P2015 intake manifold flap fix how-to

The humble mechanic posted a video up about the DG fix yesterday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea6nYttpcRg

Hi folks, a week or so ago my MIL cam one and VCDS says I have the P2015 issue. Did some research here, and checked block 121.

1 Fault Found:
008213 - Intake Manifold Flap Position Sensor (Bank 1)
P2015 - 000 - Implausible Signal - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 11100000
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 12
Reset counter: 255
Mileage: 142900 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2015.02.04
Time: 11:30:35

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 0 /min
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Voltage: 12.69 V
Lambda: 5.5 %
Lambda: 11.0 %
Bin. Bits: 00000000
Voltage: 0.380 V

So I ordered Jim's cool little part, spent 20 minutes putting it on and an hour fishing one of the motor bolts from under the battery , cleared the code and checked block 121 again. Oddly the voltage in block 121.4 is now .608 and not .760.



I can run the V157 motor adaptation (or just start the car) and the lever moved to the front of the car, turn it off and it goes back and rests on the stop. I can clearly see the spring attached to both the motor arm and the knob on the intake flap.

Any suggestions as to why the odd reading?

Subscribed.

Rigger,

The .608 reading is completely within spec and will keep the light off forever. There will be some variation from car to car. Your install looks good.

Good to hear, thanks!

Add me to the database of satisfied customers!

Tim D
Bend, OR

So it sounds like the recommendation is to install this part with the motor disconnected from the car.

I don't find it necessary to remove the motor.

While it can be done with the motor still attached to the intake manifold, I have found that more people are getting it done on the first try by removing the V157 flapper motor. Once you know what you are doing you can probably get it installed without removing the motor. Most people are doing this for the first and last time so removing the motor is prolly the way to go.

There are over 100 fixed manifolds now.

I installed mine a couple weeks ago. I tried the method without removing the motor and I just didn't have the dexterity (short, stubby fingers to blame). After a few minutes of fiddling I switched to removing the motor. It was so quick and easy that I feel this is the better way to get the job done correctly.

I am very pleased with this product. It is high quality and an excellent design. It goes well under the hood with my 2micron set up. Lots of high quality machined aluminum!

Paul.

Add one more to the DieselGeek fix success record. Car came in with the P2015 DTC set. Checked group 121 and resting voltage was 0.308 VDC. Installed Jim's external stop and resting voltage is now 0.684. DTC gone and car drives great. I'll be stocking those from now on. Excellent! Thanks Jim for another innovative product.

I put one on an 09 yesterday preventatively although MB121.4 was 0.380V. So it was very close to faulting out. I also wound up pulling the motor to get it pulled up correctly. So...you guys were right. It really doesnt take too much more time to do it that way.

Ok... started to get the light (and code) a few weeks ago. '10 Jetta, about 86K. Interesting that mine self cleared the check engine light on its own a few times. Used Torque to determine the code. Was intermittent for a while, Id fiddle with the arm and clear the code and it would stay cleared, but now it resets immediately.

Great to hear there's a slick fix, thanks Jim! I'll be ordering one shortly.

A question, can you read the voltage data with Torque, or is it only VAGCOM readable? Not required, I know, but I'm curious about such things.

BTW, I've been enjoying my Short Shifter, these past few years...

I have Torque but don't use it with my VW that much so I admit I'm not an expert with it. My gut feeling is that it doesn't read the manufacturer specific codes like VCDS does. Torque is nice but the VW specific codes/readings are so unique that I suspect it won't give you all the detail.

I have a VCDS cable and while it was pricey it remains one of my best DIY items I have purchased for my VW.

Paul.

Yeah, so far I've cheaped out on getting one. Nobody near me seems to have one, either. I have a fuel filter that I need to change, too... should research doing it without.

I know you can create custom PID reads for VW stuff, have used the ones posted on here, but again, I have the feeling this might be more proprietary than that. Would be be nice if I'm wrong...

I'm sure someone in Irvine has vcds. Check the regional forum for folks around your area that have vcds.

Well, you might think so... Maybe been 8mo to a yr since I last checked, but have checked 3-4 times over the past 4 yrs, and nearly every candidate didn't respond. There was one or two who did, one was the wrong type for my car, the other just never got back to me after the first email... Oh well...

Anyone more positive whether you can or can't read this voltage with the likes of Torque?

PS probably Monday or Tues till my DG fix block shows up in the mail...

vcds is by far the first tool the enterprising vw diyer should buy after a set of torx bits, You will not even remember buying it the first time that evil yellow light comes on, and 30 seconds later you know as much as the dealer does with out spending 100 dollars, maybe a tow, and half a day just to get it looked at.

