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*Done* Intake Valve Cleaning
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11-21-2012, 08:01 AM | #1 |
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*Done* Intake Valve Cleaning
I have been willing to clean my intake valves for quite a while now. My car has 78,000 miles now and runs good but the idle was not very smooth and I had some slight hesitations on the highway at around 2k rpm, when using 40-50% of the gas pedal, but nothing major. I dont think the car had even go the valves cleaned in the past.
This is the DIY I used which is very comprehensive, thanks Rotorocious very much for it http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=520922 I used the B12 Carb Cleaner from Autozone (1 bottle for 2 cylinders) and some brushes from Walmart. It took me several hours as the valves have to soak for like 30min each + the scrubbing. You can clear the valves two by two usually. It is a pretty easy thing to do if you have a garage at home, as you will need light and space. The only problem I had was to remove the radiator fan to be able to rotate the crankshaft. That fan is attached at the bottom by a screw, that you can access only from under the car by removing the lower cover and then you can access the screw. But this wasn't mentioned in any DIY I found. It is basically a job of unplugging stuff to access the valves and putting everything back together after. I used a regular vacuum cleaner and made a filter out of an old t-shirt and connected a hose to the vacuum line to soak the dirty carb cleaner from the valves. The only surprise I got was that I found a chicken wing bone sitting on top of the transmission, behind the engine. I don't know how it got there and how it stayed there... Anyway, I also took the opportunity to paint my calipers in red. In conclusion, it is not a hard job to do, if you are not afraid of disconnecting pipes, that's basically all it is to access the valves. Remember to mark all your sensors and pipes so you won't reconnect them in a wrong way. The total cost of the cleaning with all the tools and cleaners was under $40. Well worth it I think. BBQ and beer for lunch with friends while the valves soak in the carb cleaner is highly recommended. |
11-21-2012, 08:10 AM | #2 |
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Thanks for the review. Sounds like it was an easy job. Why did you decide to use the chemicals rather than walnut blast? the cost?
I believe the reason that nobody mentioned the radiator fan dismounting was because some DIYs use a make-shift starter that rotates the crank and allows the valves to open. Although i would recommend using your method.
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11-21-2012, 08:38 AM | #4 |
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Nice, feels alot better doesn't it?
As for turning the valves, I just put my car in 5th gear and pushed it forwards an inch. Lol at the chicken wing bone... I found a bug magnet attached to my frame once haha.
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11-21-2012, 08:50 AM | #5 |
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Nice job on the calipers, but you forgot to do the hub on the rotors. I was drifting last spring and got a little aggressive and ended up in the grass. It was still very wet here and I ended up putting a bunch of mud into the wheels. When I cleaned it out my breaks started squeaking. Because I still have CPO on my car I took it to the dealership and they said they wouldn't do anything about the squeaking breaks because I painted my calipers. LOL Looks a lot better than stock....
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11-21-2012, 09:05 AM | #6 |
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One question. Was the chicken bone BBQ or Buffalo?
On a serious note, did it clean up any of the hiccups? Did you have oil consumption issues previous to this?
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11-21-2012, 09:31 AM | #8 |
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Thanks guys.
I went the chemicals way mainly for the cost, I didn't want to buy or rent a compressor, buy the walnut shells and the blaster. The price would go up really quick and I didn't think it was worth it just for a one time job. From what I read on different DIY, people could just slide the radiator fan up, but mine was attached at the bottom. Once you know it its easy. Car feels good, solved the little hiccups and idle is much much smoother. |
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11-21-2012, 10:15 AM | #9 |
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Nicely done!!
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11-21-2012, 01:32 PM | #10 |
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so im not really mechanically inclined, but im trying to visualize this. im sure the scrubbing is done from the top, but where does all the gunk sit? does it drip down or does it kinda just sit inside the valve port until you vacuum it with a wet dry vac? is there a chance of spraying too much cleaner and 'flooding' the motor, messing things up?
thanks for any help! |
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11-21-2012, 02:26 PM | #11 |
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man I wish you were close to me... I would pay you to do mine. Of course I would help you too.. I would like to do this to my car but I am afraid I dont have the right tools to do this. Cheers!
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11-21-2012, 02:35 PM | #12 | |
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I'm sure the scrubbing is done from the top - Yes But where does all the gunk sit? When you fill up the valves that are closed (usually 2 or 3 at a time (see DIY for more info) with Carb Cleaner, let it sit in there for 30min, then scrub for a few minutes, the carbon deposit will be mixed with the carb cleaner that will become all back and dirty. Then suck out the dirty carb cleaner with the vacuum. Does it drip down or does it kinda just sit inside the valve port until you vacuum it with a wet dry vac? When the valves are closed, it is like sealed so nothing access the cylinder. Is there a chance of spraying too much cleaner and 'flooding' the motor, messing things up? No because your valves are closed so it will hold the carb cleaner and then just suck it out. If you poor some carb cleaner in the cylinder because the valve is open it will be burnt when you fire up the engine. I am not sure of what the limit is tho (like how much can you poor without having a problem) Hope that helps! |
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11-21-2012, 02:49 PM | #13 | |
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Oh I forgot, get charcoal, meat to grill and beers too |
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11-21-2012, 02:55 PM | #14 | |
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People here will love ya if you do a DIY thread on this Valve cleaning job!! I mean you already kind of did it but needs more step by step process.... |
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11-21-2012, 03:09 PM | #15 | |
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http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showth...ighlight=valve http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=520922 |
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11-21-2012, 03:13 PM | #16 |
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Holy crap i just noticed you painted over the caliper retainer clips too. You're going to have a hell of a time getting those off when you need new pads.. :/
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11-21-2012, 03:17 PM | #17 |
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the youtube video posted here a little while back has a great fan removal write up, super easy to do.
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11-21-2012, 03:18 PM | #18 |
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No those things are easy to remove and that paint is not excellent, if something touches it it goes away so I think I wont have a problem with the clips
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11-21-2012, 03:20 PM | #19 |
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ah okay, got scared there. the caliper paint I used is an epoxy base paint, so it hardens to a plasticky shell. Hope you don't have any trouble!
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11-21-2012, 03:22 PM | #20 |
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Yes I have watched that one when I couldn't get the fan out, it didn't help me much as mine was bolted down there. But that video is great as an Intake Valve Cleaning DIY.
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11-21-2012, 03:33 PM | #21 |
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The fan should have two bolts one near the lower intercooler and one near the passenger side right next to those 2 canisters. You have to remove the giant fan harness using two screw drivers (flat heads) to release the clips to the plug. Once those are in place pull. After thats removed just unclip the harness from the top of the fan and push the harness you cant remove towards the bumper. Pull directly up and it will slide straight out.
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