Best way to clean intake on 603

[Rob124]

I dropped off my intake manifold at the local machine shop for cleaning, and they tell me it's a tough job, and will cost $80. The story is that only bead blasting will do the job properly, since it's "from a diesel." Does this sound correct? They did offer a less expensive soaking, but say it won't be very effective.

Call me cheap, but I was expecting maybe $25-$30. The gunk inside is definitely nasty, but doesn't seem hard. Gasoline softens it up quickly, but I don't want to soak an entire manifold in a pool of gas!

What to do?

[Diesel911]

What I have read of other member doing; safe or not.

Foaming Oven Cleaner
Soak in Bio Diesel
Soak in Galoline
Soak in Diesel fuel
Soak in Solvent
Many applications of Engine Degreaser

All of the above may be followed by hot pressure washer at home or at one of those do-it-yourself turck/car washes.

For more details there is at least 2 other threads on the subject.
From what I have read 100% Bio Diesel seems to work the best.

[dieseldiehard]

You do not want to let them beadblast the thing, it will possibly leave grit inside, stuck in corners where gunk lies hidden, that will grind up your engine if it gets sucked in later. A good shop like where I once worked had a cleaning station where a solvent under pressure can be applied with a wand into crevasses etc. It heats up the fluid and does a pretty good job as it recycles the fluid thru a filter of some kind. It cost big buck$ to refill it with the solvent which I think was a citrus based stuff. I doubt Bio would really attack the gunk like BrakeKleen or the hot dip solvent technique.
I used Brakekleen to finish the job with a rag on a stick to push into the insides, you can't get to every surface because of the way its built.
And you have to realize the insides will not stay clean very long, I bet mine is black all over again.
It is a stinky, messy job but whether its worth $80 is up to you I guess. Just don't let them use bead blaster.
And don't use EZ Off oven cleaner, its not recommended for aluminum!

[babymog]

After it's clean, ... disable the EGR to keep it that way (or closer).

[Jeremy5848]

I cleaned the IM from my 603 with gasoline followed by hot soapy water. The dirty gasoline went to the household toxics disposal site at the local dump. Biodiesel has the advantage of being far less flammable than most other solvents and you don't have to worry about little spills and drips since it's biodegradable. It will take longer; put it in a container, cover tightly, and let it sit for a few days. If you can't wait that long, a machine shop with a "hot dip" tank should be able to clean it for you. I agree that bead blasting the interior is not a good idea--too many places for beads and aluminum scraps to hide until they get sucked into the combustion chamber.

[CANDIDE]

Originally Posted by Rob124

I dropped off my intake manifold at the local machine shop for cleaning, and they tell me it's a tough job, and will cost $80. The story is that only bead blasting will do the job properly, since it's "from a diesel." Does this sound correct? They did offer a less expensive soaking, but say it won't be very effective.

Call me cheap, but I was expecting maybe $25-$30. The gunk inside is definitely nasty, but doesn't seem hard. Gasoline softens it up quickly, but I don't want to soak an entire manifold in a pool of gas!

What to do?

Find another machine shop.
I paid $20 to have mine tanked, took a couple of days soaking. Not like new but very clean.