[grotto]

How much should I expect to pay for walnut blasting on a 335d? Thanks.

[Tomnavigator]

I did my carbon cleaning myself. I spent around $200 for all the materials. Blaster $120, walnut shells, $25, Wands, $15, Scrapers $10.
From what I have seen on this forum, the prices vary wildly depending on location. There are some shops that will do the cleaning for $600 to $1,200. Some dealers charge $1,500 to $3,500. I would find an independent shop. It is not complicated. It is just messy. Make sure they take before and after pictures of the intake runners and valves. It took me about a day and a half to do mine. It was the first one I have ever done and I was not in a hurry. I could do one in around 8 hours now.

[grotto]

Thanks, seems like prices vary a lot. I can't do it myself as I don't have a garage and rec'd a quote for $2375 from indie which I find ridiculous. I'll shop around, thanks.

[335dlci]

I charge 1600 for cleaning including needed hardware.

[CokeZeroRocks]

Grotto where are you located?

[E93Dude]

Originally Posted by grotto

How much should I expect to pay for walnut blasting on a 335d? Thanks.

In NOVA indy mechanics that I have dealt with charge $100 - $125 per hour. They are going to charge at least 5 hours, probably more, for a walnut blast. If you can get it done by someone (and this is important) who knows what they are doing, for about $750-$850, I think you should consider that fair.

As an alternative, or interim cheaper fix, remove the MAP sensor from your intake manifold and inject an intake cleaner like Berryman while running the engine. Engine will struggle while eating up the spray product for 3-4 minutes and smoke will billow out your exaust, but after all the cleaner and carbon are burned off your car will run normal. This is not as thorough a method as full walnut blast, and may take more than one application for you to see an improvement how your motor runs. But at $30/can it may be worth a try for you.

[grotto]

Less that $1k is fair but I am getting over the phone estimates for $2500-3400 for indies in the northern VA area which I find excessive. I have owned 9 BMW's including several M cars and none had carbon issues and I keep my cars for a long time. At the same time none were diesel and turbo's. I love the car since 2013 (CPO) and have spent a ton of money keeping up with maintenance and replacing components which have failed, yea you know the typical stuff. The car drives like new with a ton of power due to pothole/tune, and no other issues and get's 40 mpg on hwy and I am averaging 30 around town. But incurs smooth running regulator codes on injector 3/6 while coasting. I always reset using Carly but it comes back after a little while. The spoke to the tuner and they mentioned carbon buildup is the culprit. Cokezero I am in northern VA.

[E93Dude]

To be perfectly honest, i am not entirely familiar with the BMW diesel engine set up, so carbon cleaning with that may well be a more involved process than doing the same on a gasonline direct injection engine. But $2500-3400 just seems like forced sodomy by any measure. I think you can do better if you keep looking.

[lnxguy]

Make sure you actually need it.

[Tomnavigator]

Before I did my carbon cleaning, I would get random MAF sensor trouble codes due to unexpected air flow readings. I guess the reduced air flow due to the restriction would make the car think the MAF was bad. I would get the codes about once a month. Now I don't get any codes.

[Tomnavigator]

One way to calculate the cost of carbon cleaning is as follows:
Local rate for labor times 8 hours minimum time. Then add $200 for materials. Anything much lower than this means they are not planning on doing the job right. You need walnut blasting to remove all the carbon buildup. Insist on before and after pictures. I don't think you will get a good job for less than $1,000 and anything under $1,600 is fair. The prices I listed on my earlier posting was prices I have seen on this forum in the past. Not prices that I think are fair or prices to do a good job. Anyone who thinks they can carbon clean in less than 8 hours is either planning on doing a rush (inferior) job or has not done one in the past, or has done many carbon cleaning and is set up to do them without the need to waste time with prep.
Note the price 335dici gave you of $1,600 is in southern California. His price is probably a good deal and low for the area. Your local labor rates are probably up to 20% lower than those in California.

[392Hemi]

For an intake cleaning????

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by 392Hemi

For an intake cleaning????

Diesels are different. Lot more involved when compared to gas engine.

Intake manifold gets gunked up pretty bad, and i think you have to remove the valve cover. This is probably what carries the bulk of the cost.

[lnxguy]

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

Diesels are different. Lot more involved when compared to gas engine.

Intake manifold gets gunked up pretty bad, and i think you have to remove the valve cover. This is probably what carries the bulk of the cost.

You don't remove the valve cover to clean CBU. Intake manifold, yes. But that's a 10min job.

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by lnxguy

You don't remove the valve cover to clean CBU. Intake manifold, yes. But that's a 10min job.

Just watched a guy on youtube remove the valve cover to get to some ports.

I don't have a diesel so i looked it up.

[Tomnavigator]

The valve cover does not have to be removed to perform a carbon cleaning on a BMW 335D. However, the intake runner is curved and it is about two inches down to the valves.

Advantages to removing the valve covers:
1) it is easier to get the intake clean since the path to the valve is more direct and easier to get to with the cleaning probes.
2) It is easier to see how clean you have gotten the area around the valves
3) Valve cover gaskets can leak once the car gets over 100k miles. Replacing them is a good idea now.
4) The first part of the intake runner is plastic and can be damaged by aggressive walnut blasting if the air pressure used is too high. Removing the first part of the intake runner eliminates this possibility.
5) It is easier to tell when the intake valves are closed when the valve covers are removed.

