[bazz780]

Hey, as per title really, do the swirl flaps end up damaging the engine in pre lci 330d?

Regards

[Dan-danGT]

Not as far as I'm aware, people change them for piece of mind. I changed mine at 80k they was all ok to be honest

[KM79]

Never ever seen that happen

[lemans 330d]

No issue as confirmed by my bmw dealer with swirl flap sales figures

[Dsport]

Didn't they change them to plastic ones

[KM79]

Totally different to old generation engines with the metal pins

[jimbo666]

I've not heard of any ingesting but they do leak.

[KM79]

Leak what ?

[jimbo666]

Oil from the inlet tract.

[Frobius]

No.

[anielsen71]

In the early ones the intake is the old faulty type. I have changed mine to the new type where the flaps still are made of metal, but surrounded by some kinda rubber gasket and the axel where they are fitted has been changed.
Mine is a 2006 pre-LCI.

[oldbilly]

The earlier flaps created a swirl flap paranoia and if you had them you removed them, but the later swirl flaps are the updated cartridge type and have cured the failure problem also they play a greater part with the swirl and tumble technology, the only downside is they can leak from the rubber seals around where the cartridge fits into the manifold, tell tale signs are oil on the n/s cylinder block under the inlet manifold, this can be cured by removing the inlet manifold and re-sealing with silicone sealant, rectified mine 18 months ago with no leaks.

[bazz780]

Originally Posted by oldbilly

The earlier flaps created a swirl flap paranoia and if you had them you removed them, but the later swirl flaps are the updated cartridge type and have cured the failure problem also they play a greater part with the swirl and tumble technology, the only downside is they can leak from the rubber seals around where the cartridge fits into the manifold, tell tale signs are oil on the n/s cylinder block under the inlet manifold, this can be cured by removing the inlet manifold and re-sealing with silicone sealant, rectified mine 18 months ago with no leaks.

did you seal the inlet manifold or the swirl flap seals? i did a diy on my 53 plate 530d which was pretty straight forward, however the screws looked intact and no signs of any of them failing

regards

[makkan00]

Originally Posted by oldbilly

The earlier flaps created a swirl flap paranoia and if you had them you removed them, but the later swirl flaps are the updated cartridge type and have cured the failure problem also they play a greater part with the swirl and tumble technology, the only downside is they can leak from the rubber seals around where the cartridge fits into the manifold, tell tale signs are oil on the n/s cylinder block under the inlet manifold, this can be cured by removing the inlet manifold and re-sealing with silicone sealant, rectified mine 18 months ago with no leaks.

Any idea from which month / year bmw started the new trouble free ones?

[oldbilly]

Originally Posted by bazz780

did you seal the inlet manifold or the swirl flap seals? i did a diy on my 53 plate 530d which was pretty straight forward, however the screws looked intact and no signs of any of them fail

regards

Just the flap swirl flap cartridges with silicone sealant, my 330d has done 160k so I brought some low mileage flaps off a member on here, pic of the manifold below.

Originally Posted by makkan00

Any idea from which month / year bmw started the new trouble free ones?

not sure which month but circa 2005.

[anielsen71]

@oldbilly
Mine is a 08/2006 and it had the old ones. So later han that.....

[oldbilly]

Originally Posted by anielsen71

@oldbilly
Mine is a 08/2006 and it had the old ones. So later han that.....

is your engine an m57? my e91 330d is an 03 2006

[anielsen71]

Yes, M57N2. Original with 231HP

[oldbilly]

Originally Posted by anielsen71

Yes, M57N2. Original with 231HP

same as mine, maybe mine has had a new manifold at some stage, but according to my research sometime during 2005, if not I have no idea!

[phozy888]

does anyone know the size of the blanks needed for this model ? 2006 - E90 330D

[oldbilly]

This is taken from another forum and I experienced the same problem with the torque at low revs, they have been developed and are there for a reason removal may contribute to dpf blockage and shorten the dpf life, the swirl and tumble technolgy is not just about bwm most if not all diesels have swirl flaps fitted.


My 56reg (reg Nov 2006) 330d E90 with 100k was de-flapped by PMW 2 weeks ago. It was INSTANTLY noticeable, when I was driving out of their car park, that I'd lost some torque. I requested my old parts and after 2 weeks of driving, I'm going to re-install them. They are the cartridge type and look as good as new except for minor deposits which I'll remove before I put them back. I estimate a 50% reduction in torque at c1000rpm and possibly 25% at 1500rpm. I cannot understand people who say they do not feel any difference. They must never drive at under 1500rpm. Also, my fuel consumption has increased markedly, especially around town, where I estimate it to be c5>8mpg worse, and on the motorway, where I generally cruise at 80>85mph, to be 3>5mpg worse. At 80mph the engine is only turning at 2000rpm, so the flaps will have only just opened fully. My job is developing inlet and exhaust ports, and inlet and exhaust manifolds, and I know exactly what the swirl flaps (or port de-activation units as we call them) are for. At low RPM they close off one port which doubles the airflow through the open port which gives much improved air/fuel mixing at low RPM and thereby gives lower emissions, increased torque, and better fuel economy. This is done by changing the in-cylinder air motion from Tumble (with the flaps open) to Swirl - hence the name. I hope this adequately explains their purpose.