P2015 / VAG 008215 Intake Manifold Write-up and Replacement - commonrail engine

[T-MILLS]

****Part 1****

This is my first try at a write-up but hopefully it serves well as these cars gain more miles and I suspect this problem becomes more common. My car is a 09 Jetta TDI with 90,XXX miles on it currently. I am getting a CEL with code P2015 Intake Manifold Runner Position Sensor/Switch Circuit Range/Performance Bank 1/ VAG

From what I’ve gathered through my research of the intake manifold, there are two intake valves per cylinder (fill channel and swirl channel) making 8 intake valves total with half of them being covered by the intake manifold flaps. The 4 intake valves without the flaps provide constant air to the engine while the 4 flaps open at a higher RPM to give optimum air movement to the engine. (Refer to pages 7-9 on manual or 11-13 on PDF viewer) http://www.dsd.go.th/itrain/km/kboc...Diesel_Engine_2.0L_TDI_CommonRail_BIN5_UL.pdf

That being said, I have had this code on my engine for a little loner than I would like (2-3 months) but have gathered that it’s not something that needs fixed immediately but like any problem it still needs fixed before it causes more trupble. I have read you should not expect lowered MPG but cannot 100% confirm this as I do mostly city driving and only get around 32 MPG anyways. Although the few times that I have gotten my car onto the highway for (longer) drives I did see a few MPG less that expected.

Troubleshooting Procedures:

***Use only gold-plated terminals when servicing any component with gold-plated electrical harness connector terminals.***

* Disconnect the Intake Flap Motor (V157) electrical harness connector.
Checking voltage

• Switch the ignition On.

* Using a multimeter, measure voltage supply between connector terminals 1 to 3 for voltage. Refer to Wiring Diagrams for Pin locations.
Specified value: approx. 5 V.

* Using a multimeter, measure voltage supply between connector terminals 4 to 5 for voltage.
Specified value: near 4.35 V.

* Using a multimeter, measure voltage supply between connector terminals 2 to 3 for voltage.
Specified value: approx. 5.01 V.

* Switch the ignition Off.

If the specified value was not obtained:

* Check the wiring for a short circuit to each other, Battery positive, Ground or high resistance.
* Check the wiring connections for damage, corrosion, loose or broken terminals.
* If necessary, repair the faulty wiring connection.

If no malfunction is detected in the wiring and the voltage readings were correct:

• Replace the Intake Flap Motor (V157). Refer to the service information for removal and installation procedures.

If no malfunction is detected in the wiring and the voltage readings were Not correct:

Checking wiring

* Remove the Engine Control Module (ECM) (J623). Refer to the repair information.
* Using a multimeter, check the Intake Flap Motor (V157) electrical harness connector to the Engine Control Module (ECM) (J623) electrical harness T60 connector for resistance. Refer to Wiring Diagrams for Pin locations.

Specified value: 1.5 ohms Max.

If the specification was not obtained:

* Check the wiring for a short circuit to each other, Battery positive, Ground or high resistance.
* If necessary, repair the faulty wiring connection.
* Check the electrical harness connector for damage, corrosion, loose or broken terminals.
If no malfunction is detected in the wiring and the voltage readings were Not correct:

* Replace the Engine Control Module (ECM) (J623). Refer to the service information for removal and installation procedures.
Final procedures

After the repair work, the following work steps must be performed in the following sequence:

1. Check the DTC memory. Refer to => [ Diagnostic Mode 03 - Read DTC Memory ] See: Computers and Control Systems\Testing and Inspection\Scan Tool Testing and Procedures\Diagnostic Modes 01 - 09.
2. If necessary, erase the DTC memory. Refer to => [ Diagnostic Mode 04 - Erase DTC Memory ] See: Computers and Control Systems\Testing and Inspection\Scan Tool Testing and Procedures\Diagnostic Modes 01 - 09.
3. If the DTC memory was erased, generate readiness code. Refer to => [ Readiness Code ] See: Computers and Control Systems\Testing and Inspection\Monitors, Trips, Drive Cycles and Readiness Codes.

