Cleaning inside an inlet manifold caked with carbon from EGR ?

[CompoSimmonite]

I have the inlet manifold off my Fiat 1.9 JTD and it has a 1-2mm layer of built up carbon on the inside. Due to design not possible to get access to the bulk for cleaning and volume way too large for the spray cleaners.
If I seal off the inlet side is there any solution I could pour into the port side to clean the inside ?
Cheers
Stolen picture of manifold type -

 

[bert]

I've used Mr muscle oven cleaner im turbos as its foaming.

I'd tape up some holes and just give it repeated sprays

 

[Barking Mat]

I've used Mr muscle oven cleaner im turbos as its foaming.

I'd tape up some holes and just give it repeated sprays

Yep, oven cleaner and Karcher.

 

[DanZac]

Not an answer to your question directly, but has anyone tried off vehicle DPF cleaner for this sort of thing?

It works on DPF and I'd guess the soot build up is similar, and if it's safe enough for a DPF you'd think it would be OK on a manifold?

Not cheap, but 5 litres would do a couple of manifolds, you'd just need to blank it up and fill it up.

Anyone got any thoughts on that idea?

Off-Car DPF Cleaner | Wynn's UK

Wynn's Off-Car DPF Cleaner is a Manual cleaning solution for heavily blocked DPFs when standard regeneration fails.

www.wynns.uk.com

 

[Dcal]

I did my 1.9 manifold by submerging it in neat TFR
It cleaned up well with a power wash after a good soak.

Don't leave it too long before washing off, as TFR will eventually dissolve aluminium

 

[finyuk2005]

if you have it off the engine, fill it with diesel and set it on fire,
for extra effect, hit it with a blow gun from your air compressor,
dont do it in a dry forest area, but if your weather is anywhere near as bad as ours up north, then i doubt thats going to be a problem!

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I did my 1.9 manifold by submerging it in neat TFR
It cleaned up well with a power wash after a good soak.

Don't leave it too long before washing off, as TFR will eventually dissolve aluminium

Got 20 ltrs of TFR so will give that a try.

 

[winchman]

I have used oven cleaner and a rag tied to a string in the past, but I had access to both ends of the pipe, the actual EGR I just used a tooth brush and oven cleaner

 

[dobbslc]

Is this the same engine as Vauxhall and Alfa use, the 16valve?
Are you going to blank off the stupid inlet swirl flaps while it's in bits.
Quite a pokey old engine but made unreliable by all the emissions crap added to it.
Mine loved an EGR valve a year after it past 3 years old...

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Is this the same engine as Vauxhall and Alfa use, the 16valve?
Are you going to blank off the stupid inlet swirl flaps while it's in bits.
Quite a pokey old engine but made unreliable by all the emissions crap added to it.
Mine loved an EGR valve a year after it past 3 years old...

It's the older single cam / 8 valve diesel so no swirl flaps. The EGR system now has blanking plates. I'd remove the whole lot if it wasn't an MOT failure !

 

[Bornfree]

I normally steam clean them after a spray of de greaser

 

[dobbslc]

It's the older single cam / 8 valve diesel so no swirl flaps. The EGR system now has blanking plates. I'd remove the whole lot if it wasn't an MOT failure !

Lucky there then

 

[MetalMonkey]

if you have it off the engine, fill it with diesel and set it on fire,
for extra effect, hit it with a blow gun from your air compressor,
dont do it in a dry forest area, but if your weather is anywhere near as bad as ours up north, then i doubt thats going to be a problem!

I've used this method before, it still required a lot of cleaning, but did get a lot of gummy stuff off.

 

[Dcal]

I just cleaned a Ford Ranger inlet manifold as it had to come off to change the glow plugs, so I thought I'd post a few before and after photos with the TFR cleaning method.

I used about 4 to 1 water / TFR mix (it's all I had) and as I didn't have something deep enough to take the whole thing in one go, it was dipped in two halfs.

Photo below shows the top half after soaking overnight and the bottom as it came off.

Turned it upside down to soak the other half, then a good power washing to remove most of the carbon.

A second soaking and power washing would have removed all of the carbon but its good enough as the head is pretty manky as well.

 

[colnerov]

...And of course it brings up the concrete lovely as well.

 

[Smallfry]

Having done it couple of times, it is very messy and will keep you amused for hours.

Immerse in commercial oven cleaner for a while, pressure wash (hot if possible) and repeat until clean. Don't leave it overnight though, as the alkaline oven cleaner reacts with aluminium.

Failing that, it will take several days. Immerse in WD40 or similar, and lots of work with a teapot brush

 

[Nomad]

Scrape off what you can (long handled brush / blunt stick / flat bar with a hooked end...),
Carb cleaner / brake cleaner on the easy bits then scrub.
Soak in a bath of caustic soda then scrape & scrub... ( look online - will the alloy be damage if left overnight??)
Rinse and repeat...

Do you have local engineering workshop? My local place has a huge hot wash "dishwasher" for cleaning engines and parts, ask if they can add your bit to their next batch??

 

[Bornfree]

And 20,000miles later it will be just the same. I hate modern engine's.

 

[Smallfry]

And 20,000miles later it will be just the same. I hate modern engine's.

Not if you blank and defeat the EGR. If you can that is.

 

[arther dailey]

done a few , same as above , mr muscle oven cleaner , couple cans normally do it , wear a mask /dont breath it in !