Any further progress to report?

 

Not yet...still waiting for a free or cheap, BUT ALREADY SUPPOSEDLY IRREPARABLE ONE, to find its way to ebay or to me through a pm. If nothing happens soon I'll just buy one off eBay.de . I've had some issues with my V12 BMW, the Cessna is in for Annual inspection, been reviving my NSX to sale as well as my Cat 3306/150kw to fund another airplane purchase in addition to working non stop. I also have to do timing belt on my jeep CRD...so this fall/winter I'll get to the next round of MB mods.

The next group is the modified intake, custom catch tank/plumbing for case breather and AEM water/methanol injection. This summer here in Texas I've seen IAT numbers in the 160-170F range...this is not happening in 2015!

 

Its pretty easy to mod the original intake manifold instead of paying a lot of money for one without the flaps.

My M55 motor (swirl flap motor) jammed up at 168 000kms on my 2005 E320 CDI last year. The car went into limp mode and set a code for the M55 motor. So I googled the problem and went with this solution.

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/sh...ad.php?t=97061

I disconnected the M55 motor and put a 4.7k ohm resistor across the connector then pushed the rod that controls the flaps into the open position and drove around like that for a few weeks no problem.

Then I decided I might as well take the intake manifold out to remove the flaps and clean it. Its all pretty straight forward I was done in a weekend. I removed the intake and took the flaps out and got rid of all the linkages then tapped the holes with a 1/2 fine thread tap if I recall correctly. I know the link above says M16 but when I had it all apart M16 was way too big! 1/2 inch seemed like the best fit I remember M12 being too small and M13 being a little bit too big and I wanted to remove as little of the manifold as I could so I don't make anything weaker. I got the manifold bead blasted and washed to clean it up. There was about 1/8 inch thick of soot buildup in my manifold with the majority of it being in the top middle right after the mixing pipe where the egr is introducted into the manifold. My car is remapped by Upsolute for added power and egr reduced since 140 000km. Then I put some 1/2 fine thread bolts in with washers and thread sealant and put everything together and then added this egr delete.

http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/sh...ad.php?t=88374

My car now has 192 000km with no engine related problems. I did have a problem not too long ago with the steering angle sensor setting off esp malfunctions but that I took apart and cleaned it and haven't had problems since.

As for differences I noticed no difference in power or fuel economy from having swirl flaps so it must be very minimal.

 

I'm only thinking I have a little gain from the removal of carbon buildup on the ports, runner and valves when I take it apart. Since I want to clean the ports and valves at the same time it would be very time conscious of me top rebuild and clean a "junk" manifold first, sort of stupid but I want to paint or powder coat it at the same time. I'll be redoing my case vent and egr was long ago programmed out, combined with post cooler water/meth the cold side of the motor should stay very clean from that point out. I have been playing with water/meth a lot on my motorcycle dyno and at least in Texas heat the results have been very pleasing, a 130-150 bhp naturally aspirated motor can gain 8-14 bhp in the higher revs at an ambient intake temp of 120-135F, not uncommon in dyno cell conditions. On forced induction gasoline engine you can run MUCH leaner safely under boost which makes total gains over 20-25bhp easy. My exhaust is, shall we say, very low restriction so the steam cleaning effect from the water side should clean the chamber and nozzles and hot side as well really on diesel as on gasoline motors.

Flap airflow obstruction might be a total of say 10-15% if really carboned up! Ports and valves and runners all seem to flow pretty well even with buildup but another 10% or so seems possible? I have a buddy with a flow bench, time permitting I could test before and after? I don't often use flow benches in my line of work which may seem blastphemous but, total flow numbers mean little when it comes to total flow trapping.


Other than ap dynos using smartphone I have no automotive dyno access without spending ca$h but basic testing has proven these application dynos using the cars accelerometer fairly accurate if you input all valid data. Gotta get a new phone, NYC was unkind to my last one while on vacation last week. Saving my cash and selling most of my other cars right now for a large purchase this spring, N3778N if you are into planes.

Once again, if anyone has a junk manifold let me know.

 

So there is a very serviceable German model intake on eBay right now...price is good, no fitments issues anyone knows of? I'm getting an itchy trigger finger...egr is already programmed out so no errors once servo eliminator for intake flaps is figured out, perhaps GED could just turn it off in a map variant for me?

 

Damnit, only $88 used in my paypal that I never use....anybody need a model to small-ish sized ga turbine?

 

Not on topic but I needed to share...sad day, a decade long chapter of my life closed today when I loaded my NSX onto a car carrier to be transported away to its new home in TN. I'll miss it, but airplane addictions are viscous!

167k miles of driving bliss.

 

Just disconnect the linkage at the motor.

 

And install a resistor.

 

Not sure if you need one since you disconnecting the linkage not the power, this way the motor still runs.

 

OK, I was under the impression even with the motor running, no change would cause a fault.

 

Hi All:

After months of power limiting issues, etc. I pulled my E320 CDI out of service, and removed/cleaned the intake. Tough job for a guy with big hands.

I am slowly getting it back together, and for the life of me, I can't get my head in there enough to figure out where the other end of the coolant hose at the back bottom of the EGR cooler connects.

Can't seem to find the appropriate fitting when looking from above or below.
Anyone have a diagram, or a verbal description? is the port on the firewall, the block, or ??

