new intake mani / JHM spacers / carbon clean / plugs - impressions

A6 All/ S6 All
#1

I’d posted awhile back about clatter @ idle and gutting my busted intake flaps

my experience running gutted mani after carbon clean was that it stuttery @ cold starts and in Drive w/ your foot on a brake at a stop light - I’d have to shift to Neutral to keep it from starting to misfire once light turned green and I’d set off

definitely different engine / intake sound, definitely ‘some’ tq loss low, definitely ‘some’ hp gain up high

I bent the hell over and bought a new mani - see new post I’m making now for impressions… took f’n !@#$%^&* 6 (SIX) f’n WEEKS to arrive from Germany. Lame. And with (what we thought) was a defective actuator for the (cold start?) port flaps, as it threw 2004/2005 codes.

It ran REALLY f’n surprisingly STRONG like that… ridiculously so. Like, when it hit 4.8-5.2k (depending on speed, gear, etc.) it was like hitting BOOST. Even part throttle, it was a violent changeover. And it’s not as if it was nothing into everything, as in - missing power before that and then getting it. Nope. Just an awesome surge. Somewhat jerky to drive smoothly.

New actuator went on this weekend (Audi sent one!), but just reading here that it’s likely the flap interference w/ the brackets that’s the issue (whoops / d’oh). It lost that awesome punch, much smoother now - but I swear it’s slower. It felt e60 ///M5 fast the other way, no joke. Now, feels like I did before I did any of the work. It’s fast as hell, but I feel it should be more (IMHO). You could say I have a feel for fast cars :wink:

It goes in today for my wrench to check the actuator and I’m guessing then remove the bracket. It cold starts fine and runs great - think the flaps were stuck in the open position before.

I’m curious to drive it after that’s sorted, as… I’m wondering if flaps are stuck in closed position now. We’ll see. Worst case scenario, we fix the code (remove bracket), I don’t like it… remove actuator linkage to those flaps and just ignore code?

It is SO powerful w/ that surge, it’s nearly retarded :o

Curious on Mr. Incredible’s thoughts here when ya have a moment - thanks!

#2

Its hard to tell for sure until you know if your tumble flaps were pinned open.

When you mechanic performs the work I would suggest having him cycle the flaps both the tq flaps and the tumble flaps. Get a good idea on if they are both working properly.

Any time I have actaually felt what your talking about its been tumble flaps being jammed partially shut and then they would open up suddenly at the upper rpm so it would fall in place of what your talking about if the flaps are hitting the bracket.

I know the JHM tune shuts off the flaps and pins them open other than start up to help with cold starts (no other tune does this) but with them pinned open you get the surge of power from low idle all the way through the rev range. Its not just a small burst in the upper rpm. You can really feel the difference so with all those factors I would say there was a good possibility you were on to something with the tumble flaps being the case.

The OEM ecu slowly opens the tumble flaps to keep the tq down. That also makes the car “smoother” for old people but almost none of us want old person smooth. We all know how to control the GO pedal to have the car be smooth flaps or no flaps.

#3

Thanks.

I believe mine were stuck open.

And it wasn’t just a small burst and up high, it was an ENORMOUS burst and @ 4.9-5.2k (I don’t consider that high heh heh).

Short of getting the JHM tune (I did APR @ purchase and am not in position to re-tune unfort), do you suggest I disconnect those tumble flap actuators in the open position and just deal w/ the nominally rough idle? I experienced it a bit last week on a cold morning, no biggie.

Seems worth the massive power surge. I’m blown away how tangible it was! Car pulls street-bike fast like that when ‘it’ hits, again - e60 M5 fast 8-). Right now, pulls great, smooth, whatever. I can live w/ a CEL and reconnect when need emissions test.

Appreciate your thoughts, as always!