lower intake cleaning

[RoadWarrior]

any recommendations on how to clean that up? I'm currently removing the intake (**** , I'm taking a lunch break right now) and I'm just wondering the best option? woould a good idea be spraying a crapload of berryman's down there and then motivating the crud out with a toothbrush? lemme know.

RW

 

[sdpatt]

Are you talking about the intake ports in the head? You can remove the intake and spray away, but be sparing with the cleaner in the ports as the cylinders with open valves can get full or liquid locked if you use too much spray. Use a cleaner damped shop towel to swab out the head ports. Search on this topic as it has been discussed before.

 

[Don likes SHO]

Congrats on the impending maintenace!
My intake cleaning is goin down this evening and hopefully finish up tomorrow morning.

I bought a perfect babybottle brush yesterday @ Wal-Mart for $2. It will clean 5" into the lower manifold. I'm not sure how much that will leave uncleaned.

I have a few thoughts 4 U:
I have a spark plug air fitting that I use for compression checks and leakdown tests. I am thinking about determining which cylinders are on the compression stroke as it sits after I dissassemble the intake. I'm probably going to clean those cylinders first. The cylinder getting the scrub will have 130psi piped to it to make sure the valves are sealed well & no solvent drips past. Then after careful double checking to make sure nothings gonna get in the motor when I move the car I'll put it in 5th and push till the remaining cylinders are on the compression stroke. (will need repetition to catch all cylinders on compression)

I bought a venturi type vacuum pump ($10 @ Harbor Freight) and built an ultra-high suction(30 inches of mercury) "shop vac" using vacuum lines and a coffee can as the crap trap.

I've already got way more time into prep than is sensible, but my vacuum would suck blood right out of skin (unverified!)

I am going to install a clear fuel filter in the PCV line as learned on this forum. This should lessen future crud. (we'll know in 20K when 3rd 60K is due)

I am NOT one to endorse being any where near the contents of 12 cans of Berrymans in one lifetime.
My removeable parts are gonna soak or I'm gonna bite the bullet and pay for hot tanking.

If you ever plan on having kids without birth defects keep carb/brake/berrymans cleaner exposure to a bare minimum. Wear gloves, eye protection and plenty of VENTILATION!

Hope my rambling helps any, good luck!

One more thing: Be careful to to test the cleaner on the upper intakes anodized coating. I wasn't concerned since I'm gonna run through the sandpaper grits from say 120 to 600 then put the full polish on mine while its apart

Ok I lied - two more things: I won't have a helper available to lift the intake for me, but since the hoods off I'm gonna us my cheapie tie down straps hanging from the rafters hooked to the intake to slowly lift, look, disconnect, and repeat.

<small>[ March 17, 2003, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: Don likes SHO ]</small>

 

[RoadWarrior]

hello again, sadly I went a lil *too* crazy with cleaning the intake part of the cyilnder heads. so now I'm currently sopping up the carb cleaner with some shop towels, thanks for all the tips, luckily I'm not too worried about the finish since it's totally trashed from a broken motormount,etc, from a previous owner.

RW

 

[sdpatt]

You guys, it is a whole lot easier to just wipe the head ports with a solvent dampened shop rag and use your fingers or wooden dowels (chopsticks) to push the rag to the lower regions of the ports. That way you don't have a bucket full of intake cleaner to have to deal with. You are creating so much extra work for yourselves and not getting the ports any cleaner. You can have shining aluminum ports in just a short time this way.

Be prepared for a long time cranking the engine for the first start if you just spray away. It only takes a little intake cleaner to cause each cylinder to act like it is flooded and take several minutes of combustionless cranking to clear it out. Why go through that?