[Maroisp]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have the work procedure to get the intake out and get the flaps and runners replaced on a w164 - 2009 Bluetec? Also please provide any tricks you may have to get this done easily.

Dealer is charging me 4000$ to do the work...seems a bit expensive.

Thanks for your help

 

[SkippyJasper]

Sounds in the ballpark to me. Considerable work required along with the pricy intakes.
On my '08 CDI we also replaced the oil cooler/seals as they are just one more layer down.
Work will need to include an oil change and coolant change along with a new fuel filter.
I think the labor hours are above 12.
Skippy

 

[BenzEagle]

Have you tried a good independent?

I don't drive a diesel, but the intake manifold on my car was changed 2 - 3 years ago, and the owner told me the dealer wanted twice than the 2500$ the independent charged.

 

[N41EF]

Look for a local diesel shop that works o sprnters. I had the dealer replace mine and the bill was a little over a grand, they didn't remove the intakes, just replaced the swirl flap motor and and checked all of the linkages. Yes, do the oil cooler seals when you do this.



http://www.chirpz.com/swirl/Swirlmotor.pdf

 

[43sqd]

It's not easy. You must get the part before removing intake. M/B does not sell the part, they want you to buy the entire intake.

 

[moosejaw5.0]

Here is a forum member over on PeachParts that did the Oil Cooler in his garage. This is the exact amount of labor that is required to remove the intake. Here is his journey into the bowels of the OM642.

 

[manuelvazquez]

I searched the procedures thru several videos on You-Tube, and did it myself. After buying the parts to fix it and some simple tools, I only spent around $200 and took me 2 days. It wasn't as hard as I thought, just take you time and follow the steps.

 

[Planethill]

I did this on my vehicle last year. It really isn't hard, it's just very time consuming, which is one reason they charge so much for it at the dealership. The other reason is because they (unnecessarily) replace the entire manifold which is more $$$! It feels like you have to unbolt and unhook just about everything to get to that silly piece of plastic!

 

[CLKGroup]

Had the intake manifold replaced a few years ago at my Mercedes indy for $2,700. Also check to see if the oil cooler seals have been replaced. If not, do them at the same time - you will save $$$.

 

[zemun1234]

I have fixed problem with swirl motor for 1 $ - I bought resistor and put in connector (2 inside pins) which it is simulating resistance of actual motor. I am driving for last 80,000 km and no problem at all.

You have to do it this 'fix' once flaps stay open !!! Otherwise, it is not going work.

You can buy same solution on Ebay where somebody put in nice box and selling for $100 ....

My $ 0.02.....

 

[Planethill]

I have fixed problem with swirl motor for 1 $ - I bought resistor and put in connector (2 inside pins) which it is simulating resistance of actual motor. I am driving for last 80,000 km and no problem at all.

With all due respect, this is not a "fix", as the problem is still there. All this does is trick the computer into ignoring it, so it doesnt throw a code. It's like putting black electrical tape over a warning light so you don't have to look at it.

The intake swirl flaps exist for a reason. While it may appear that you have "no problem at all", you still have the problem. Depending on the position they were in when they stopped working, you are either going to have reduced low end torque or a reduction in gas mileage.

I would rather fix the broken part than fake it!

 

[ArcticDweller]

I have fixed problem with swirl motor for 1 $ - I bought resistor and put in connector (2 inside pins) which it is simulating resistance of actual motor. I am driving for last 80,000 km and no problem at all.

You have to do it this 'fix' once flaps stay open !!! Otherwise, it is not going work.

You can buy same solution on Ebay where somebody put in nice box and selling for $100 ....

My $ 0.02.....

Hi Zenum,

The intake manifold flaps may be more commonly known as "Tumble" flaps in M-B vernacular..... by "Swirl" flaps in BMW language...... and simply as "Intake Manifold Flaps" in the Audi world.

All three German manufacturers incorporated the Swirl flap design in their engines to increase the turbulence of the air/fuel mixture entering the intake manifold at low RPMs, hoping to gain better combustion efficiency and reduced emissions at low speeds. :wink

Swirl flaps are more effective for diesel engines than gasoline, as diesels do not have throttles plates to regulate the air/fuel mix.... and so naturally tend to run between lean and rich conditions wildly, because throttle is controlled solely by the fuel injection on diesels.