 

[T-MILLS]

****Part 2****

Tools Required for R&R Intake Maifold:
*M8 and M10 Triple Square bit (the ones i purchased: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DKHVM8/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) *** In the Bentley it says to use a T40159 (M8) to remove the intake manifold. With this tool it might not be necessary to remove the fuel rail because of the small curve in the shaft but cannot verify that***
*Hose Clamp Pliers (I used the round ones because the others were worthless but you might be able to get away with regular pliers: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I1KJT8/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )
*Torx Star bit (i think T25 and T30)
*Torque Wrench for 6 to 18 ft-lb
*17mm crows foot (I bought from Harbor Freight Tools)
*Hose Pliers will help to pull of the rubber fuel lines and possibly glow plugs the way i used them (also purchased from Harbor Freight Tools)
*7mm and 10mm socket
*10mm open end wrench
*Zip ties and plastic bags.
*VCDS

Parts Required:
*03L-129-711-E – Intake Manifold ($285.48)
*03G-131-547-C – Gasket between EGR Valve and Intake Manifold ($7.02)
*03L-131-547-B – Gasket between EGR Valve and Throttle Valve ($6.77)
*069-131-547-D – Gasket between EGR Valve and Connecting Pipe ($7.70)
*N-104-086-02 – Bolt to Intake Manifold (not necessary to replace and if you order them they will be a Hex Head instead of the triple square so I opted to use the originals) ($1.06 x 10 = $10.60)

Now the fun part…

Removal and Replacement
*** To avoid personal injury, be sure the engine is cold before beginning this procedure.
*** Make sure no contaminants enter the fuel system when removing the intake manifold.
*** Before opening fuel system, wrap shop towels around connections and loosen connections slowly to release pressure.
***Clean fuel line connections. If necessary, use liquid detergent for this purpose. (I used WD-40 Specialist Machine & Engine Degreases Foaming Spray)
***Before opening fuel system, loosen the fuel cap to release residual pressure in the fuel tank.

Step 1:
*Remove engine cover.
*Disconnect the battery.
*Remove fuel rail protective strip.

Step 2:
*Remove High Pressure fuel line fasteners on Intake Manifold (Red Arrows).
*Loosen High Pressure fuel line fastener held down by Intake Manifold bolt (Purple Arrow).
*Remove Coolant Line bolts from Intake Manifold (Green Arrow). Rest coolant line in front of manifold.
*Detach connectors at fuel injectors (Red Arrows), Fuel Pressure Sensor (Red Arrow) [Left side of Fuel Rail], and Intake Flap Motor (V157 Red Arrow) connectors.


Step 3:
*Unclip electrical harness from glow plug wire loom.
*Use pliers to pull connectors off of glow plugs. (Bentley Manual says use VAG special 3314 or equivalent. I used the medium size of hose pliers around the top of the connector as you can see in the picture. Just be sure not to damage the connector.)


Step 4:
*Remove high pressure fuel line between fuel pump and high pressure accumulator (common rail) (Pictured in Step 1 in purple).
*Plug open fuel lines and ports. (I laid a shop towel over the pump and put the fuel line in the bubble wrap bag that my new intake manifold came in)

Step 5:
*Loosen hose clamp and detach fuel return line from fuel rail. (I used a zip-tie and bag around this hose to keep debris out.)


Step 6:
*At this point you should be able to the wire harness to the glow plugs out of the way.


Step 7:
***This is the step you might be able to skip if you have the T40159 triple square that Bentley calls for, but again I cannot verify that as I used a regular triple square bit.****
*Remove the Fuel pressure regulator valve (not pictured) on the driver side of the fuel rail.
*Loosen the high pressure fuel lines coming from the fuel rail going to the injectors.
*Remove the M10 triple square bolts holding rail in place.
*Remove fuel rail and cover the injector lines with bags and zip ties.
(At this point I took an air hose and blew out any debris that was around the intake manifold)

 

[T-MILLS]

****Part 3****

Step 8:
*Loosen hose clamp and remove fuel return line at high pressure pump. (The hose pliers came in handy on this hose, it would not budge any other way).
*Cover open fuel lines and ports.
*Remove connectors for the Fuel Temp Sensor and what I believe is the Fuel Metering Valve.