They really have the straight six packed in there tight!

 

One of them is connected to the heater core on one end. On other side one is connected to the top of the EGR cooler. Second is connected between the bottom side of the EGR cooler and rear bottom side of the intake manifold, there is a nipple on each.

 

I'm guessing your here in the States?... and have the OM648 like I do? I've got an 05 E320 CDI and have been having low fuel economy for some time now. I keep track on Fuelly.com and used to get 32 combined, and now down to 26. Not very comfortable to see this tracking down so much especially since I proactively take care of things so I maintain good fuel economy. I wanted to find out how many miles you had on your car and if the intake was sooted up enough to warrant removal, cleaning/swirl flap removal, and reinstall? Thanks!

 

Hey Josh,

Good to see you here man. I did intake cleaning at 100000 miles - almost nothing on the flaps (I have been using fuel additives all the time), but I also have big drop in my mileage (from 36 mpg highway at 80 mph down to 32.5 at same speed) which started after installing the EGR delete mod. After this I removed it and did software update w/o effect on the mileage, so I end up putting it back and installing cooper plate to block all the gasses and I stopped paying attention to the mileage (it is still lot better than the gassers).

 

Kindly explain to us just how to disconnect and perhaps also unplug the electrical.

Not worried about the CEL as I already have that 'cause the EGR is disconnected.

Thanks and regards,



Derrel

 

I can't give you detailed instructions but when I cleaned my intake I removed the motor not to get wet and damaged, so I am sure that you can disconnect the linkage and affix it to one of the intake runners in open flap position. You probably will be able to reach the flap motor from bottom rear left side of the engine. If you unscrew it, it will give you more room to work on the linkage.

 

After reading the posts here. I still feel theres a good reason why MB engineers kept the "swirl" design alive on the OM642 and now the OM651. I'll try to find more information but all I see now are these.

http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Apr08/1...l_Engines.html

http://www.forum-mercedes.com/topic-...eur-om651.html

 

"...more power is helping the healing process.", lol
Sitting under a plane that is only an ornament;







Parked out front the other day.



Your's is faster, so far.

 

Well life has gotten in way of playing with diesels but will be able to update this thread soon, like in the next couple of months. I ended up getting a non USA spec OM648 manifold from a Sprinter out of eBay.de for $68 delivered, gaskets from ID parts, cleaned and ported manifold myself, in final stages of welding up EGR plate hole. Using porting cutters removed EGR Venturi pipe from up-pipe into manifold, also must weld this up now before reassembly. Will be adding water injection port at Intercoolers out-pipe before IAT sensor during same major disassembled time. EGR cooler/tank is history now. My flash no longer uses swirl valve motor so hopefully without adding resistor I can simply unplug and toss. I will be walnut she'll blasting the intake ports and valves during upgrade/mod process, just bought equipment to help buddy with BMW 335i and was horrified at how much crap came out of his inlet ports, figure I can stick in new 5V glow plugs at same time to replace the 11V ones I have been running for the last three years or so. Hoping more power and more fuel economy for my driving cycle which 95% highway. Car turned 169,000 miles on way home last night. Full tank averages of 34-36mpg are pretty much the norm now, best full tank average last year was 37.8mpg...oh to have favorable winds.

 

Hello, I am in the middle of removing my om648 intake manifold as well and seem to be stuck, with the wiring harness it is entangled around the top the manifold. How do you get around this. I can't find a disconnect clip or anything.

 

I have not checked where harness goes in OM648, in OM612 there are M55, starter motor and CPS connected with that harness and need to be disconnected first.

 

Sorry I must have missed your post. Good to see you as well! Thanks for the MPG feedback too

 

So did you ever figure out your MPG drop issue? I have been using Optilibe for a while based on recommendation from Marchanna ... I do notice an improvement in both power and economy. I get 33 MPG as a norm now and as high as 35 mpg to and from work in lighter mixed city and highway traffic. This is a combination of tune (disabling EGR and additive). I was getting in the low 30s and I am not driving any differently really. I guess the other thing is the weather is a little warmer now too.

I need to take a look at my EGR to see if it is gunked up ... My tune has it disabled now but still should check it.

 

No, unfortunately not yet. I'm getting a good Hunter alignment the end of this week so that may help that side of things. My plan is to test the voltage from the rail pressure sensor and correlate that voltage to a pressure and verify those numbers would be correct for the throttle requested. My fuel pressure from the tank is good so I know that is up to snuff. I'm in the process of gathering information on the 02 sensor but from what I can tell the planar design tends to last 150K miles according to Bosch-I'm just outside that at 164K miles. I'm thinking my most likely culprit may be the MAF sensor. I will have to look into how to test that exactly and what the general failure mode is. I have no CEL's so it's not quite bad enough to throw that off but could be bad enough to cause poor fuel economy?

I'm also whipping up a strange little device that I have had good experiences with in the past for smoothing out rough idle, and restoring fuel economy. It is a ultrasonic distilled water mist based decarbonization unit that will put a nice very fine mist of distilled water directly into the intake tract(post aftercooler right before it goes into the engine). From past experience I have had good results when doing this. I previously used a water mist bottle to mist the water, but now with very fine water droplets/fog generated by the ultrasonic it should work even better. I can also control the voltage to the unit which will control the water mist/fog volume entering the engine.