Typically on a diesel engine the Swirl flaps are designed to function in the following range:

1) Closed at low engine speeds and low injection volumes (map-controlled)

2) Open when:

• the coolant temperature < 14 °C, or
• the amount of fuel > 24 mg, or
• engine speed > 2250 rpm, or
• the intake temperature < -5 °C



If the Swirl flaps are either removed, or left in the OPEN Position, performance change will be minimal and probably no difference will be noticed. Furthermore, the car will still pass an MOT and drive as normal. :grin


IMHO, if you own a MB gasoline engine with Swirl flaps, leaving the flaps in the Open position and using your $1 resistor solution is a proper and effective solution.

All the German manufacturers have retreated from using the Swirl flap technology, as it was more of a PITA, and a danger to the engine, than it was as an effective low-RPM emissions enhancer. :eek


So, while you may take some heat from purists, you are certainly not alone.

Many MB, BMW, and Audi owners are doing what you have posted. :goojob:


Take Care, and May God Bless, Arctic

 

[zemun1234]

Hi Zenum,

The intake manifold flaps may be more commonly known as "Tumble" flaps in M-B vernacular..... by "Swirl" flaps in BMW language...... and simply as "Intake Manifold Flaps" in the Audi world.

All three German manufacturers incorporated the Swirl flap design in their engines to increase the turbulence of the air/fuel mixture entering the intake manifold at low RPMs, hoping to gain better combustion efficiency and reduced emissions at low speeds. :wink

Swirl flaps are more effective for diesel engines than gasoline, as diesels do not have throttles plates to regulate the air/fuel mix.... and so naturally tend to run between lean and rich conditions wildly, because throttle is controlled solely by the fuel injection on diesels.

Typically on a diesel engine the Swirl flaps are designed to function in the following range:

1) Closed at low engine speeds and low injection volumes (map-controlled)

2) Open when:

• the coolant temperature < 14 °C, or
• the amount of fuel > 24 mg, or
• engine speed > 2250 rpm, or
• the intake temperature < -5 °C



If the Swirl flaps are either removed, or left in the OPEN Position, performance change will be minimal and probably no difference will be noticed. Furthermore, the car will still pass an MOT and drive as normal. :grin


IMHO, if you own a MB gasoline engine with Swirl flaps, leaving the flaps in the Open position and using your $1 resistor solution is a proper and effective solution.

All the German manufacturers have retreated from using the Swirl flap technology, as it was more of a PITA, and a danger to the engine, than it was as an effective low-RPM emissions enhancer. :eek


So, while you may take some heat from purists, you are certainly not alone.

Many MB, BMW, and Audi owners are doing what you have posted. :goojob:


Take Care, and May God Bless, Arctic

I appreciate for detail explanation related to swirl motor. In my analysis, I concluded that swirl motor is purpose of 'bluetec' technology (read: clean air) than some real car improvement. In my previous comments, I mentioned that I feel car is running better now

 

[zemun1234]

With all due respect, this is not a "fix", as the problem is still there. All this does is trick the computer into ignoring it, so it doesnt throw a code. It's like putting black electrical tape over a warning light so you don't have to look at it. :laugh

The intake swirl flaps exist for a reason. While it may appear that you have "no problem at all", you still have the problem. Depending on the position they were in when they stopped working, you are either going to have reduced low end torque or a reduction in gas mileage.

I would rather fix the broken part than fake it!

You have very good explanation of purpose swirl motor posted by other user. I agree that removing part is not solution but also sometimes I don't agree with 'Germany technologies'

For this fix, I know that I am right due to I don't feel any regret doing it. Also, if you fix problem with new motor, the problem is going occur sooner or later (bad design - turbo above motor and any leak coming directly to motor.

