Thread: HOW TO: cleaning Intake manifold ?

hands down the la cleaner is the best cleaner to use, no harmful smell, and it works extremely well, id get some of that and soak it and it will be like new .

Honestly whoever said send it out to have it done was giving the best advice, but since most DIY work is well, "DIY" figured I'd mention this.

I use CRC MAF and Throttle Body cleaner. Safe for use on IM. Haven't tried LA Cleaner but you can buy CRC at Autozone, it works great. I use it on my VQ35DE TB and intake plenum, while still on the car. It's not as harsh as Carb Cleaner and I would not use most Brake Cleaners on my IM, that stuff is toxic. It has Toluene, Benzene, CFC's, both highly Toxic and Carcinogenic.

If you care, the only non-toxic, non-carcinogenic Brake Cleaner I've seen is this stuff call "Zep Big Orange" (citrus-based), if you care what you're spewing into the air you breathe. Btw the WORST on both counts is CRC Chlorinated Brakleen-red, the stuff you see in the red cans. It's rated the most toxic commonly available Brake Cleaner, based on its MSDS. At least my 7 years in Environmental Science wasn't a complete waste

Also, NEVER use more than one kind of cleaner of these types in the same job - some of the combinations are really, really nasty.



after



Yeah, I know,I missed a few spots. The TB was still on the car and I didn't want to go nuts on it, just clean up the gap where air still flows when its closed. The VQ35DE drive-by-wire setup won't idle smoothly if that gap isn't clean.

You should be concerned. Most brake cleaners are way too harsh. Think about it - the stuff you used changed the internal material structure the o-ring, expanded it and then it shrank back. A safe cleaner shouldn't do anything to an o-ring. You may find it seems ok now, but it's been damaged and the effect is down the road.

Ask a shop or place that cleans injectors as a service. They'll tell you the same thing, keep brake cleaner away from injectors.

That has to be pretty similar, they claim biodegradable and non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, and "smells like citrus".

I'm no tree hugger, I just don't particularly like poisoning myself knowingly given what I have learned about long term consequences of being exposed even semi-regularly to toxic and carcinogenic cleaners/solvents. It's not good.

Plus these kind of cleaners are dirt cheap to use compared to the industrial solvent ones, like a buck a bottle.

see thats what i sorta thought...breakcleen is to harsh for connectors and ellectrical stuff....

i going to try LA cleaner and see how that works....now all i need a a day thats NOT raining

brake clean depends if it's chlorinated or non-chlorinated. I dont remember which is which, but one is considerably less abrasive than the other. Non-chlorinated is also flammable, while chlorinated isn't.

The genuine Subaru upper cyinder cleaner is pretty decent stuff but expensive. It's the stuff that should be sprayed in to the inlet manifold on the subys at every service. Stinks of ammonia and is even worse coming out of the tailpipe, clouds of white smoke. It is one of the best cleaners i've used for breaking down the cack on an inlet manifold though!

update on page 1

If you were running like your first pic with the EGR removed but not capped, you were pulling in a small dose of external unfiltered air past the MAF and TB, that probably would lean things out a bit - not much given how clogged up it was.

Looks good!

Good thread, I might have to rip mine out one of these days. It could use a good cleaning as well!