n1das
TDIClub Enthusiast, Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2002
- Location
- Nashua, NH, USA
- TDI
- 2014 BMW 535xd ///M-Sport, 2012 BMW X5 Xdrive35d, former 3x TDI owner
Here's a maintenance heads up on the exhaust valve in our CR TDI's uber-expensive exhaust system.
I was at mrchill's shop yesterday getting a metal skidplate installed on my 2010 JSW TDI. I got to get under the car and take a good look at everything including the exhaust system. Chris pointed out that he recommends lubing the exhaust valve mechanism with a penetrating lubricant once in a while. A few '09 and '10 CR TDI owners have had this valve replaced under warranty after they have developed problems. We suspect the problems could have been prevented by periodically lubing the mechanism. The valve assembly may pick up dirt and road salt and who knows what other crap on the outside and cause the mechanism to get sticky.
Chris (TDIclub mrchill) gave the exhaust valve spring a squirt of penetrating lubricant and I've noticed the valve is now quieter. You can hear this valve move at shutdown. When you shut the engine down, the shutdown is followed by a "chunk chunk" sound heard from underneath the car. Mine was quiet when the car was brand new and became louder after a while. It is now much quieter since being lubed with a penetrating lubricant.
Here's the exhaust valve in my JSW TDI: (cell phone pic)
Location in T2B5 exhaust system:
The exhaust valve is highlighted in the T2B5 pic.
A good time to do this maintenance is during an oil change when you have the car up on ramps to drain the oil. Crawl a little further underneath and give the spring a squirt or two with a good penetrating lube. I do all my oil changes topside with an extractor pump so now I'll have to put my JSW TDI up on ramps once in a while.
I was at mrchill's shop yesterday getting a metal skidplate installed on my 2010 JSW TDI. I got to get under the car and take a good look at everything including the exhaust system. Chris pointed out that he recommends lubing the exhaust valve mechanism with a penetrating lubricant once in a while. A few '09 and '10 CR TDI owners have had this valve replaced under warranty after they have developed problems. We suspect the problems could have been prevented by periodically lubing the mechanism. The valve assembly may pick up dirt and road salt and who knows what other crap on the outside and cause the mechanism to get sticky.
Chris (TDIclub mrchill) gave the exhaust valve spring a squirt of penetrating lubricant and I've noticed the valve is now quieter. You can hear this valve move at shutdown. When you shut the engine down, the shutdown is followed by a "chunk chunk" sound heard from underneath the car. Mine was quiet when the car was brand new and became louder after a while. It is now much quieter since being lubed with a penetrating lubricant.
Here's the exhaust valve in my JSW TDI: (cell phone pic)
Location in T2B5 exhaust system:
The exhaust valve is highlighted in the T2B5 pic.
A good time to do this maintenance is during an oil change when you have the car up on ramps to drain the oil. Crawl a little further underneath and give the spring a squirt or two with a good penetrating lube. I do all my oil changes topside with an extractor pump so now I'll have to put my JSW TDI up on ramps once in a while.
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