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Air Vent flap?
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2019 4:13 pm
by silverhairs
Under the bonnet today and noticed a small flap that is easy to open. I have the 115 BHP engine, not sure about any of the others?
If you open the bonnet and use the arm to keep it open, as you look on top of the rad, there is a plastic box section that feeds the air intake. Don't know if you've noticed the bodywork in front of the rad it has slots on the left hand side, to feed air into this box arrangement. Just behind the air intake which is on the left hand side, there is a cover and under that there is a plastic flap that easily opens if you just blow through. So if your just standing still the flap won't open.
Is this to do with letting the engine warm up quicker while standing still. I don't have a clue, what's it for, does any body know
Re: Air Vent flap?
Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2019 12:34 pm
by Muldoon
Sounds a bit like the old summer / winter air intake tube you had 30 years ago which can be moved according to the season? Used to be a cardboard or foil tube over the exhaust manifold or else clear air from the engine bay. Will have a look when next under the bonnet and see if I can spot this.
Re: Air Vent flap?
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2019 9:29 am
by Muldoon
silverhairs wrote: Fri Jan 25, 2019 4:13 pm
Under the bonnet today and noticed a small flap that is easy to open. I have the 115 BHP engine, not sure about any of the others?
If you open the bonnet and use the arm to keep it open, as you look on top of the rad, there is a plastic box section that feeds the air intake. Don't know if you've noticed the bodywork in front of the rad it has slots on the left hand side, to feed air into this box arrangement. Just behind the air intake which is on the left hand side, there is a cover and under that there is a plastic flap that easily opens if you just blow through. So if your just standing still the flap won't open.
Is this to do with letting the engine warm up quicker while standing still. I don't have a clue, what's it for, does any body know
I had a look yesterday and spotted the same thing - it seems to be a plastic flap non-spring loaded built into the trunking, presume it opens when airflow increases and maybe a bypass for the main air inlet route? You can see how they have engineered a complex way to direct air into the inlet trunking from the left hand side of the grille over the slam panel to the left side of the engine bay. Not sure why the flap exists just a guess.
Re: Air Vent flap?
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2019 10:51 am
by RUM4MO
Early Polos ie 2002 > 2005 9N had a wax capsule to alter incoming airflow dependant on ambient temperature, nice idea but seriously flawed as the connected plastic control rods with time ended up with too much resistance to moving, the official fix was to replace the entire air cleaner assembly, though I'd doubt if any/many did, it seemed an old Volvo wax capsule assembly was available by itself and could be used to sort these failed ones out.