Removing Oil deposits from Inside Intake

[TomoHawk]

When I had the intake manifold off for polishing, I noticed there was a layer of black stuff (oil vapor/carbon from the rocker box) inside, so I tried to clean that out too.  I tried Gunk Foamy, and several cans of carbureter spray.  From the brown liquid that came out, I concluded that some of the black stuff came off, but when you looked in the throttle hole, you could still see it was there.  I even tried a treatment of Seafoam, which is typically for carbon deposites on the valves and cylinder head, but this stuff was stubborn.

 

Is there any other way to get the carbon out of the intake manifold, besides taking it off and using some kind of industrial treatrment?  the engine is together and nicely detailed, so I don't want to mess with the outsides.

[siteunseen]

Lacquer thinner and some old toothbrushes would work but if you aren't removing it that would only get what you can see.  I used a five gallon bucket with about two gallons of thinner and submerged mine for a few days, as well as the pistons.  Works like carb cleaner, cost me $10 a gallon.  Oven cleaner works good too but you'd need it off the car.

 

I would take the throttle body off and clean as far in as you can.  Especially around the butterfly.

[TomoHawk]

Yeah, the butterfly doesn't want to close completely either.  I have to 'blip' the throttle when coasting to get the engine to settle down so the car will slow, like when you get off the freeway. 

 

It makes a nice cruise-control tho!  at 55 MPH, you can take your foot off the pedal, and the thing will just keep going until you blip it.

 

I thought there was some kind of throttle-body cleaner you could use to get the carbon out of the throttle?  You could rub it with the supplied foam blob, or spray it in.  But there isn't some other kind of intake cleaner, that you suck in, like  Seafoam?

[siteunseen]

Would you want the crud getting sucked into the head?  It has to go somewhere.  Like in that Jack Black movie with Vapoorizer, "where does the s h i t go"?

[Chickenman]

Edit: Sorry Tom. I think I mis-read your original post. I thought you wanted to clean Intake valves. On second read, I see that you want to clean the inside of the Intake manifold. I'll leave the following post as it may be useful to others.

 

Take the car to a European Car Specialist or Dealership. BMW, Audi, VW, Mercedes and other manufacturers  have terrible problems with deposits building up on Intake valves because of Direct Fuel Injection. These dealerships or specialty shops do " Walnut Blasting " or have similar procedures that clean the Intake valves ( apparently very well ) with no removal of the cylinder head required.

 

Video:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONp6gQXpyKU

 

Before and After comparison:

 

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=882990

 

 

 

 

You can also buy the blasting equipment and Walnut Media from Harbor Freight for a reasonable price.

 

Walnut shells are used because they are tough enough to blast away the carbon, but soft enough to not cause any damage to internal engine parts if some particles remain in the cylinder after vacuuming.

Edited July 31, 2015 by Chickenman

[Chickenman]

For cleaning out the Intake manifold and Combustion chamber, Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner is a very good product. One of the strongest available. I used to use it as a Carb cleaning agent and it was the best product that I found. Even better than CRC Carb Cleaner.  Use it all at once and be prepared for a BIG smoke show... but it works.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EZmYyrAU58

 

 

 

[TomoHawk]

I thought I  would revisit this before it gets really cold...

 

I don't have any carbon or soot buildup to remove.  What there is inside the intake manifold, is a coating of some baked-on oil, so I don't think any of the de-carbonizing agents will work....  All the videos and how-to stuff I see is geared toward de-carbonizing the cylinders, valves, and EGR valve.

[gundee]

This is a 280Z issue with intakes. No amount of chemicals will touch the inside.

This is from years of EGR entering the intake. The best thing you can do is as

suggested have the inside media blasted. Then you want to hone out the runners smooth.

Hard to find a good 280Z intake now days. They are all plugged up.

[Chickenman]

Actually, de-carbonising agents work really well. All that " gunk " is the same stuff as in your Intake manifold , except the stuff on the valves and pistons is Baked on by heat. So the de-carbonisng agent by nature has to be much stronger than a typical Carb Cleaner. 

 

The Mopar CCC spray that I mentioned is extremely strong. It's not just for combustion chambers, it will clean everything it touches, including the inside of the Intake manifold. It will dissolve EGR deposits, especially the varnish in the Intake runners and the Plenum. The hard lumps of " Coal " in EGR passages are a different matter as Steve mentioned. It will soften them, but you'll still need need to poke and prod them with tools.

 

For $10 or whatever it's worth a shot. Isn't gonna clean everything sparkly clean ( If you have EGR ) , but it should clean the inside of your Intake manifold considerably. May take a couple of cans, depending on how much "varnish is in there, but it's the best " chemical " treatment possible.... IMHO

 

Throttle body should come out sparkly clean with CCC. I'd take that off and spray it on directly. IME.. short of the professional carb dunking tanks, nothing else came close to Mopar CCC for cleaning carbs and TB's. Use Nitryl Gloves and Eye protection!!! Lead lined apron is optional....

 

Ultimately the best way is to take the manifold off and have it cleaned industrially. Steam cabinets work really well.

Edited October 15, 2015 by Chickenman

[wheee!]

I ran mine thru an industrial parts cleaner (water based, not solvent) prior to shaving and polishing. Came out gorgeous after an hour in the high temp water.

When it goes back on the car, the block fumes are going to a catch can for separation.

 

pic of intake after cleaning (and some polishing )!

 

Edited October 15, 2015 by wheee!

[TomoHawk]

Yours looked nice even before the cleaning, but mine is stock.  I like the squarish edges of the stock manifold, so I would just clean it as it is, on the outside.

 

I was thinking of putting in a reusable inline fuel filter, so I could clean it and reuse it, uinstead of throwing it away every few months.You can't even get the small cone filters with a 5/8 inch neck at local AP stores- you have to order them online.  You would need an adapter from the big vent tube to a smaller hose.

[wheee!]

Mine was not "clean" IMHO...

There was considerable buildup inside the manifold prior to cleaning. Don't let the shiny outside fool you. The first pic was after lots of sanding etc!

Sent from my iPizzle ringy dingy device....