Direct Injection Intake Valve Cleaning
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- While I had the direct injected N14 engine out of my 2007 Mini Cooper S, I decided to remove the intake manifold and inspect the valves. I'm glad I did because I found that they were caked up with performance robbing carbon deposits.
In this video I show how I removed these deposits. I also talk about how they got there in the first place.
This video will apply to several vehicles with direct injection engines.
I had some help with editing on this one from Javan Hovind.
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Once cleaned, installing an oil catch tank will help to reduce the carbon buildup
I used a Walnut Blaster under pressure and it worked great for a 2008 BMW 535i. No engine removal just the Intake Manifold removal. Great video Eric. Thumbs Up.
Something I did with my old Mazdaspeed 6 (which was also turbo direct injection) was a feed a can of Seafoam through the vacuum lines once a year, let it sit for about 10 minutes to help it dissolve the deposits and then take it for a hard drive to clear it all out. Seemed to work pretty well, I had the intake off at 130,000 miles and they were still in great shape.
A catch tank is a good thing to have; something to supplement the factory stuff in your PCV system (just plumb it inline) before the oil has a chance to be sucked into the intake.
We walnut blast a lot of VW and Audi's, last week we also had 2 GM 3.6s that needed it as well. We are seeing lots of driveability issues with carbon build up
After how many miles should I think about this as a preventative maintenance item?
Baerchenization My GTI was running strong until 90k when the intake manifold failed and I paid to have them cleaned at a discount. The only difference I could tell was it ran smoother. Didn’t notice better fuel economy or more power; it still spun the tires in first and second gear all the same. I’ll only ever do it when the car throws a code or when other work makes it convenient.
I also have that Cadillac V-6 with direct injection. I never liked the idea of direct injection ever, however, but they do not make those Buick V-6s anymore. I have a 2013 Chevrolet by the way. It used to run great at 27K and 40 K and so on, but near 100K it runs a bit sluggish for sure, and I need a tune up anyway. I plan on doing it at home, once I get back home to King County, Washington. I am over here in British Burma where I spend more time now. Thank you. This was very educational and I had a feeling direct injection in some ways is a gimmick, but I cannot avoid it.
As early as 45k to 60k. I just avoid Direct Injection altogether. Trade it off for a car that uses Direct Port Injection or an older car with regular fuel injection systems.
what if you didn't reroute the "out" of the catch can (or the PCV system) back into the intake of the engine? wouldn't that solve the problem with DI because nothing from the PCV is going back over the intake valves? i was thinking just feed a hose down to the bottom of the car from the PCV like those that drain A/C condensation.
So Eric, how did you end up with all those extra fasteners? XD
All the extra bolts you get when you put stuff back together
@@Fooshbadacadoosh Some parts also come with new bolts or sometimes you just buy extra bolts and what not too. Plus sometimes when scrapping certain parts you take the bolts too.
That's not true. I never have any left over bolts. Stop being a dipstick.
Thanks for sharing your work. Few notes about this method emerge though:
Possibility of scratching valve seats(?) Carbon chunks may fall into the combustion chamber(?)
The way I would recommend: close valves (rotate engine) --> pray some good cleaner--> let it soak --> vacuum (there is a tricky way to create negative pressure with positive pressure air gun!)
Wouldn't recommend using those gaskets 5:56 (they are non re-usable) specially if they harden, which they will eventually will!
Greetings.
Late to this comment, I know, but it deserves more upvotes because if you media blast with something like walnut, the harder bits and pieces CAN cause damage if (more likely, when) they find their way past the valves since it's difficult to sweep all the bits out after being blasted if the valve train is still in the engine / bay. Also, if your vehicle has a turbo, the bits can destroy the impeller, but even worse, if they find their way into the bores, they'll scratch and gouge the lining, rings, etc., leading to even worse problems than what the carbon buildup might've been causing. (At least, this is all I've both read and heard from actual "gold" GM master techs.)
Media blasting with something like dry ice or baking soda would probably be a safer approach if the engine / head isn't outside of the car allowing you to blow / sweep walnut out of the valve areas better. But with whatever media is used, you still want to sweep it all out somehow with some kind of narrow vacuum attachment. Considering visibility and reach, this is why it's usually advised to do this kind of job with the valve train completely off the block, that way you have better visibility and can do a better job with blowing / sucking everything out of the valves. I'm also skeptical of using things like picks and whatnot to gouge and scratch the valves for obvious reasons, but many use the wire brush drill attachment approach, which seems to do a good job if the valves have been allowed to soak in some kind of cleaner first. If not, the carbon might not come off as well.
