Intake manifold Actuator on '02 S6 Avant
08-11-2013, 10:25 AM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
Intake manifold Actuator on '02 S6 Avant
I knew that my Intake Actuator linkages had broken. You can see them when you remove the engine shroud. They are two apparently brittle plastic linkages that it turns out Audi charges about $900 for the repair kit. It must be noted that the repair kit comes with four linkages, two two inch linkages and two one inch linkages. The kit also comes with two replacement vacuum pods. There is a long and fantastic writeup explaining how to pull everything and do the repair from the ground up yourself SilverD2 really breaks it down.
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2801728
I put off my repair expecting to have to buy a Dremel and get really involved with this repair when I had to visit my Audi service for an unrelated warranty question. The service tech saw my broken linkages and commented, "you know that you are sacrificing mileage with those broken linkages" I explained that I thought I was just giving up high end power and that $1000 for a repair that did not impact the driveability of the car seemed excessive. Anyway, he manipulated the linkages with his hands and said he thought that they moved fine, no grinding, and just needed to be replaced. He also commented that the $900 kit from Audi was insane and he had in fact heard of the Gruven metal linkages. His concern was that my lower vacuum pod had a broken fastener and he did not think that would be repairable and the pod itself might in fact need to be replaced.
So I went home and ordered the one inch linkages that afternoon from Gruvenparts for $97.
http://gruvenparts.com/website/cart/...category_id=60
They are simply snap on. The placement takes five minutes. After two minutes of operating though, I was able to confirm that the vacuum pod connecting joint in fact was broken and I needed a new pod. I ordered mine from Rover. They sell it as a cruise control vacuum pod, though I was able to confirm the part number and vacuum qualities with the same Audi service tech.
http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/ETC7150G.cfm
I only purchased one to replace the broken one. If I were to do this again, I would have ordered two. One is $95.
My pod replacement took about an hour, only because the bottom one is a bear to loosen up. I used my smallest ratchet wrench and eventually pulled it off. I replaced the nut as well as I had adequately rounded the corners trying to pull it.
So now for the all important drive tests. Ok, I am not sure what the pods do or how they improve performance, however, the car now has two noticeable bands of increased power both mid and high rpm's. I need to drive it more to narrow down the bands, but I find myself accelerating and maintaining these rpm's to have access to this powerband. Very unscientific I know. Gas mileage...ummmm...I should have made this repair a year ago. My mixed city highway driving used to net between 11 and 13 mpg. I know, terrible, but I wrote it off as an older V-8. Post replacement of the pod and linkages, the same driving nets a consistent 18 mpg. Strict highway driving is still higher, however, it had always been in the mid 20's. I need to do a real road trip to get a better feel for highway cruise control mpg's.
Lessons learned. This repair should have been done a year ago. I wasted a lot of gas. And two, this is a real shade tree repair, if you do not need to break your Dremel out. Three, go ahead and replace both pods. It bothers me that I have a nagging suspicion that my older pod will break any day now. It just looks all of its 11 years old next to its younger sibling. Finally, I still cannot answer the difference between the lambo parts pod and the rover pod except that you can see that the lambo pod looks like the ball joint bracket is identical to the Audi part while the rover part is slightly different, though the same part number. I am happy with my roverpart.
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2801728
I put off my repair expecting to have to buy a Dremel and get really involved with this repair when I had to visit my Audi service for an unrelated warranty question. The service tech saw my broken linkages and commented, "you know that you are sacrificing mileage with those broken linkages" I explained that I thought I was just giving up high end power and that $1000 for a repair that did not impact the driveability of the car seemed excessive. Anyway, he manipulated the linkages with his hands and said he thought that they moved fine, no grinding, and just needed to be replaced. He also commented that the $900 kit from Audi was insane and he had in fact heard of the Gruven metal linkages. His concern was that my lower vacuum pod had a broken fastener and he did not think that would be repairable and the pod itself might in fact need to be replaced.
So I went home and ordered the one inch linkages that afternoon from Gruvenparts for $97.
http://gruvenparts.com/website/cart/...category_id=60
They are simply snap on. The placement takes five minutes. After two minutes of operating though, I was able to confirm that the vacuum pod connecting joint in fact was broken and I needed a new pod. I ordered mine from Rover. They sell it as a cruise control vacuum pod, though I was able to confirm the part number and vacuum qualities with the same Audi service tech.
http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/ETC7150G.cfm
I only purchased one to replace the broken one. If I were to do this again, I would have ordered two. One is $95.
