Swirl Flap Delete
Swirl flaps are small plates fitted to the intake manifold just before the cylinder head intake ports of modern Alfa Romeo diesel engines. The flaps are smaller than the intake runners and therefore allow a small amount of air to pass around them even when in the closed position. The flap itself is made from either stainless steel or plastic depending on the year and model and secured to a spindle, in the case of the plastic manifold by spot welds
The purpose of the valve is at low engine speeds, is to maintain a good amount of turbulence in the intake tract, in order to provide a better combustion and low end torque. The valves are linked and operated by a motor and arm controlled by the ECU.
Over time the flaps themselves gum up with deposits and an oily residue from the EGR valve and with the added strain this causes it eventually clogs and binds the flaps up and this will bring up engine fault codes and cause poor running and in the case of the plastic manifolds with metal swirl flaps they work loose over time and ultimately break away.
This is a common problem on all modern diesel Alfa Romeos and is something we do a lot of. The worst case scenario is when an engine ingests a swirl flap which can lead to serious engine damage which can be uneconomical to repair in certain cases.
The results speak for themselves with improved drivability, better running, smoother cold start, more power, improved fuel consumption and of course it eradicates the risk of a swirl flap being ingested.
Below is a list of the different types of inlet manifolds
147 1.9 16v Jtd
(2005 - mid 2006 aluminium manifold with plastic swirl flaps failure generally causes rough running and poor drivability)
147 1.9 16v Jtd
(2006 - to end of production, plastic manifold with stainless steel swirl flaps - failure causes severe engine damage!!)
GT 1.9 16v Jtd
(2005 - mid 2006 aluminium manifold with plastic swirl flaps failure generally causes rough running and poor drivability)
GT 1.9 16v Jtd
(2006 - to end of production, plastic manifold with stainless steel swirl flaps - failure causes severe engine damage!!)
The 156 was never fitted with swirl flaps
159 1.9 16v Jtd
For the first 6 months of production, the 159 1.9 16v engine was fitted with the earlier type aluminium manifold (as 147 1.9 16v)
159 1.9 16v Jtd
(For the remainder of its production, the 159 1.9 16v was fitted with the plastic manifold and stainless steel swirl flaps)
159 2.4 20v Jtd
(The 2.4 20v engine was always fitted throughout its life with the aluminium manifold and plastic swirl flaps)
Prices vary from model to model and whether an EGR delete / performance map is required so please contact us for more information.