Cleaning Intake Air Plenum

[artbuc]

It's off because I am replacing valve cover gaskets on my 99 Toyota Avalon. What is the best/easiest way to clean it? Just spray it down with throttle body cleaner? Some of the deposits look a little baked so I may have to scrub-a-dub-dub.

PS At 112k miles, she looks nice and clean - no evidence of sludge on this one.

 

[antiqueshell]

Unless there is excessive carbon buildup in the plenum I wouldn't worry too much about it. Make sure you clean the TB. Use a specific TB intake cleaner that is 02 sensor safe.

I used to live on Darlington & Miner Sts, across from the 1st Presbeterian Church in WC. LOL (Near Lawyers Row)

How is WC lately?

 

[artbuc]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Unless there is excessive carbon buildup in the plenum I wouldn't worry too much about it. Make sure you clean the TB. Use a specific TB intake cleaner that is 02 sensor safe.

I used to live on Darlington & Miner Sts, across from the 1st Presbeterian Church in WC. LOL (Near Lawyers Row)

How is WC lately?


Nice - we just went through there yesterday on our way to the Vickers Restaurant. We live about 7 miles from downtown. Actually we are a little closer to Kennett Square, right behind Longwood Gardens. Yep, I'm thinking it will be a waste of time to do too much cleaning. After all, I'm not taking her out to a drag strip.

 

[dparm]

Have a shop professionally clean it -- they can dunk it in a tank to clean the stuff out.

 

[beast3300]

Leave alone and re-install.

 

[Artem]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Have a shop professionally clean it -- they can dunk it in a tank to clean the stuff out.


Sounds expensive...

I cleaned the living varnish off of my 98 Camry V6's intake manifold with simple carb cleaner spray. Bought 4-5 cans and spray away my friend.

 

[Artem]

Originally Posted By: beast3300
Leave alone and re-install.

re-install a dirty intake manifold without even trying to clean it first while you have it off the car? I feel bad for your cars and their clogged intakes.

 

[abycat]

Originally Posted By: Artem
Originally Posted By: beast3300
Leave alone and re-install.

re-install a dirty intake manifold without even trying to clean it first while you have it off the car? I feel bad for your cars and their clogged intakes.


thats a good point for the outside but as for the inside i would acid wash it. i think a shop would charge way less than 75$ to hot tank it, so not a bad dollar spent.

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: Artem
Originally Posted By: beast3300
Leave alone and re-install.

re-install a dirty intake manifold without even trying to clean it first while you have it off the car? I feel bad for your cars and their clogged intakes.


I would think it depends on how dirty it is. Chunks and tangible build-up? By all means, clean away. But for a slight carbon-colored "discoloration" that doesn't change the surface in any visible way, why bother spraying around toxic chemicals and inhaling the fumes for no gain?

 

[beast3300]

Originally Posted By: Artem
Originally Posted By: beast3300
Leave alone and re-install.

re-install a dirty intake manifold without even trying to clean it first while you have it off the car? I feel bad for your cars and their clogged intakes.


I'm sorry are you a 12 year automotive technician? Surface doo doo isn't going to make a lick of difference in performance.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: artbuc
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Unless there is excessive carbon buildup in the plenum I wouldn't worry too much about it. Make sure you clean the TB. Use a specific TB intake cleaner that is 02 sensor safe.

I used to live on Darlington & Miner Sts, across from the 1st Presbeterian Church in WC. LOL (Near Lawyers Row)

How is WC lately?


Nice - we just went through there yesterday on our way to the Vickers Restaurant. We live about 7 miles from downtown. Actually we are a little closer to Kennett Square, right behind Longwood Gardens. Yep, I'm thinking it will be a waste of time to do too much cleaning. After all, I'm not taking her out to a drag strip.




Oh, I know that area too, I went to Unionville Middle and HS. Just a few miles away from there!

 

[yonyon]

If you're feeling a bit kinky you could go all the way and send it out for an extrude hone job. You'de have the slipperiest Avalon plenum on the block!

/What is this word "excess"?

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: artbuc
Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Unless there is excessive carbon buildup in the plenum I wouldn't worry too much about it. Make sure you clean the TB. Use a specific TB intake cleaner that is 02 sensor safe.

I used to live on Darlington & Miner Sts, across from the 1st Presbeterian Church in WC. LOL (Near Lawyers Row)

How is WC lately?


Nice - we just went through there yesterday on our way to the Vickers Restaurant. We live about 7 miles from downtown. Actually we are a little closer to Kennett Square, right behind Longwood Gardens. Yep, I'm thinking it will be a waste of time to do too much cleaning. After all, I'm not taking her out to a drag strip.



When I lived in MD, I would make the trip to Longwood Gardens a few times a year - BEAUTIFUL!!

 

[Virtuoso]

Took the time to clean out the intake on one of my old '94 SHO's while I had it off for a valve adjustment. The car had around 140k on it, IIRC.

I'm not sure I'd bother doing this again unless there were heavy deposits. There was no gain to be had.

 

[johnsmellsalot]

You could try throttle body cleaner or take them to a machine shop. They can put it in a jet washer.
Originally Posted By: artbuc
It's off because I am replacing valve cover gaskets on my 99 Toyota Avalon. What is the best/easiest way to clean it? Just spray it down with throttle body cleaner? Some of the deposits look a little baked so I may have to scrub-a-dub-dub.

PS At 112k miles, she looks nice and clean - no evidence of sludge on this one.

 

[mechtech2]

Either leave it alone, or use whatever means to clean it perfectly.

Some halfway job won't do much benefit, and may dislodge or loosen things that later should not go downstream.

 

[ahoier]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Have a shop professionally clean it -- they can dunk it in a tank to clean the stuff out.
My local WM sells a bucket of "parts cleaner" by Berryman Products.....same guys behind the "B-12 CHEMTOOL" and other high solvency chemicals.....for oil, gas, etc....cleaning.

Even comes with a parts basket (think, deep fryer basket...? LOL) to hold the parts in, to lower them into the solution....

Sounds like a good idea

Then just spray it down and let air dry with carb cleaner..... or brake cleaner....?

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Regular oven cleaner works great on carbon deposits, especially the baked on variety, any inexpensive brand will do. I've used it many times on plenums/intake manifolds with plugged up exhaust crossover passages and EGR valves.

Works good on valve covers with heavy varnish or baked oil deposits as well, such as around the PCV valve.

If you can warm the part up in the oven beforehand even better. Let it sit for a while, re-spray if necessary, then use a garden hose to wash it out. Might have to brush or repeat application on stubborn deposits.