My pod replacement took about an hour, only because the bottom one is a bear to loosen up. I used my smallest ratchet wrench and eventually pulled it off. I replaced the nut as well as I had adequately rounded the corners trying to pull it.
So now for the all important drive tests. Ok, I am not sure what the pods do or how they improve performance, however, the car now has two noticeable bands of increased power both mid and high rpm's. I need to drive it more to narrow down the bands, but I find myself accelerating and maintaining these rpm's to have access to this powerband. Very unscientific I know. Gas mileage...ummmm...I should have made this repair a year ago. My mixed city highway driving used to net between 11 and 13 mpg. I know, terrible, but I wrote it off as an older V-8. Post replacement of the pod and linkages, the same driving nets a consistent 18 mpg. Strict highway driving is still higher, however, it had always been in the mid 20's. I need to do a real road trip to get a better feel for highway cruise control mpg's.
Lessons learned. This repair should have been done a year ago. I wasted a lot of gas. And two, this is a real shade tree repair, if you do not need to break your Dremel out. Three, go ahead and replace both pods. It bothers me that I have a nagging suspicion that my older pod will break any day now. It just looks all of its 11 years old next to its younger sibling. Finally, I still cannot answer the difference between the lambo parts pod and the rover pod except that you can see that the lambo pod looks like the ball joint bracket is identical to the Audi part while the rover part is slightly different, though the same part number. I am happy with my roverpart.
Last edited by A4 Phil; 08-11-2013 at 03:12 PM.
08-13-2013, 04:26 AM
#2
AudiWorld Super User
I knew that my Intake Actuator linkages had broken. You can see them when you remove the engine shroud. They are two apparently brittle plastic linkages that it turns out Audi charges about $900 for the repair kit. It must be noted that the repair kit comes with four linkages, two two inch linkages and two one inch linkages. The kit also comes with two replacement vacuum pods. There is a long and fantastic writeup explaining how to pull everything and do the repair from the ground up yourself SilverD2 really breaks it down.
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2801728
I put off my repair expecting to have to buy a Dremel and get really involved with this repair when I had to visit my Audi service for an unrelated warranty question. The service tech saw my broken linkages and commented, "you know that you are sacrificing mileage with those broken linkages" I explained that I thought I was just giving up high end power and that $1000 for a repair that did not impact the driveability of the car seemed excessive. Anyway, he manipulated the linkages with his hands and said he thought that they moved fine, no grinding, and just needed to be replaced. He also commented that the $900 kit from Audi was insane and he had in fact heard of the Gruven metal linkages. His concern was that my lower vacuum pod had a broken fastener and he did not think that would be repairable and the pod itself might in fact need to be replaced.
So I went home and ordered the one inch linkages that afternoon from Gruvenparts for $97.
http://gruvenparts.com/website/cart/...category_id=60
They are simply snap on. The placement takes five minutes. After two minutes of operating though, I was able to confirm that the vacuum pod connecting joint in fact was broken and I needed a new pod. I ordered mine from Rover. They sell it as a cruise control vacuum pod, though I was able to confirm the part number and vacuum qualities with the same Audi service tech.
http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/ETC7150G.cfm
I only purchased one to replace the broken one. If I were to do this again, I would have ordered two. One is $95.
My pod replacement took about an hour, only because the bottom one is a bear to loosen up. I used my smallest ratchet wrench and eventually pulled it off. I replaced the nut as well as I had adequately rounded the corners trying to pull it.
So now for the all important drive tests. Ok, I am not sure what the pods do or how they improve performance, however, the car now has two noticeable bands of increased power both mid and high rpm's. I need to drive it more to narrow down the bands, but I find myself accelerating and maintaining these rpm's to have access to this powerband. Very unscientific I know. Gas mileage...ummmm...I should have made this repair a year ago. My mixed city highway driving used to net between 11 and 13 mpg. I know, terrible, but I wrote it off as an older V-8. Post replacement of the pod and linkages, the same driving nets a consistent 18 mpg. Strict highway driving is still higher, however, it had always been in the mid 20's. I need to do a real road trip to get a better feel for highway cruise control mpg's.