I've always been told that you should only do any of these things if you're seeing misfire codes (not the occasional single-digit amounts, but the kind that reach up in the double or triple-digits and don't go away or go back to zero count) or have some other justification to do it like insane fuel trims or stalling, etc. The every 30-50k mile regimen routine many encourage is something I've always seen car nuts and advanced DIY'ers advise, but if you go to any shop as a normal driver, they'll often encourage you to just "not worry about it" until a check engine code related to either misfires or something drive train-related comes up, which I also don't exactly like as this is the opposite of being proactive against issues that could lead to bigger problems. So, I'm not sure what the best approach is for your standard vehicle owner to take as this isn't a job any DIY'er can or should do as it encompasses many tasks one has to do to do it correctly (i.e. - taking various parts off, not damaging wiring harnesses or accidentally detaching various hoses, avoiding inadvertent cracking or breaking of things, using proper gaskets, using correct torque, etc.). Unless you have experience and knowledge of what has to be done, it's probably best to just do whatever your mechanic advises if it comes up, but I wouldn't listen to the advice of anyone who isn't at least a dealership-grade mechanic because if you let just any "ole' mechanic" do this kind of work on your vehicle, you're just asking for it.
I bought a new 2018 GMC Sierra with 6.2L. After some research, I immediately installed a catch can on it. In only 25k kms, I've emptied it several times and collected almost 3 litres of sludge that would have otherwise gone through the intake. Winner winner chicken dinner
Does this mean that every GDI engine ought to get a nitrous/methanol setup?
Purely for maintenance purposes, mind...
Maybe that's what my learner car needs 😄
An oil catch can is what's needed. The bulk of the problem stems for the valve cover ventilation being fed back into the intake. This is done for emissions, but since direct injected engine intake valves don't get washed with petrol like in multi-point injection, the valves gunk up.
damieg82 occ is good but yoy still need to sort out the egr problem
no candy What Chevy do you have without EGR with DI?
No, it doesn’t mean that. Those certainly void warranties, so keep that in mind. Multi-port injection engines don’t need them. Some GDI engines that are more modern have other ways to filter out particulates. I know Subaru has a patented centrifuge on their engines. I’ve heard new Hyundai/Kia engines leave pistons down every few firings, so it gets washed over with gasoline. All those slow the rates of deposits to where running meth is an unnecessary customization that may cause more harm than good. That said, many engines do still need some type of cleaning. However, it’s been proven that NO method prevents all build-up. Not meth, not a catch and not fuel/oil/TB additives. Eventually it will be time for a walnut treatment.
I added an oil catch can to my EcoBoost for this same reason. It keeps the oil particles from collecting as bad on the intake valves.
Tony Botchagaloop *fool
You’ll still need a walnut treatment at some point. You do extend the intervals with a catch can though.
Hi Eric...here is another method for cleaning valves we use on VW TDI diesels prior to egr delete. Pull spark plug and hook up compression test fitting in place and attach air compressor to blow high pressure air through cylinder. Rotate engine to TDC and walnut blast or chemical your choice. Walnuts work best for us...shop vac while you blast and when finished vac and wipe clean. Then rotate engine backward until compressed air blows all of the particles out of the valve recess. You would be amazed how much particulate "packs" around the rim of the sealing surface that you cannot see. Enjoy your videos very much. I have learned a ton. Be well
CRC intake valve cleaner works for me. My 2017 Sonata mileage dropped from
32 to 26mpg combined at 25K miles. I lead foot all the time. I bought 2
CRC cans. After treatment, mileage returned to 32mpg combined. Hot
engine @ 2000rpm spray continuous till engine almost dies then turn off
and let heat soak for an hour. Drive car for short trip and repeat 2
more times. I used 1/3 of the first can and got excellent results (32mpg
again) and now WOT sets me back in the seat again. Engine hard starts
and pings for the first block of driving during first treatment. After
3rd treatment, no more pinging, proof no more carbon breaking loose. My
method gives great heat soak, blipping the spray can while engine
remains running does little for heat soak. No ECM codes.
