Having put a deposit on a 2011 S3 last weekend, I have been reading around the internet and it seems that the TFSI engine suffers from the inlet coking issues that come with Direct Injection. Has anyone got any experience of cleaning these using a method that isn't removing the inlet manifold? Or know of any good companies in the Midlands to get the ports cleaned if I am suffering from the aforementioned?
I did mine over Christmas. The first time you take your manifold off (and try to follow the 'how to' that can be found online), you will curse a million times and it will take ages. The 2nd time you do it, and remember all the little techniques, it will be a much shorter easier job. That is removing/refitting the manifold. To clean the ports you need patience. I bought a rifle cleaning kit from amazon (20) which contains various sizes of brass wire brushes and shafts so I could scrub up the inlet. I also bought some BG Inlet Cleaning fluid - but I'm guessing you could also use petrol. I made sure the valves were closed, poured in the solvent using a funnel... and then proceeded to brush the muck off and soak it up with an old towel. Then I turned the engine by hand and worked on the last cylinder. HUGE TIP. 1) YOU MUST COVER YOUR INJECTORS. tape a sheet or something to the head, or better still, get hold of the little plastic caps that cover the injector hole where it meets the fuel rail. Else you WILL get muck down them and they will end up needing replacing. 2) Buy or improvise an injector removal/fitting tool + buy the injector fitting kit (repair kit) in advance. It is quite likely that one or more injector will get pulled out when removing the manifold. You will need to renew the Teflon injector seal before pushing the injector back in. I'll try to find time to write up a revised 'how to' with tips/reasons included so you don't waste time trying different methods... but don't hold your breath! The result of cleaning the muck out (and new injectors) was a very spritely car. But I'm pretty sure the muck builds up again quite quickly. OR.. there is a guy in the states who has found you can spray in methylated spirits via the manifold temp (or pressure?) sensor hole on the front of the manifold. He used a garden weedkiller sprayer and fan spray attachment (that he chopped to fit the hole) and he sprays the meths in whilst holding the revs high to wash out the muck off the port walls/valves. He used a scope to see the before/after and it seemed to work quite well. Much much easier than removing your manifold. I'd be inclined to try the meths next time, as it can be done along with an oil service. I'll try to dig out his forum posts (another forum) and his youtube video.
Makes it tempting to go to water meth injection for cleaner engine and masses of more power. Hmmmmmm 400bhp, but fwd
I've done this, it's not that hard just a PITA! I used a good vacuum to stop anything going down and made a scraper that would reach right down to get all the gunk out. It'll need to have a round end, a bit like a valve due to the shape of the ports and be strong enough not to bend when scrapping the crap out. Hardest part is removing all the ancillaries, plus I removed the injectors ( i made a pulling tool from a valve spring compressor end) and sent them away for cleaning at the same time. Just take your time and try not drop drop anything down into the chambers! As I was told FSI - Full of **** Inside
I'd never heard of this until I saw this video of the official BMW cleaning kit for the N54 engine a few days ago. [YOUTUBE]NnMhNXXawjk[/YOUTUBE] Alternatively a quick search for Terraclean and TFSI brings up a couple of agents facebook pages with cars being treated, but they appear to be using differing methods. http://www.facebook.com/wabtecterraclean http://www.facebook.com/TerraCleanShrewsbury I should of looked a bit further down. Posts #29 & #30 http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=386863&page=2
^^ they don't give much away with the photos. A before and after would be good rather then a couple of hoses under the bonnet. What's the deal with water/meth? I drove a turbo'd BMW mini with a methanol tank and it was the fastest car I've ever driven.
