Actuator Rods
 

Anyone know how to check 6 port actuator rods??? I may be hacking up the nomenclature too - actuator rods? Anyway, just wondering... Trying to get to the bottom of a strange noise, and someone told me they may be the source.

I doubt your "Aux rods" are making noise.

In order to actually *know*you would neeed to remove you intake to get to them.

they won't make noise...you can check if they move by spreading some grease on the rod of each actuator and see if it gets smeered after you drive it(making sure to rev higher than 3800rpm)

well... i don't know what else to think... i'm fairly certain this "lack, lack, lack, lack..." noise 4 x's per second isn't my injectors, but I don't know what else it could be... someone just suggested this, which is why i was gonna check them. but, i'd hate to take off the entire intake just to find they aren't the issue... any advice (you could check out the other thread i posted on this...)...

Could be the actuator rods or the sleeves themselves. The rods are easy to check by just pushing or moving them by hand to see if the sound changes. The sleeves could be moving and tapping against the housing due to pressure changes, but I don't know how to check for it.

Mathetas,

I had a 'tick tick' like you describe - it was the rear aux. port sleeve pulsing in & out in it's bore, hammering against the acutaor rod (the one that the acutators twist). You can check it just by holding your finger against the linkage and feeling for the vibration. I have no idea why it starting doing it - I guess the vacuum pull of the motor is the cause. Anyway, I subsequently installed VDI & pineapple sleeves onto my S4, so when I pulled the original sleeves, I could clearly see damage to the cross pin from the hammering.

Curtis
'86 GXL autox'r

Curtis... Although I'm trying to learn as quickly as possible, I'm a total numbbrain under the hood at this point. I can change brakes, change oil, and maybe put an aftermarket intake on, but I have no idea how to go about checking these 'actuator' rods. Can you tell me a specific place on the engine to listen to - maybe with a hose. How do you get to the rods if they are making noise? If it involves taking down the intake manifold, do I have to go through putting a new gasket kit on it?