An entire era of engine design to avoid!
This type of negative consequence of a new design is an expensive maintenance process.
Living Larger It can mostly be avoided with a PCV catch can.
What year did the industry remedy the problem with another injector?
This one also had an issue in the valve cover as well. Not saying it wont be an issue but it wont be as bad as this.
depended on the car not just year. The subaru BRZ has always had dual injection, the newest wrx does not. A lot of newer cars do also have dual. some still dont.
Like diesel engine
I bet this is how dentists feel xD
Keegan Spencer “well they’re not perfect but they are better than before”
Might want to try blasting with crushed walnut shells.same thing make sure that the valves are closed T.D.C. and cover the hole well with a rag or you will get crap everywhere. Helps if you scrap the big pieces first and keep the port
dry. Clean up with comprested air and a vacuum. I used the vacuum and long tube on the blaster gun simultaneously, with a rag to help keep the crap down.
Then a good spray out with carb cleaner followed by break clean.
Eric, you should indicate how to close the valves you are working on. With the engine in the car my bet would be : if you have a manual gearbox> engine off of course, put the car on direct gear (4th) and move it back or forth (with your force) while watching the valves move, until they close.
Dang, what a nightmare! I'd be worried about knocking off debris that ends up inside the cylinder, or caught on the valve lip that prevents a good seal. It looks like there's no alternative to do this better without removing the head. Walnut blasting sounds interesting, but with the valve tightly closed it would be hard to clean the edge of the valve well....
uknow you could open the valve & pour fuel into the chamber engulfing the valve.. the fuel itself would dissolve the carbon & you could vacuum the liquid out or manually crank the engine & allow the fuel to run our (after removing the down-pipe/cat)
(doing this without the spark plug in would be the best idea however)
crc intake cleaner is probably the best option
If you’re doing this for the first time on a car with 125k miles or so then it’s probably better to go ahead and remove the head so you can also change the head gasket, then you really would reach 200k + miles no problem ,
This flat out Sucks why didnt engineers just incorporate GDI with PFI from the get go.What a Bunch of Bulls#%%.
You dont have to. Carbon does not build up on the valve seating faces. They are constantly banging on and off the seat, no carbon gets a chance to settle there!
I like you man :) You get right down to business and tell us everything there is to know ! You're the kinda guy I could sit down and have a couple beers with and laugh LOL Thanks for everything.
Some guys go off on side tangents and even try to be funny. I like Eric's direct no nonsense approach and sometimes humor just happens to come up.
Back in 2015 I got a new f150 with the 3.5 EcoBoost engine. It took me about 2000 miles to put in a catch can and when I was installing it I found oil in the PVC line into the intake. 34,000 miles later I went to check the line because of this video and found no oil!
My wife is a dental hygienist. She knows first hand the concept of which the peaceful and kind-voiced Eric is explaining.
oil catch can is the best option after cleaning
Oil catch can will decrease those deposits 5-10% max, it is a fairy tale that it fixes GDI intake problems. Most of the oil comes through intake valve seals
Toyota has the best design with port and direct injection= no carbon buildup issues
@Jeff Sol glad you spelled the STATISTS name correctly, good on you.
@@deseremere any advice on a
Wrxs , particularly fa20? Hear 1 million differwnt stories. I probably won't have mine long enough to need to worry, but just in general.
Lukas which is one of the many reasons their engines outlast the others
Thanks for the video,
installing catch can when you buy new car would reduce carbon buildup over time.
A media blaster is a must to get it really clean, but we have found a screwdriver and picks and brushes get the gunk out faster. Once you scrape it as clean as possible spray the carb cleaner and walnut shells to polish it up. Be prepared to spend about an hour on each port. If you're going to go in there don't stop half way. Get that throat clean.
Two words, "Walnut Blasting". Had to do this with my BMW N54 motor. It's the best method out there right now.
I like that you attempted different ways of cleaning them but wouldn't those wire brushes cause massive damage to the cylinder walls if one or more of the wires came off and entered the cylinder?
That's why you make sure the valves are not open....lol
I might use a bronze shotgun/rifle bore brush.
