Best method and products to clean intake pipes and valves
 

Gents,

Among other things, I'm changing out my glow plugs. You guys weren't kidding about removing the lower #4 and #5 air intake bolts! As I assumed, the intake pipes (chambers?) have hardened and oily soot in them. Some are worse than others, but not as bad as I've seen on other cars---Jeremy's OM606 pics come to mind.

Anyways, I've read a few posts from a few years regarding various methods from scraping + shop vac'g the intake pipes of any loose debris to soaking them with WD40 or some other type of solvent to loosen and then wipe up any remaining soot deposits. And then there's "leave it as is". I can't decide which way to go. I'd figure soaking it with something and then wiping later would be better. Can anyone whose done this provide some feedback?

Thanks,
Bob

Honestly right now you need to be very careful about getting any debris in the intake ports. Judging by the photo there's a lot visible around your injectors and head bolts. Start by carefully covering your ports and vacuuming everything you can before starting any port cleaning.

Permatex gasket remover cleans/removes soot. Use a mask,gloves and safety glasses- don't anything down the hole.

For the intake itself, soak it in Biodiesel!
 

For the intake manifold and the crossover pipe:
5 gallons of biodiesel, let it soak for a day or two and all the black stuff will fall/wash out of the intake, you might have to take a stick of brush and give the thickest areas a little help! The nice thing is you can then let the biodiesel sit for a couple days and all the black stuff will settle to the bottom. Then you can siphon or carefully pour off 4 1/2 gallons and put a gallon or two at a time into full tank of dino diesel and burn it like B5! Or you can keep a gallon ad use it just like you would LubroMoly Diesel Purge, a jug under the hood and let it run to help clean your injectors while it does.

For the intake runners in the cylinder head itself:
Use a piece of stiff wire or a bent thin screwdriver to scrape free any chunks while having the vacuum run at the same time to suck it up once it breaks free. Before you put it all back together give each valve and runner a single spritz of biodiesel to just wet things. Then with things back together some of what is left will just be washed off in the air flow. Good Luck!

You need to make and install a block off plate under the EGR to prevent further accumulation of soot. There will always be oil coming from the valve cover into the intake, it's when that oil mixes with the EGR soot that it potentially becomes a problem.

It's going to take a long time to soak and clean because you should only soak ports when the valve is closed.

Hey, your blog's been silent for half a year! What gives? :)

Sixto
87 300D

put rags down each bore and scrape what you can

http://www.bakingshop.com/bc/img/SPTP-7D.jpg
http://www.thebestthings.com/newtool...llet_knife.jpg
these work great

remove the rag carefully after you are done

Good idea to rotate the crank so each cylinder's valves are both closed

guys,

all great ideas, thanks. couple of comments and follow up questions:

lietuviai: I do plan to clean around the area, but thanks for the reminder. i did have paper towels stuffed inside prior to the pic

sixto: closing the valve means turning the crank at the crankshaft. is it counter or clockwise that i turn the crank? also re blog: yes, its been neglected for many months! i will probably write one mammoth post around thanksgiving as i have 9 days off and planning to spend it with the inlaws :eek:

MTU: if i buy the gasket scraper, aside from the mating surfaces of both the block and the intake manifold, where else do you suggest i use it? just not down the intake holes, right? what did you use then?

billybob: i am not 100% clear what you are suggesting as to where to pour the biodiesel first. are you saying pour 5 gals down the intake pipes? if so, that seems to contradict what most people have written w/ regards to making sure nothing falls through an open intake. can you please clarify?

also, ive done all the egr and arv blocks. but great reminder for those reading who haven't done it.

thanks,
bob

Turn the engine the direction it normally turns, CW as viewed from the ahead of the car. I'd say use the fan as guidance but you might own an M103 someday :)

Sixto
87 300D

Seafoam and/or water torture.

Thanks I've edited the original post to clarify, I've seen and read enough that it would not be a suprise to hear of someone filling the engine with biodiesel to "clean things out!!!!

I apologize for not be more clear, the "5 gallons of Biodiesel" is used to clean the intake manifold and the crossover pipe only. The cylinder head intake runners and the valve stems and their underside can only be cleaned by scrapping any accumulations off and vacuuming these dislodged particles out or perhaps using air to blow them out (and then all over!), once you get the area scrapped clean a very light spray wetting the surfaces will dissolve some of the remaining material and with everything assembled the force of the air flowing through the intake runners and around the valve surfaces would blow away into the combustion chamber whatever has been dissolved and loosened.

For all practical purposes there is no reason to go beyond scrapping free any "chunks" or thicker deposits in the runners or off the valves if your concern is that some particle of soot/oil grunge will dislodge and be ingested. Cleaning the area beyond that would seem to serve no practical purpose