'seemed to run great' as in a engine in a yard that started, idled and couldn't be driven.
That does not mean it got good mileage - towed well or had reasonable performance.
by the same token it doesn't mean it couldn't - best you can say is it started well and you have no data on the performance.

If we can find a reasonable way to clean the intake - it'd be a logical maintenance item - however the spray the intake has the caution that if you get liquid into a cylinder you could hydrolock it pretty quick, I think the compression ratio was in the 18:1 range so there not much room between the piston and head.
if you can insure the intake valves are closed and all liquid is out before starting or if you do a revolution with the glow plugs out as Sir Sam has pointed out - that would insure it's clear.
but it's a good idea - we just need to figure out a way to safely implement it.

_________________
2005 CRD
stuff
Skeptic quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur

nursecosmo

I have personal first hand experience with intake clogging on a cooled egr gas diesel engine How about you Twice I have cleaned the intake manifold on a VW TDI at 60k mile intervals. It very definetly cuts preformance and fuel mileage It is not just a CRD or TDI problem It's a problem with all such diesel engines BIX paint remover followed by pressure washing removed the crud well just don't hit your hand with the pressure washer. I have experience there too The intake obviously was removed from the engine Some have used oven cleaner but most of them contain lye that discolors aluminum

As you've been told already, a engine running in a junk yard sitting still does not tell much about the engine other then it runs

Joe

_________________
Atlantic Blue 06 CRD Limited (his)
Joined by a 2000 XJ Classic (hers)

Again, I was not saying that it could not, or would not affect performance. I was simply pointing out that no one had actually reported it as being a problem yet. If it could be established as indeed being a problem and an easy procedure is found for cleaning it out, perhaps that would be a good addition to the tech section.

And yes I do have significant experience with EGR cooled diesels, Two TDIs in the family with EGRs. friends with Fords and Cummins with EGRs, whom I have helped repair and upgrade. Not one of them have ever had a badly clogged intake, but they all have buildup. here are some pics of the intake buildup in a TDI.

http://pics2.tdiclub.com/gwillie/VW/Sba ... AN101b.htm

Notice that in the 3rd to last photo that the runners have some buildup, but it is not enough to cause a meaningful restriction.
My brother's TDI went around 150k before he sold it, and had EGR problems but never any intake restriction. The big trucks have gone 200k+ and had the EGRs replaced but have not had enough buildup in the intake to cause a problem. Many guys on the TDIclub forum who have had clogging issues found that by running the engine at WOT once or twice per tank eliminiated the buildup in the EGR and intake, it was also noted that most of those who had a performance problem resulting from clogging happened to do a lot of idleing or babied the pedel for milege gain, thus causing much greater EGR cycling. Some of the TDIs have clogging at 30k while others go for 100-200k+ without. Probably most of us will never have a bad enough buildup before 90K (when the timing belt should be replaced) to require cleaning and therefore would not be "routine" maintance, but maybe a handful of owners will have a problem with it, the same as a few owners have to replace thier IPs. To make the statement to a new CRD owner that all EGR equiped diesels will have clogged intakes is misleading and may just be encouraging unneccesary and expensive procedures on the engine. However some owners may like the idea of a shinny new-looking intake because shinny things go faster

_________________
Manure green 2005 CRD sport4x4, GDE Hot tune, Cat Gut, OE skids, Draw tight hitch, Duramax lift pump, 160K on multiple varieties of fuel, XM radio, Escort live with Redline, fog light mod, GPS, Icom IC7000 all band radio call sign KC9QPF, Grabber AT2s on Soft 8s, FIA grill blanket.

Well that is most reassuring and logical.
I'll buy that explanation by nursecosmo.
I like those TDI shots too. I will wait
until the timing belt change to do
something.
One thing - when you run it WOT -
how wide and how long? you mean
just a nice hwy run at 90 or what?
Thanks for the reassurance.

