DW12 Engine Swirl valve actuator connector from a 2.2L Citroen C5
Description
Swirl Valve Actuator Connector Replacement – Citroën C5 2.2L DW12 Engine
This is a replacement swirl valve actuator connector for a Citroën C5 2.2L DW12TED4 engine. While this engine is also used by Land Rover, I’m not sure if they use the same actuator arm. The original plastic piece often breaks off due to its placement on top of the hot engine.
The failure point is typically the cheap plastic connector, even though the diaphragm and mechanism remain functional. My mate’s 2006 2.2L C5 had this part break, so I first tried repairing it with high-temp epoxy putty. That fix didn’t last, so I modelled the part in 3D and printed it using Onyx—a heat-resistant Nylon filament reinforced with chopped carbon fibre, printed on a Markforged printer. This material is designed to be tough and highly resistant to heat.
Printing Tips:
• PLA is not suitable and will likely fail quickly.
• ABS is the bare minimum, but ideally, use a heat-resistant material like Polycarbonate, ASA, or glass fibre reinforced plastics.
• I’d love to hear if others have success with this part printed on their cars.
For reference, the plastic end of this component is similar to the one seen here: