BMW Inlet manifold cleanup & EGR disconnect

the merchant

Has anyone done this http://home.tiscali.nl/luuk60/ on a 525d or 530d?

My 525d sometimes blows a little black smoke and I reckon the manifold could be dirty. It was much smokier until I replaced the air filter (which was manky). I'm also considering disconnecting the EGR valve which means the car only takes in clean air but the greens mightn't like it.

Any experiences?

Nforce

Cleaning the EGR is highly recommended.....simple enough to do (at least on my 320d). Some people stick a small ball bearing in the vacuum tube that connects to the EGR in order to block it and prevent future oil build up.

the merchant

Cheers for that - has anyone removed and cleaned the manifold?

MacGyver

the merchant wrote: »

Cheers for that - has anyone removed and cleaned the manifold?

Ive done it on a 320d and i have to say the manifold was a pain. the egr was fine but not the manifold. clear the egr and then take the car for a throttling, should clear out the egr in no time. heres a photo of mine before i did it, but unfortunatly i dont have an after shot, but lets just say id have eaten off it :pac:
http://yfrog.com/6cdsc00028qj

the merchant

Okay, so I removed the EGR valve (which was easy),and as expected is dirty. The manifold was also dirty so I removed that too (not quite as easy to do). I haven't started to clean it yet - going to tackle it tomorrow.

Just wondering if someone could advise me on the cleaning itself ... Is it ok to use a pressure washer or should I just use the carb cleaner/degreaser method?

Nforce

Use a degreaser...brush it on and let it sit for a few minutes in order to disolve the oil build up. I didn't have any when I took mine apart so I used a big can of WD-40 instead....worked perfectly.:)

the merchant

Thanks Nforce, the EGR will be handy to brush but the depths of the manifold could be hard to reach, I suppose I'm wondering if it's safe to power hose a plastic manifold.

There are butterfly valves in each of the square ports operated by an external shaft, which is actuated by vacuum. This isn't in the link I posted initially, i'm not sure what it's for to be honest.

Nforce

the merchant wrote: »

There are butterfly valves in each of the square ports operated by an external shaft, which is actuated by vacuum. This isn't in the link I posted initially, i'm not sure what it's for to be honest.

Swirl flaps?..what year is your car?

Manifold should look similar to this?..

rebel.ranter

There is an article in this month's Total BMW magazine explaining the function of these swirl flaps & the catastrophie that a screwcomng loose on one can cause. They also mention a method of bypassing the need for these flaps eliminating the risk of failure.

I can " lend" you a copy of my article if you wish just PM me.

Nforce

There's also some DIY's available on the net should you wish to remove them eg... here

the merchant

rebel.ranter wrote: »

There is an article in this month's Total BMW magazine explaining the function of these swirl flaps & the catastrophie that a screwcomng loose on one can cause. They also mention a method of bypassing the need for these flaps eliminating the risk of failure.

I can " lend" you a copy of my article if you wish just PM me.

pm sent thank you very much:)

the merchant

Nforce wrote: »

There's also some DIY's available on the net should you wish to remove them eg... here

Excellent, I actually have a 02 e39 525d but the manifold is similar even though the removal is slightly different.

morpheus22

Hi all, first post with a happy running 525d e39.

I have seen others posts saying that there are 2 types of manifolds with respect to the swirl flaps, is this true?

How do i know if my car has the flaps without dismantling the manifold?

Thanks

the merchant

morpheus22 wrote: »

Hi all, first post with a happy running 525d e39.

I have seen others posts saying that there are 2 types of manifolds with respect to the swirl flaps, is this true?

How do i know if my car has the flaps without dismantling the manifold?

Thanks

Some older e39's don't have them at all, but as the 525d is a relatively new model (as opposed to the 525tds) I reckon you have them. BMW have strengthened them since 06-07 I think but that's going to be E60's. You can see if it has the flaps by looking for the actuator ... see pic.