_________________
2006 CRD 59k miles,
EHM, ORM, Fumoto,
unplugged fuel heater.

For those following this discussion here's a link to some normal tdi intake clogging pictures.
http://buncombe.main.nc.us/~emaglott/pp022/index.htm
Most of us bought diesels for better fuel mileage and that is not gotten by racing from stop light to stop light. The manifold on my tdi looked just like the ones in the link at 60k miles and again at 120k. On a tdi it's only about a 3 hour project to clean it. I drove the car hard and had the skinney peddle on the floor more then most. I averaged 49.5 mpg for over 114k miles.
A preview of things to come can be gotten by looking at the CRD's MAP sensor. Clogging can be eliminated by doing modifications for "off road only" that are aginst federal law if driven on road

There is no mileage figure given in the previous link at least that I could find

Joe

_________________
Atlantic Blue 06 CRD Limited (his)
Joined by a 2000 XJ Classic (hers)

The consensus of most of the TDI owners was to put the pedal to the metal from a stop up to 70-80 mph, hwy on-ramps are good for this purpose because most of them are going uphill. Notice in the above link posted by Joe that the TDI owner stated that he normally drove the car very gently and thus had a large amount of crap built up. As the engine is operating, especially at idle and stop and go driving the EGR is being cycled more heavily (it does not normally open at highway speeds or heavy loads), the soot at that time is sort of wet and friable. Unless the fresh soot is blown out periodically it gets sort of baked on and is then much more difficult to get out. The buildup on the MAP sensor is not an accurate indicator of intake restriction because it sits in a recessed hole in the intake which is a natural collecting point for the EGR and PCV crap and is another design flaw of the EGR equipped motor.

_________________
Manure green 2005 CRD sport4x4, GDE Hot tune, Cat Gut, OE skids, Draw tight hitch, Duramax lift pump, 160K on multiple varieties of fuel, XM radio, Escort live with Redline, fog light mod, GPS, Icom IC7000 all band radio call sign KC9QPF, Grabber AT2s on Soft 8s, FIA grill blanket.

I ran the snot out of my tdi as you suggest. I serviced the central part of Ohio in my job and it was like 90% highway and I routinly drove 100 to 300 miles in a day That ain't easy driving EGR most defintely is turned on cruising down the highway even on our CRD's Full throttle no but how long can you or anyone drive full throttle Unless some action is taken to eliminate the egr operation it's inevitable. It's not much of a topic over on the tdi club anymore as most do a lot of off road driving now

Have you shined a light in the anti shutter valves on the tdi's you maintain? Of course your brother would not notice the gradual decline because it happens over many miles. I know I didn't. But cleaning it out sure makes a difference.

There have been several past owners here who work in the commercial diesel field that saw the writing on the wall with the EGR problem and bailed early on. If there was not a clogging problem do you think there would be a SEGR kit designed and put together by group members to eliminate a non problem
Time will tell

Doc B

I'll be looking for your report when you change your timing belt

_________________
Atlantic Blue 06 CRD Limited (his)
Joined by a 2000 XJ Classic (hers)

Joe, I think that we may both may be making too much of a big deal out of problem that no one here on the forum has yet experienced. I too have a SEGR kit which I bought to kill the CEL from running the ORM. I too run with the ORM because of the EGR malfunction problems which most of us have had, as well as because I hate to be always cleaning the MAP, but mostly for the gain in MPG and drop in EGTs. As I recall the majority of those in the initial ORM discussion were more concerned with the thought of sucking EGR soot through the engine and the immediate performance improvement when the EGR was disabled, and not so much with the possibility of intake restriction. There will probably be someone who does have a performance problem with clogging in the CRD eventually but so far there has not been a single documented case of it happening. And for the third time now, I'm not saying that it can't happen to our CRD's. My only point in earlier posts was that based on owner experience up to date it has not been a problem.

_________________
Manure green 2005 CRD sport4x4, GDE Hot tune, Cat Gut, OE skids, Draw tight hitch, Duramax lift pump, 160K on multiple varieties of fuel, XM radio, Escort live with Redline, fog light mod, GPS, Icom IC7000 all band radio call sign KC9QPF, Grabber AT2s on Soft 8s, FIA grill blanket.

That's quite the assumption. I have 13 liter egr equipped truck engines here with 400,000 miles on them. No manifold problems yet. Before you say it's comparing apples to oranges I will say the Jeep diesel has way more in common with a semi engine than it does with a VW TDI. I also thought intake problems with VW TDI were a direct result of the intake shape and design and not all the egr's fault.

_________________
2005 sport crd-SOLD No regrets