Thank you. That's were I'm going with my 4runner 3VZE just got the intake out carb cleaner and one of the brushes did the job right. Tomorrow I will be going inside the heads clean them good. Great job thank you!
Bought a can of cdc gdi cleaner, followed the directions, and my truck was fixed. It was crazy the difference it made.
The best/cheapest way I've found to clean intake/exhaust ports is gasoline and a stiff tooth brush.. make sure the valves are closed, fill up the port, and brush it out.. use a shop rag to get the left over gunk/gas out :)
Air and break clean/ carb cleaner
This series is so informative. This mini is such a mega pos. So glad I never bought one
Lol it's because people don't take care of them. I have a 6 year old B48 engine and I'm betting it's had less problems than any vehicle you've ever had.
My Mini has had less problems than an old Mercedes I used to own. Do the scheduled maintenance you need to do, and it'll be reliable.
@@bijdikh8516 exactly
This guy, Chris Fix, Scotty Kilmer and Eric O. from SMA taught me to work on cars.
Scotty is a joke...
@EricTheCarGuy - After the valve cleaning, it would be a great time to install a baffled catch can between the P.C.V. outlet and the intake manifold.
The baffles and steel wool that are in most catch cans condense and trap the oil vapor and mist that cause the carbon build up from the P.C.V. gases. You just empty the can on a regular schedule verses having to take the intake manifold off to clean the valves over and over again.
Bench buddy and drills. Sweet combination! Gotta love Milwaukee tools!
That's one of the things I was concerned with - I have 2016 Focus ST (direct injected with turbo). I've read that many of the DI engines - especially turbocharged ones - are prone to this buildup. I was thinking this exact method was going to be the solution and it's good to see that this will be the answer to it. Bookmarking the tool links...
Bill Rookard have a look at some studies and see if "dirty" really changes performance / fuel economy.
Get a good quality oil catch can. I have a Morosso
I got an FRS because of that problem exactly, Toyota uses secondary port injectors. Get an oil catch can, or even a dual can setup and you’ll have no problem
Bill Rookard this isnt the answer, get rid of the egr emissions junk on the engine install a catch can and never have to clean your valves...plus get better fuel economy and more power.
Sure made a difference in my GTI - mileage is up ~10 mpg....
Hi I work for Peugeot uk some of our vehicles have this engine and the approved repair for cleaning these valves is to soda blast them, I’ve recently done it, and it works really well.
www.tunap.co.uk/Products/VALVE-CLEANING/803-/TUNAP-933-VALVE-CLEANING-GRANULES
They sell a media blaster specifically for this engine that uses nut shells. Pretty much the best way to do this.
But Eric’s method requires less tooling and does 90% of the job. So, famous last words: Good enough!
Toyota put the extra set of port injectors in their direct injection engines from the start! You can't even use normal cleaners in direct injection engines that have a turbo integrated into the exhaust manifold. The excess heat from burning the cleaner can do severe damage to the turbo (especially Ford Ecoboost). You HAVE to remove the valve covers and clean them manually.
jblyon2 afraid I’m going to have to do this to my 2014 Escape soon :/
Some shops can do walnut blasting, they close the valve and its kind of like sand blasting and they use a vacuum while cleaning it.
Wrong - DI was first integrated in Lexus IS , I think 2007 models . They issued a extended warranty due to valves fouled by carbon deposits . Eversince they stop using DI until they developed 2nd gen DI engines .
jd5179 I wasn't aware they initially sold the 2.5 V6 without D-4S. Strange since it was used on the 3.5L whose design was a couple years older. The -FSE designation of the 4GR alludes to it having D-4S just like the 2GR-FSE 3.5L. I haven't seen any other FSE engine without it. Must have been a cost saving measure that came back to bite them in the ass...
Many products that clean DI valves specifically say, SAFE for turbo.
Have you thought about putting a catch can between the valve cover and intake
I spray berrymans all up in there and the combustion chamber... let sit, spray compressed air, then vacuum it all up with a homemade wetvac with a hose that fits through the sparkplug hole. Works perfect and leaves shiny metal combustion chamber. :)
Eric O. at SMA would approve of this amount of brake clean usage.
Seriously love the Mini Series
Glad my current car (2017 V6 Accord) is port injected. Don't want anything to do with this.