 

[Planethill]

I agree that removing part is not solution but also sometimes I don't agree with 'Germany technologies'

Hey, a lot of people don't agree with climate change, but that doesn't mean it isn't real. I DO trust that the Mercedes engine designers knew what they were doing. Personally, I would rather have it working the way it came from the factory, because when you "fake out" a sensor, the software will adjust other engine parameters that may not be optimal due to false information.

 

[zemun1234]

Hey, a lot of people don't agree with climate change, but that doesn't mean it isn't real. :grin I DO trust that the Mercedes engine designers knew what they were doing. Personally, I would rather have it working the way it came from the factory, because when you "fake out" a sensor, the software will adjust other engine parameters that may not be optimal due to false information.

Once I added Kleeman chip for power, LED for interior, removed turbo leg,....I made decision to get one step further

Based on explanation of swirl motor, I think the planer Earth is still nice place to be

 

[UsedMB=Glutton4Punishment]

I have fixed problem with swirl motor for 1 $ - I bought resistor and put in connector (2 inside pins) which it is simulating resistance of actual motor. I am driving for last 80,000 km and no problem at all.

You have to do it this 'fix' once flaps stay open !!! Otherwise, it is not going work.

You can buy same solution on Ebay where somebody put in nice box and selling for $100 ....

My $ 0.02.....

Thx for the hack to solve this problem. I have intake runner position sensors on my 2010, so I’m trying to see how people have solved the fact that they still get P2006/P2007 “intake runner stuck closed bank 1/2” or P2004/2005 “intake runner stuck open bank 1/2” if they have the resistor in the plug and the flaps don’t move?

 

[tdennehy]

I have fixed problem with swirl motor for 1 $ - I bought resistor and put in connector (2 inside pins) which it is simulating resistance of actual motor. I am driving for last 80,000 km and no problem at all.

You have to do it this 'fix' once flaps stay open !!! Otherwise, it is not going work.

You can buy same solution on Ebay where somebody put in nice box and selling for $100 ....

My $ 0.02.....

Does anyone have a writeup on where to place the resistor? Is it easily accessible when I open the hood? Also, does anyone know what fuse blows? Someone mentioned a fuse on passenger side under hood blows. I want to check the fuse - as I am having the same exact problem as described in this thread.

 

[Planethill]

Faking out the ECU by using a resistor is bad practice and frankly, a dirty hack. With a resistor in place the ECU may think that the flap motor is moving, but the sensor will still read if the flap is actually opened or closed. And if the flap is in the wrong position it will still throw errors. You might think you have the problem fixed as you may not get a Check Engine Light, but there will be saved errors in the ECU nonetheless and your engine won't be running at peak efficiency.

You have a finely crafted and engineered engine. Why not just fix it properly? It isn't hard at all, just time consuming (98% of that insane $4000 is labor). You can buy an all metal linkage kit cheap on eBay, then it's just un-bolting & removing the intake manifold, fixing the flap linkage, and then putting it back. It just takes awhile to get everything removed and replaced, hence the high labor. The entire repair will cost you $50 and a weekend. Even if you have zero tools, you could buy everything you need to DIY and still come in under $300. Then with the metal parts, it's fixed forever.

 

[tdennehy]

Faking out the ECU by using a resistor is bad practice and frankly, a dirty hack. With a resistor in place the ECU may think that the flap motor is moving, but the sensor will still read if the flap is actually opened or closed. And if the flap is in the wrong position it will still throw errors. You might think you have the problem fixed as you may not get a Check Engine Light, but there will be saved errors in the ECU nonetheless and your engine won't be running at peak efficiency.

You have a finely crafted and engineered engine. Why not just fix it properly? It isn't hard at all, just time consuming (98% of that insane $4000 is labor). You can buy an all metal linkage kit cheap on eBay, then it's just un-bolting & removing the intake manifold, fixing the flap linkage, and then putting it back. It just takes awhile to get everything removed and replaced, hence the high labor. The entire repair will cost you $50 and a weekend. Even if you have zero tools, you could buy everything you need to DIY and still come in under $300. Then with the metal parts, it's fixed forever.

Why would $300 dollars' worth of tools and parts come to $4,000? That's $3,700 in labor? Does it really take 18 hours of labor at $200/hr to do that work?