Intake flap and ecu

PeasantMobile2

Active member
Joined
Jun 24, 2005
Location
Otsego, MI
TDI
Jetta 2005.5 Blue Anthracite
Just a little history. I had the check engine light come on and pulled the codes last year. It turned out to be the intake flap. Earlier this year I bit the bullet and replaced the part. All seemed well for a few days, when the light came back on. Fast forward a few months and I had the car in for timing belt etc at a local indy shop. They replaced the intake flap again and noted that after you shut the car off that it was making a loud clicking noise. Ordered another new part believing that they had received a duff one. The new part did the same thing. Finally after some digging they determined that the ecu is putting out a dirty signal to the intake flap causing it to make the clicking noise and ultimately self destruct.

The present conclusion is that the ecu is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Has any one encountered something like this?
If the ecu is in fact bad can a used one be aquired and installed (are codes needed from the donor car etc..)
Has anyone had any experience with places that fix ecu's?

Thanks in advance for any input.
 
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Salmonbum

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 6, 2006
Location
Dryden\Ludington, MI
TDI
'06 Jetta
My 06 issue:
3 yrs ago had a 2015 code ..... flapper motor. When we did a timing belt they replaced flapper motor. Light still came on. Just left it and drove it the last 3 yrs as it ran fine. Funny thing is when I park at my marina, the light turns off. I think the wiring is bad to the flapper motor, and with the moisture in the air its gets a better connection. Just had at dealer for a EGR cooler and told him to look into it. I said I know what the code is, so don’t charge me $80 just to tell me 2015, and the flapper motor is fine. He calls me and says the flapper motor is bad.....2015 code. I light him up one side and down the other and call him every name in the book. The dealership is full of Master mechanics and that’s all the info you can tell me? I'm just some guy with a bunch of harbor freight tools and I knew that for much less.
After his ass chewing he calls me back and said he found a TSB about flapper motor wiring harness having corrosion issues.... Bingo.. Just like I told him. Right now I'm batting 1000 on troubleshooting, dealership is batting 0. Wring diagnosis every time.
I have to make an app. for them to change the contacts on the wiring harness, just no time yet.
 

PeasantMobile2

Active member
Joined
Jun 24, 2005
Location
Otsego, MI
TDI
Jetta 2005.5 Blue Anthracite
SalmonBum,

Thanks for the reply. I had a quick exchange with the shop and they confirmed that they wer testing the signal on the pinout from the ecu so that takes the wiring harness out of the picture.
 

kfcoltn

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2010
Location
Colorado
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI
I've had the same intake flap code active for 2 years and 100,000 miles. It clicks when you turn the key off too, but I noticed if I manually actuate the valve with the intake hose off, it makes the same noise. I chose not to buy a new one, not even sure of its purpose. I would be leary about replacing ECU for this issue. I think Salmon may be onto something with corrosion. I would not be too quick to dismiss this as a cause.
 

MyAvocation

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 9, 2004
Location
Hoffman Estates, IL
TDI
2017 Passat SEL TSI
I've had the same intake flap code active for 2 years and 100,000 miles. It clicks when you turn the key off too, but I noticed if I manually actuate the valve with the intake hose off, it makes the same noise. I chose not to buy a new one, not even sure of its purpose. I would be leary about replacing ECU for this issue. I think Salmon may be onto something with corrosion. I would not be too quick to dismiss this as a cause.
Have you checked the plastic gear for wear? One guy fixed it by fabricating his own instead of a full assembly replacement.

Salmon,
Ask the dealer to show you where the wiring harness was repaired and share with us. As these PDs age, this may become another common fix. Maybe create a separate post.
 

PeasantMobile2

Active member
Joined
Jun 24, 2005
Location
Otsego, MI
TDI
Jetta 2005.5 Blue Anthracite
To bring this thread back to the top.


The behaviour occurred on two brand new components so I don't expect it to be a gear problem.


Has anyone replaced there ECU with a new or used one or had it repaired?
 

BlackBioA5

Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2011
Location
Raleigh, NC
TDI
2006 Jetta DSG
I'm beginning to think the majority of the electrical connections (MAF connector, cooling fans, A/C pressure sensor, etc.) on these cars suffer from some sort of corrosion/moisture issues. Fortunately, I have worked on or owned old British sports cars all my life - all hail Lucas (electrical manufacturer) prince of Darkness! I'm well aware of electrical gremlins and how to sort them out. Seems like contact cleaner and silicone grease should cure most of the issues. However, you may have to break out the soldering iron....
 

nord

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2010
Location
Southern Tier NY
TDI
All turned back to VW. Now a 2017 Hundai Tuscon. Not a single squalk in 10k miles.
If the problem occurred on two different A/S components:

The electric motor is activated at shutdown closing the A/S plate. Your ECU expects to see a reluctance change on the sensor as the plate closes and a small magnet passes over the coil.

Assuming the motor is actually closing the plate it's fair to assume that your ECU is not seeing a reluctance change. Since you have the same issue with two components it would be fair to assume the connector on the engine side or possibly a broken conductor (probably at the strain point where the wires exit the connector).

In any case it would appear that your ECU isn't getting the message. The good news is that your motor will run quite happily with a non functioning A/S valve as long as it isn't being held in the closed position.
 

redtdi966

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2003
Location
bridgewater, NJ
TDI
09 B-graphite sedan 6-sp (Bridgewater- NJ)
2009 jetta TDI 100,500 miles. I have the intake flapper code also. I used VagCom to run output tests to see if I can activate the flapper motor... nope. I then took the cover off the flapper assembly: gears fine. I then removed the DC motor (two screws). The motor runs fine, (used an external 0 to +12 v dc power supply) the gears turn fine. So on to wiring. I removed my ECU last night, and found a mouse nest in the containment area, but none of the wires were chewed. So now I am going to buzz the wires, ECU to 5-pin intake flapper connector

UPDATE buzzed the wires from the ECU connector to the 5-pin flapper connector. Also was able to run the flapper from the ECU connector with a 12 volt power supply. I buzzed all the wires so maybe the flapper position to the ECU is scaaagged in the flapper assm

There are two connectors on the ECU, are the both the same J number? BTW the ECU is a real xithch to get out.

Car runs great otherwise
 
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shaark92

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2005
Location
Erath County, Texas
TDI
06 Jetta, manual. '12 Jetta, DSG
Chalk another intake flapper motor ... first nonscheduled maintenance I've made on my '06. Also repaired the EGR (?) leak.
 
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