Disadvantage of removing the valve covers:
1) Expense of new valve cover gaskets
2) Possible contamination of head with walnut shells
3) A little more time is spent removing and installing the valve covers.
4) You have to spend more time sealing the heads to make sure no walnut shells get into the valve cover area of the heads.

The intake valve must be closed on the cylinder before the intake runner is walnut blasted to ensure no walnut shells get into the cylinder.
Many people remove the valve covers. I think I read from one of 335dici's previous posts the 335dici removes the valve covers.
I did not remove my valve covers. I made my own cleaning probes out of copper tubing and bent them to go down the curved runners. I had to bend them several times to get the angles right. After I cleaned the intake runners, I used a camera to confirm the runners were cleaned.
I made sure the intake valves were closed on the cylinder to be cleaned by blowing air down one runner with a piece of toilet paper covering the other intake runner of that cylinder. If the toilet paper blew off, the valve was open. If the toilet paper did not move, the intake valves were closed. This works because both intake valves open at the same time. If the intake valves are open, then the air goes down one intake runner into the cylinder then back out the other intake runner. Note: The intake valves are only open on one cyclinder at a time. The other cylinders are in the compression stroke, power stroke, or exhaust stroke where the intake valves are closed. I confirmed the intake valves were closed with a camera prior to starting my walnut blasting. It turned out this was not necessary.

[392Hemi]

Originally Posted by 392Hemi

For an intake cleaning????

I understand diesels are different. I removed my intake, brought it to the machine shop and they cleaned it for $65, i put it back on. Who just casually throws $2500 away for that lol.

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by Tomnavigator

The valve cover does not have to be removed to perform a carbon cleaning on a BMW 335D. However, the intake runner is curved and it is about two inches down to the valves.

Advantages to removing the valve covers:
1) it is easier to get the intake clean since the path to the valve is more direct and easier to get to with the cleaning probes.
2) It is easier to see how clean you have gotten the area around the valves
3) Valve cover gaskets can leak once the car gets over 100k miles. Replacing them is a good idea now.
4) The first part of the intake runner is plastic and can be damaged by aggressive walnut blasting if the air pressure used is too high. Removing the first part of the intake runner eliminates this possibility.
5) It is easier to tell when the intake valves are closed when the valve covers are removed.

Disadvantage of removing the valve covers:
1) Expense of new valve cover gaskets
2) Possible contamination of head with walnut shells
3) A little more time is spent removing and installing the valve covers.
4) You have to spend more time sealing the heads to make sure no walnut shells get into the valve cover area of the heads.

The intake valve must be closed on the cylinder before the intake runner is walnut blasted to ensure no walnut shells get into the cylinder.
Many people remove the valve covers. I think I read from one of 335dici's previous posts the 335dici removes the valve covers.
I did not remove my valve covers. I made my own cleaning probes out of copper tubing and bent them to go down the curved runners. I had to bend them several times to get the angles right. After I cleaned the intake runners, I used a camera to confirm the runners were cleaned.
I made sure the intake valves were closed on the cylinder to be cleaned by blowing air down one runner with a piece of toilet paper covering the other intake runner of that cylinder. If the toilet paper blew off, the valve was open. If the toilet paper did not move, the intake valves were closed. This works because both intake valves open at the same time. If the intake valves are open, then the air goes down one intake runner into the cylinder then back out the other intake runner. Note: The intake valves are only open on one cyclinder at a time. The other cylinders are in the compression stroke, power stroke, or exhaust stroke where the intake valves are closed. I confirmed the intake valves were closed with a camera prior to starting my walnut blasting. It turned out this was not necessary.

So this is where the shops are accumulating the bulk of the price. They are probably quoting the jobs with valve cover removal, but actually not removing the cover.

grotto this is something you should clarify with any shop doing your work.

Also make sure that the intake manifold get a good cleaning, preferably with some kind of ultrasonic bath cleaner.

[E85 Sport]

Originally Posted by 392Hemi

I understand diesels are different. I removed my intake, brought it to the machine shop and they cleaned it for $65, i put it back on. Who just casually throws $2500 away for that lol.

We’re talking about cleaning ports in cylinder head. Removable intake manifold is not the costly part of this service.

[Tomnavigator]

wolf 335 - The number 6 cylinder of the diesel is under the cowl which makes it hard to walnut blast without removing the valve cover. I was able to clean mine without removing the valve cover by bending my copper tubing.
I would like to make a correction from my previous post. It is possible to have the intake valves of two cylinders open at the same time if your crank shaft is exactly in the wrong position so you should always check the status of the intake valves before you walnut blast a cylinder.

[E93Dude]

Does anyone have a picture of a 335d engine, so those of us driving gasoline can see the difference between our respective engins?

[392Hemi]

Originally Posted by E85 Sport

We’re talking about cleaning ports in cylinder head. Removable intake manifold is not the costly part of this service.

I see, i can understand that being a bit more costly. I used a brush and some solvent and cleaned what i could reach and used a vaccum extention to suck out what i could. Can't justify spending $2500 on an intake service in my opinion. My car has 152k. What does this process entail?