IAS5

i hear ya--- be sure, though, that anyhting you do does not void any warranty you may have.....

A8Liter

Some of the guys over at the Jeep SRT8 forum have been running a catch can from these guys http://www.billettechnology.com/

IAS5

will this jeopardize the warranty, or give the audi SA reason to pause?

Just askin'....

AofC_RR

Any mod like this could pose a potential voiding of things ESPECIALLY if the issue does arise. Here's what I've learned from talking to some of the smartest Audi techs and the word from Germany.
Two things cause carbon build up to occur ash content in the oil and fuel quality.
VAG approved oils with low or zero Ash content will help reduce things. Top tier fuel isn't always top tier fuel. Just because a station is a top tier brand doesn't mean ALL their fuel is top tier. They work off contracts to buy X amount of fuel per month when they meet it they can buy weasel **** 2000 brand if they want.
Direct injection motors need to be driven hard.
Audi is working on a solution and if you're willing to go through THEIR process when it does happen valve cleaning would be warrantied. It's a pain but free.
That's all i'm going to say on the matter.

elf_cruiser

Any changes I do decide to make will be easily backed out of - meaning... I can just put the factory hose back in place if I need to take it to the dealer...

A8liter - thanks for the link to the catch can, much appreciated!

I'll post some more pics and info tomorrow...

IAS5

today's ECU's can detect changes such as this, and possibly throw codes. The techs will pick that up.

not recommending either way---just FWIW...

elf_cruiser

OK - I decided to simply bypass the whole PCV system, and go with the vented valve cover for now. I tested it out - no dash lights and it runs like a top. It may be throwing some random hidden code somewhere, but nothing that notifies the driver - not yet anyways...

pics show some more details and then my "solution"

1- close up of the oil accumulator
2- accumulator going into the intake manifold, behind the throttle body
3- inside the throttle body, you can see the oily buildup - I swabbed the PCV inlet with a Qtip and there was some noticeable oil residue on it...
4- noticeable oil residue just behind the butterfly valve - oil is definitely getting to the intake.
5- parts used for the "fix" - standard valve cover breather, 1" ID clear hose, 3/4" pipe thread fitting to 1/2" hose barb, 1-1/4" expandable rubber plug.

Unfortunately an off the shelf valve cover breather only fits 3/8 to 1/2" tubing and the Audi valve cover is 1" so I had to wander around home depot for a bit. Found the plastic fitting from 3/4" pipe thread to 1/2" hose barb, then found some clear 1" ID tubing. Presto! - cheap-*** po-riggity valve cover breather.

6(next post)- expandable rubber plug installed in oil accumulator inlet port. This was a 1-1/4" plug that had to be ground down to about 1-1/8" to fit correctly.
7(next post)- Cheap-*** valve cover breather installed.

Disclaimer - My goal here is an easily removable solution. I put the stock hose on the parts shelf and it would take me about 5 minutes to reinstall it such that no one would ever know I had done this...

I'll give it a few weeks or a month and report back on drivability or if there are any other issues...

elf_cruiser

pic 6 & 7

elf_cruiser

6 months later and no issues to speak of. The crappy plastic hose did not hold up to the heat, so I got some good heater hose with a 90 deg. bend in it. No power loss, no codes, no muss no fuss, NO CARBON BUILDUP ...

IbiS5

You make it sound so simple, don't get me wrong, I really wish it was that easy to fix but I'll wait and see what the engineer types have to say... congrats and good luck.