Even more usefull you can read the codes, and make an educated decision whether to drive or cease and desist before really racking up a bill.

Not to be arguementitve guy, but reading and ID'ing codes is what Torque does well. (and for $20 or so) I'm just trying to find out if I can read this position voltage at all.

Yes , ideally I should own VCDS, probably will someday, but I'm not so motivated now while I'm out of a job.

OK, been a bit, but I very quickly got Jim's (DieselGeek's) fix block, and installed it with very little problems... tweaking with the spring is probably trickier than any other aspect. And it wasn't all that tricky.

I did take off my motor, and due to reading about the few that had seating problems, took a file to a couple of mold seams on the motor housing that looked like they might raise the block. I wasn't entirely sure if they were going to touch the block and keep it from a flush mount, but did it anyway.

Back together, used Torque to clear the CEL, and perfect! Been over a week now, and no light, no fault. Another happy customer...

Thanks Jim....

I have installed the diesel geek part my numbers with the key on engine off are
0.684 volts and 3.116 volts when the engine is running.
I have reset the code a few times and after 3- 5 days the light comes back on code p2015

Vag shows this before the light trips.

1 Fault Found:
008213 - Intake Manifold Flap Position Sensor (Bank 1)
P2015 - 000 - Implausible Signal - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100000
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 152369 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2117.14.31
Time: 21:22:58

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 0 /min
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Voltage: 12.62 V
Lambda: -11.0 %
Lambda: 4.7 %
Bin. Bits: 00011110
Voltage: 3.876 V
Any help advice thanks.

Did you remove the flapper motor to do the install? It can be finicky to get lined up correctly installing it with the motor on the engine. So, make absolutely sure it is aligned correctly. If it is then email the vendor directly. From all past posts on this forum they give great support and I am sure they can walk you through some troubleshooting.

There were rare instances of the motor being bad IIRC. They can help you sort this possibility out as well.

Good luck,

Paul.

tinymiata said:

I have installed the diesel geek part my numbers with the key on engine off are
0.684 volts and 3.116 volts when the engine is running.
I have reset the code a few times and after 3- 5 days the light comes back on code p2015

Vag shows this before the light trips.

1 Fault Found:
008213 - Intake Manifold Flap Position Sensor (Bank 1)
P2015 - 000 - Implausible Signal - Intermittent
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00100000
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 152369 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2117.14.31
Time: 21:22:58

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 0 /min
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Voltage: 12.62 V
Lambda: -11.0 %
Lambda: 4.7 %
Bin. Bits: 00011110
Voltage: 3.876 V
Any help advice thanks.

Click to expand...

Something is stopping your flaps from closing completely.

I pulled the motor to install, getting the lip over the the other side was not working with the motor and arm in place.
After the motor was off I noticed the arm was moving well past the new stop. (Makes sense the factory stop is broken)
With the motor off I was able to get the part to fit correctly.
My numbers I think look good reading from VAG.

In response to "Something is stopping your flaps from closing completely."
Is the arm pulled or pushed to be fully closed?

Is it possible the busted stop could have got under one of the butterflies?
Should I try to work the arm by hand with the motor off to see if something is sticking?
Thanks.

The higher feedback voltage is the closed position. We usually see this number above 4.xxV

Engine off: flaps open
Engine start: flaps open
Engine idle: flaps closed
Engine full load: flaps open

Hi thanks for the information.
Its been a busy week not been able to get back to it.

Flaps also open above 3000rpm regardless of load according to the self study guide which I just re-read. Again.

Can anyone confirm if the intake manifold can be removed with the special tool with out touching fuel system?
Thanks
Jamie

I was able to get the intake manifold off with the special tool. It will take some wiggling and be careful because I damaged glow plug one. If you can clean the dirt from around the glow plugs and plug the holes, I would remove them to make it easier.

Add me to the list of satisfied customers. Got the P2015, scanned with vcds, here is before:

1 Fault Found:
008213 - Intake Manifold Flap Position Sensor (Bank 1)
P2015 - 000 - Implausible Signal - Intermittent - MIL ON
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 10100000
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 14
Reset counter: 255
Mileage: 136965 km
Time Indication: 0
Date: 2000.00.00
Time: 08:57:18

Freeze Frame:
RPM: 0 /min
Speed: 0.0 km/h
Voltage: 12.62 V
Lambda: 3.2 %
Lambda: 11.8 %
Bin. Bits: 00000001
Voltage: 0.380 V

Readiness: 1 1 0 0 0


So my CEL triggered at .38V. After I installed the bracket it reads .68V with the key on / engine off. not .76V, but that's high enough that the CEL is off and has stayed off since Saturday.