Step 9:
*Detach throttle valve control module connector.
*Loosen hose clamp and remove charge air hose (7mm).
*Remove oil dipstick bracket (10mm).


Step 10:
*Remove connecting pipe fasteners and detach connecting pipe (M10). (To avoid crack in the connecting pipe, make sure the decoupling element does not bend or stretch).


Step 11:
*Detach EGR vacuum regulator solenoid valve connector. (Green)
*Loosen intake manifold bolts (M8) evenly in a diagonal pattern, starting with the outside fasteners.
*Remove intake manifold.


Step 12:
*The next few pictures are before and after photos of how gunked up the intake manifold, EGR Valve and Throttle valve were when I removed them as well as what the EGR valve looked like after I cleaned it.
*To clean the EGR and Throttle Valve I used the same WD-40 Specialist Machine & Engine Degreases Foaming Spray (I know it probably isn’t the best thing to use) to clean them out. It worked wonders on the Valves but I just made sure after I cleaned them that I wiped them down good and sprayed out any residue with an air compressor before reinstalling.






Step 13:
*Im not going in depth with replacement procedure as its just the opposite of removal but be sure to replace the seals and gaskets with new when installing the new parts.
*Be sure not to drop the gasket that fits between the EGR Valve and Connecting pipe when re-installing.
*Tighten intake manifold bolts evenly in a diagonal pattern from inside to outside.
*When reinstalling high pressure lines tighten union nuts by hand first, making sure they are seated stress-free. Then torque lines (Bentley calls for special crows foot socket VAG T40055 but I just used a regular 17mm crows foot).
*Reattach glow plug harness connectors carefully. Press connector on until it engages firmly.
Before starting vehicle, make sure fuel tank is filled, then prime fuel pump. (This is the point where I ran into trouble and actually had to have the car towed to a shop. The mechanic told that he just bled the injectors. From how he explained it to me, when you remove the rail and there is absolutely no fuel in the high pressure lines priming the system cant push the air out when everything is connected so he just disconnected the fuel lines above the injectors and bled the system until fuel came out of the lines right there. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes and not have to get a tow)
*Run engine at idle for approx. 2 Minutes to bleed fuel system then check fuel lines and connectors for leaks.

Torque Specs:
Intake Manifold bolts – 8 Nm (6 ft-lb)
High pressure fuel lines – 25 Nm (18 ft-lb)
Bolts from connecting pipe to EGR Valve – 20 Nm (15 ft-lb)
Bolts connecting Throttle Valve and EGR to Intake Manifold – 8 Nm (6 ft-lb)
Oil dipstick bolt – 8 Nm (6 ft-lb)
Fuel Rail botls – 22 Nm (16 ft-lb)

Before I primed my fuel system and started the car I went ahead and replace my fuel filter for good measure. If you don not know how here is a good write up on how to do this for the MKV jetta:
http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/a5/2009-2010-VW-TDI-fuel-filter.htm

Grand total:
Tools that I didn’t have - $60
VCDS cable - $250
Parts - $357
Towing my car and bleeding injectors - $180
Lift (im in the military and we have access to an auto hobby shop that you can use their lifts) - $45

Total - $892

Now you can obviously save money if you have the tools/VCDS cable to do the repair and learning from my mistake about bleeding the injectors and not having to have the car towed. I did go over what the a shop quoted me (about $700) but now I have the tools to do other repairs including a cable so next time this wont be as expensive.

Overall this wasn’t a hard repair and would rate it about a 3.5 out of 5 but it just took a good chunk out of a Saturday afternoon.

Thanks for anyone who helped me out and gave answers to me while I was researching how to do this repair.

All the best.