Lessons learned. This repair should have been done a year ago. I wasted a lot of gas. And two, this is a real shade tree repair, if you do not need to break your Dremel out. Three, go ahead and replace both pods. It bothers me that I have a nagging suspicion that my older pod will break any day now. It just looks all of its 11 years old next to its younger sibling. Finally, I still cannot answer the difference between the lambo parts pod and the rover pod except that you can see that the lambo pod looks like the ball joint bracket is identical to the Audi part while the rover part is slightly different, though the same part number. I am happy with my roverpart.
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2801728
I put off my repair expecting to have to buy a Dremel and get really involved with this repair when I had to visit my Audi service for an unrelated warranty question. The service tech saw my broken linkages and commented, "you know that you are sacrificing mileage with those broken linkages" I explained that I thought I was just giving up high end power and that $1000 for a repair that did not impact the driveability of the car seemed excessive. Anyway, he manipulated the linkages with his hands and said he thought that they moved fine, no grinding, and just needed to be replaced. He also commented that the $900 kit from Audi was insane and he had in fact heard of the Gruven metal linkages. His concern was that my lower vacuum pod had a broken fastener and he did not think that would be repairable and the pod itself might in fact need to be replaced.
So I went home and ordered the one inch linkages that afternoon from Gruvenparts for $97.
http://gruvenparts.com/website/cart/...category_id=60
They are simply snap on. The placement takes five minutes. After two minutes of operating though, I was able to confirm that the vacuum pod connecting joint in fact was broken and I needed a new pod. I ordered mine from Rover. They sell it as a cruise control vacuum pod, though I was able to confirm the part number and vacuum qualities with the same Audi service tech.
http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/ETC7150G.cfm
I only purchased one to replace the broken one. If I were to do this again, I would have ordered two. One is $95.
My pod replacement took about an hour, only because the bottom one is a bear to loosen up. I used my smallest ratchet wrench and eventually pulled it off. I replaced the nut as well as I had adequately rounded the corners trying to pull it.
So now for the all important drive tests. Ok, I am not sure what the pods do or how they improve performance, however, the car now has two noticeable bands of increased power both mid and high rpm's. I need to drive it more to narrow down the bands, but I find myself accelerating and maintaining these rpm's to have access to this powerband. Very unscientific I know. Gas mileage...ummmm...I should have made this repair a year ago. My mixed city highway driving used to net between 11 and 13 mpg. I know, terrible, but I wrote it off as an older V-8. Post replacement of the pod and linkages, the same driving nets a consistent 18 mpg. Strict highway driving is still higher, however, it had always been in the mid 20's. I need to do a real road trip to get a better feel for highway cruise control mpg's.
Lessons learned. This repair should have been done a year ago. I wasted a lot of gas. And two, this is a real shade tree repair, if you do not need to break your Dremel out. Three, go ahead and replace both pods. It bothers me that I have a nagging suspicion that my older pod will break any day now. It just looks all of its 11 years old next to its younger sibling. Finally, I still cannot answer the difference between the lambo parts pod and the rover pod except that you can see that the lambo pod looks like the ball joint bracket is identical to the Audi part while the rover part is slightly different, though the same part number. I am happy with my roverpart.
03-13-2014, 10:50 AM
#3
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Join Date: May 2013
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thanks for this thread. i couldnt find the linkage arms on gruven site so here is the correct link -
Audi/VW 4.2V8 Intake Linkage Arms !
Audi/VW 4.2 V8 Intake Manifold Pivot Levers !
GruvenParts.com 4.2L V8 Intake Manifold Linkage Arms and Pivot Levers : Warranted for Life !
Got a 4.2L V8 Audi or VW ? Then you had better check your intake manifold actuator arms Audi/VW P/N 077-198-327A (077198327A) and the corresponding Manifold Pivot Levers ! The OEM plastic versions quickly break, leaving your intake manifold rod stuck which causes poor idle, drivability, loss of power, and poor fuel mileage. This is a very common problem on the Audi/VW 4.2L V8, an otherwise great engine. The dealer will only sell you a repair kit for the linkage arms at nearly $400, and each repair kit only comes with 1 of each length linkage arm. If your vehicle has 2 broken linkage arms, you would need to buy 2 dealer repair kits (cost nearly $800)! If you need a pivot lever, you are really out of luck, as the dealer will only sell you an entire intake manifold at a cost of several thousand dollars !
