Absolute Filth! Inlet manifold carbon buildup and cleaning.

[Bandit12]

Wow that is filthy! but what a cool video with the blowtorch
I had my previous C5 diesel terra cleaned and that certainly made a huge difference in power and throttle response but nothing beats satisfaction of taking something apart and cleaning by hand. Well done.

[EDC5]

If they weren't so expensive I'd rather buy a new inlet manifold! Cleaning it was awful (I'm still stained by the gunk on my hands despite days of scrubbing )

It was very satisfying clearing the 'throat' of the car, I just hope it appreciates my suffering

On a serious note, it's easy to see how EGR can increase the wear on an engine. All of that carbon soot entering the cylinders and being washed into the sump where it can abrade all of the bearing surfaces and piston bores.

[picassodad]

I am a bit suprised the alloy manifold did'nt melt! Had an almera with very blocked inlet tracks........modern cars need a good blast down the motorway to keep them "clean"....

[Skymac]

Can you please send me a link if there's a video or instructions of how to get the Inlet Manifold out? Thank you.

[nightmarec5]

Just got done with the manifold, it's a dirty tiring job but it was worth it, throttle response has improved and the car idles smoother. I'll include the instructions below.

-unclip both crankcase vent hoses ( black ones)

-Unclip egr pipe where it attaches on the manifold, no need to remove the whole thing

-unscrew the 3 airdoser screws. The one on the bottom was a pain to remove so I cut down an Allen key (5) so it could fit.

-remove camshaft sensor, just 1 tiny screw (number 4 Allen) then move the cables out the way

-pull the 4 injector return pipes off ( short black ones) and move them out of the way

-unclip the long silver vacuum pipe that attaches on the back of the manifold

-theres a small clip attached to the middle rear of the manifold, unclip this.

-Unscrew the 19 inlet manifold bolts( all 10mm) there are 3 different sizes so don't mix them up

-wiggle the manifold out then clean

That's how I did it, but take extreme care to not drop any screws or sockets Into the head/inlet ports

Edit: I am a lazy idiot, my decision to not replace the seals has come back to bite me in the back, one of them starting leaking, and it has left a small pool of oil after just 30 miles. I'll need to take everything apart again

[Disaster189]

Just got done with the manifold, it's a dirty tiring job but it was worth it, throttle response has improved and the car idles smoother. I'll include the instructions below.

-unclip both crankcase vent hoses ( black ones)

-Unclip egr pipe where it attaches on the manifold, no need to remove the whole thing

-unscrew the 3 airdoser screws. The one on the bottom was a pain to remove so I cut down an Allen key (5) so it could fit.

-remove camshaft sensor, just 1 tiny screw (number 4 Allen) then move the cables out the way

-pull the 4 injector return pipes off ( short black ones) and move them out of the way

-unclip the long silver vacuum pipe that attaches on the back of the manifold

-theres a small clip attached to the middle rear of the manifold, unclip this.

-Unscrew the 19 inlet manifold bolts( all 10mm) there are 3 different sizes so don't mix them up

-wiggle the manifold out then clean

That's how I did it, but take extreme care to not drop any screws or sockets Into the head/inlet ports

Edit: I am a lazy idiot, my decision to not replace the seals has come back to bite me in the back, one of them starting leaking, and it has left a small pool of oil after just 30 miles. I'll need to take everything apart again

Good job!

Do you know what the correct torque is for all the screws?

[Disaster189]

I answer, 9nm

[vallium]

About disassembly, there is also horizontal bolt holding the timing belt cover between bolts 14 and 19 on the scheme



I'm also doing the cleaning. Am I correct to assume that marked are the intake runners for each cylinder?

Closeup:

Car has 320 000 km / 200 000 miles.

Plan was to check with endoscope for open/closed valves but can't see a thing.

[vallium]

They are.

One way to check is to blow a bit of compressed air down the hole. If it comes back from another intake they're open and connected, otherwise they're closed. Pitch also changes.

[aerodynamica]

What seal is it that wasn't replaced and leaked? I'm thinking of cleaning this.

[aerodynamica]

I ordered the gasket set for this so hopefully that'll prevent it leaking oil etc