I put mine back together without removing the swirl flaps but I might re-visit it and remove them in a few weeks.

By the way since I cleaned the EGR and manifold the black smoke is GONE and throttle response is significantly improved.

Thanks to all the guys who helped me on this.

bushy...

rebel.ranter wrote: »

There is an article in this month's Total BMW magazine explaining the function of these swirl flaps & the catastrophie that a screwcomng loose on one can cause. They also mention a method of bypassing the need for these flaps eliminating the risk of failure.

I can " lend" you a copy of my article if you wish just PM me.

They "shouldn't" come loose really , 90% of bikes have the throttle flaps held in place by screws , they come loose next to never.

rebel.ranter

bushy... wrote: »

They "shouldn't" come loose really , 90% of bikes have the throttle flaps held in place by screws , they come loose next to never.

The problem is that they do work loose. It is due to the fat that the screws are made of brass & the flaps are plastic. Plastic & brass have different rates of expansion, this accelerates the screws working loose. I would say on motor bike the throttle flaps are metal?
It is a known issue with diesel BMWs.

morpheus22

the merchant wrote: »

Some older e39's don't have them at all, but as the 525d is a relatively new model (as opposed to the 525tds) I reckon you have them. BMW have strengthened them since 06-07 I think but that's going to be E60's. You can see if it has the flaps by looking for the actuator ... see pic.

I put mine back together without removing the swirl flaps but I might re-visit it and remove them in a few weeks.

By the way since I cleaned the EGR and manifold the black smoke is GONE and throttle response is significantly improved.

Thanks to all the guys who helped me on this.

Thanks for the post.

I will look into this and post back.

What would be the cost of doing the job by a professional?
In the meantime that the flaps get removed, what is a good product to clean EGR and manifold?

Thanks

the merchant

I used a combination of service station steam cleaner, carb cleaner, WD40 and paintbrush & petrol. The black carbon/oil mix that comes from the manifold is like a tatoo on the skin so get the marigolds out.

Not sure how much to have this done by a garage but it'll just be labour for the cleaning - maybe three hours. For the swirl flap removal add an hour to the bill plus six blankers from http://www.pmwltd.co.uk/ at £14+vat+delivery.

morpheus22

the merchant wrote: »

I used a combination of service station steam cleaner, carb cleaner, WD40 and paintbrush & petrol. The black carbon/oil mix that comes from the manifold is like a tatoo on the skin so get the marigolds out.

Not sure how much to have this done by a garage but it'll just be labour for the cleaning - maybe three hours. For the swirl flap removal add an hour to the bill plus six blankers from http://www.pmwltd.co.uk/ at £14+vat+delivery.

I was looking at the AMSOIL Power Foam Engine Cleaner & Degreaser http://www.woodsbrosracing.com/amsoil/apf.htm, but the product is not recommended for diesel.

Any other product that does the same on diesel engine?

the merchant

I don't think it really matters which product you use to be honest - either way the manifold has to come out of the car.

morpheus22

Hi

I have checked the manifold on my car and there are no flaps.

Car is a 525d manual.

Regards

morpheus22

Do i need to remove the air intake manifold to change the glow plugs?

Thanks

Trx

Anyone ever done this on an A4 tdi?

MacGyver

morpheus22 wrote: »

Do i need to remove the air intake manifold to change the glow plugs?

Thanks

No, there should be rubber covers in between each intake and i think you can get at the glow plugs from there

morpheus22

MacGyver wrote: »

No, there should be rubber covers in between each intake and i think you can get at the glow plugs from there

Forgot to mention... Car is a 525d 2001

Does the comment still apply?

Thanks

MacGyver

it should be, what year of 525 do you have and ill check?

morpheus22

MacGyver wrote: »

it should be, what year of 525 do you have and ill check?

Hi,

Car is 2001 E39 525d. Engine is M57 (Common Rail, direct injection)

Thanks