Our Billet intake manifold arms and pivot levers are made from aerospace grade 6061-T651 aluminum with the linkages containing specially machined black Delrin inserts to provide a perfect fit to the actuator *****. These parts are warranted for life!
Dont go to the VW/Audi dealer and pay big bucks for the new actuator kit or entire new manifold when all you need are these parts (the actuators themselves rarely fail). And DONT pay that kind of money for another set of plastic arms and levers that will break again in quick order.
Go with GruvenParts.com and NEVER WORRY ABOUT THIS AGAIN !
The billet linkage arms fit the following vehicles:
2004-2007 VW Phaeton V8
2003+ VW Touareg V8
2002-2004 Audi A6/Avant
1998-2004 Audi A6/S6 Quattro
2000+ Audi A8/S8 Quattro
Replaces OEM P/N 077198327A (077-198-327A)
The billet pivot levers fit the following vehicles :
VW Touareg
VW Phaeton
Audi A6, S6
Audi A8, S8, A8L
(and many other models - take a look at your engine and see if it is the same as this part)
These fit the following intake manifolds (and likely many others) :
077-133-185BK (077133185BK)
077-133-185BD (077133185BD)
077-133-185BN (077133185BN)
077-133-185BG (077133185G)
077-133-185M (077133185M)
077-133-185AM (077133185AM)
077-133-185BA (077133185BA)
077-133-185AT (077133185AT)
079-133-185AF (079133185AF)
079-133-185AB (079133185AB)
077198327A (Manifold Repair Kit)
Audi/VW 4.2V8 Intake Linkage Arms !
Audi/VW 4.2 V8 Intake Manifold Pivot Levers !
GruvenParts.com 4.2L V8 Intake Manifold Linkage Arms and Pivot Levers : Warranted for Life !
Got a 4.2L V8 Audi or VW ? Then you had better check your intake manifold actuator arms Audi/VW P/N 077-198-327A (077198327A) and the corresponding Manifold Pivot Levers ! The OEM plastic versions quickly break, leaving your intake manifold rod stuck which causes poor idle, drivability, loss of power, and poor fuel mileage. This is a very common problem on the Audi/VW 4.2L V8, an otherwise great engine. The dealer will only sell you a repair kit for the linkage arms at nearly $400, and each repair kit only comes with 1 of each length linkage arm. If your vehicle has 2 broken linkage arms, you would need to buy 2 dealer repair kits (cost nearly $800)! If you need a pivot lever, you are really out of luck, as the dealer will only sell you an entire intake manifold at a cost of several thousand dollars !
Our Billet intake manifold arms and pivot levers are made from aerospace grade 6061-T651 aluminum with the linkages containing specially machined black Delrin inserts to provide a perfect fit to the actuator *****. These parts are warranted for life!
Dont go to the VW/Audi dealer and pay big bucks for the new actuator kit or entire new manifold when all you need are these parts (the actuators themselves rarely fail). And DONT pay that kind of money for another set of plastic arms and levers that will break again in quick order.
Go with GruvenParts.com and NEVER WORRY ABOUT THIS AGAIN !
The billet linkage arms fit the following vehicles:
2004-2007 VW Phaeton V8
2003+ VW Touareg V8
2002-2004 Audi A6/Avant
1998-2004 Audi A6/S6 Quattro
2000+ Audi A8/S8 Quattro
Replaces OEM P/N 077198327A (077-198-327A)
The billet pivot levers fit the following vehicles :
VW Touareg
VW Phaeton
Audi A6, S6
Audi A8, S8, A8L
(and many other models - take a look at your engine and see if it is the same as this part)
These fit the following intake manifolds (and likely many others) :
077-133-185BK (077133185BK)
077-133-185BD (077133185BD)
077-133-185BN (077133185BN)
077-133-185BG (077133185G)
077-133-185M (077133185M)
077-133-185AM (077133185AM)
077-133-185BA (077133185BA)
077-133-185AT (077133185AT)
079-133-185AF (079133185AF)
079-133-185AB (079133185AB)
077198327A (Manifold Repair Kit)
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