy a beer or two whilst doing it ...

Are you offering a clean & exchange service?

LOL! ... I've thought once I install new/used(cleaned) intake & EGR parts I'll inspect them on next yearly service to see what state they are as I'm really perplexed why mine are so coked up ...

Gup, can you give some sort of timescale to dismantling/cleaning/reassembly please?

Dismantling approx. 10-15 mins

Due to location of lower bolt on throttle body adapter I had to remove top intake manifold and it together. Throttle unit will also come out with it if not undone, remember to unplug elec.harness on lower side of it. Service guide does not highlight removing the fuel pipes to high pressure pump and interconnecting one for fuel rail 1 & 2, I had to on mine. This could be due to mine have earlier design of common rail pump/rail but .

Cleaning

The TBA this time took all of 30-45 mins IIRC, first scrape main chamber & EGR chamber with screwdriver. The EGR section has this dry sooty deposit, it's best to scrape that without any cleaning agent at first. Next used coat hanger wire to clean the EGR ports in TBA, then like in post 5 use cable tie/cloth with oven cleaner to clean further. This time I just hoovered with PVC hose inserted into crevice tool (I have old VAX for DIY tasks) didn't use air compressor this time. Finally fill main chamber with oven cleaner and use scourer for finish!

The top intake manifold took 2-3 hrs IIRC, I feel I could halve that time now after devising hand tools/method to use. First I scraped with screwdriver, the seems I used coat hanger wire with a 5mm 90 degree bend at front. Then I sprayed with WD40 to soften up harder final layer, repeated scraping. Then washed with hot water, sprayed with oven cleaner then used scourer to achieve final finish.

Green + Orange boxed area scourer by hand. Blue boxed area scourer was used by not fixing to wooden pole but sandwiching scourer between intake and pole to move it/apply pressure. Red boxed area scourer attached to flexible electrical wiring rod, smaller scourer for section right of red rectangle and larger to left, the scourer needs to be sized to fit snugly in sections to achieve abrasive action. I used metal ball shaped scourers.

Will add photos of tools used at some point ...

[Columbusracing]

hey gup good efforts on the cleaning Don't know if you've seen this but some of the UK Terraclean dealers are just receiving this latest bit of tech:
TerraClean
I think there are only 7 dealers in the country who have it and most of them in the northwest which is no use to you but might help others.

The system was developed with Mercedes in Canada after the new ML running into huge egr deposit problems because of the control requirements for the new euro 6 emissions criteria.
They had had vehicles coming to a complete stop due to inlets being completely blocked in 8000 km just like some of the london taxi's. The idea of the new tool is to as the description i linked says reduce the need for lots of stripping down and apparently gives pretty amazing results. I was chatting with a dealer who had seen the raw product clean an inlet with just dipping!!! I've seen stuff on the internet of a uk dealer cleaning the entire system on a troublesome avensis. I think the method goes egr cleaner to egr valve and then inlet, can and will even clean stuck turbo veins.

Hopefully more of the dealers will be getting it soon and some prices might start coming out of the wood work.
Could end up saving people not as hands on as yourself sort similar problems.

I finished rambling top job on the cleaning and the write up

[gupsterg]

Hi ya mate ...

Firstly I must thank you for offering help/space when I was doing my injectors luckily weather sorted itself and all went well , due to time issues never been able to swing by and see you but hope to see you in person at sometime and have a chin wag ...

hey gup good efforts on the cleaning Don't know if you've seen this but some of the UK Terraclean dealers are just receiving this latest bit of tech:
TerraClean

Thank you for viewing & commenting , cheers for that link , there is a Terraclean thread on VWAFbLink:- Terraclean anyone?? and someone was stating new developments, there is a dealer of terraclean local to me/you. An acquaintance of mine is friends with owner of that outlet, perhaps I'll have to swing by and pick his brains ...