Right before I do my oil changes I use Power Foam and the PI additive for my gas from amsoil on my direct injection engine. I don't use amsoil but project farm recommends the power foam . My engine runs silky smooth.
I have the ultimate in carbon cleaning. Yank the head, put it on a work bench use a good high pressure glass bead blaster, clamp the valves open, shoot the high pressure stream of glass beads inside of the ports where they can swirl around the valves. Do this for all valves and those puppies will look nice and shiny new! Lotta work but no bullshit Dey’s Kleen bro! I know because I’ve done it!
Just read this online about the N14 engine, which belongs to the Prince engine family: 'On 25 June 2014 1.6-litre turbo Prince engine won its eighth consecutive International Engine of the Year Award in the 1.4 to 1.8-litre category.'
Who do they get to choose these? No way that this engine should even be considered as "engine of the year'.
martij30 I agree. A lot of those awards don't seem logical to me. Like J.D. Power's "initial quality" award. The cars are analyzed is the first 90 days of ownership. That's three months and maybe 5,000 miles in that amount of time...
JD Power also does the a 3 year quality analysis on every car/truck .....How does it come out of the factory and how well the vehicle perform over the next 3 years .....
Was I the only cringing watch him use a screwdriver to CLEAN valves? +1 for walnut blasting
Could of cleaned intake with engine in car and made bill cheaper fuck taking my car to his garage lol
James Latimer Idk if you noticed, but he didn’t take the engine out just to clean valves.
Nope. I was cringing all the way. Steel screwdriver scraping in an Aluminum head? No freaking way! Engine is out already, why the hell wouldn't you just pull the head?
How to close the Mini Cooper valve?
@@rickhibdon11 It's not the head you have to worry about. It's the sharp metal scraping against the valve. Creates stress points and failure areas. But on that engine....probably wont affect it much.
Great follow up on comments and demonstration for instances where folks may not have the budget, tools, time for DIYing this process.
I've been using my old SpeedBlaster and crushed walnut shells. It requires a lot of refills, but walnut-blasting works great! It's a super-messy, strictly for the outdoors, job.
Would an oil separator help? This past year, I purchased a ZL1 & ZR1 and added catch cans to slow down the oil getting on the back of the valves.
only helps if there's a BAFFLE or a filter in the catch can.
A $2 clear fuel filter mounted on PCV line will do. Easy fix
@@vicarus1 same one like they used in motorcycle? Cut the hose and put it in between? This sounds ingenious.
@@GrimYak No, that won't work, you idiots. You need some reservoir volume/capacity to collect the oil (thats been scrubbed out of the crankcase gasses). Thats why you need a proper, filtered catch can.
Fred Garvin It needs to have some sort of filter material in it. Like extra-fine steel wool... to catch and condense out the oil molecules... but let the gas/air through, back to the intake.
2 words. CATCH, CAN.
Won't fix the issue, but it will help A LOT
Plus,... say, 10% MMO in oil at oil change?
Evidence, please
it's literally what catch cans do. They catch the oil that comes from your PCV system. BMWs have breather filters, and newer TDIs have an incorporated one on the valve cover. Oil contributes massively to this gunk that forms on the valves @@atl3630
I used those bench buddies along with plenty of carb cleaner to clean the valves of my gti and they came out pretty good! Pulls so much better now!
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" Anyone , anyone , Bueller Bueller " , good video Eric , really informative . like to run an intake cleaner through my cars on the in between services , there the ones I do myself ,
Run intake cleaner? Like add to gas? Not going to help much.
Dear sir it was very helpful and knowledgeable thank you so much
Great stuff!
I have 2010 Cooper S. Same N14 engine. At 35,000 miles last year I had to have it walnut blasted. I’m at 58,000 and need it again...
Not only is it on the valves, it builds up IN the combustion chambers, usually piston rings, humming them up.
Most common code thrown would be superknock, even if the check engine light isn’t showing it.
A simple, cheap, water spray for the intake manifold may help a lot. And definitely add a baffled oil catch can! The N14 should come from factory with one... XD
Always enjoying your videos!
seen alot of this in high compression engines in the 60's, the heat,the oil,the fuel for thinning a dead cylinder,eventually the carbon flakes off and doesn't need to clear the valve lift,just jam it open,it breaks or bends valves and the engine needs to come apart,the blasting technique works real good,using walnut shells harms nothing,i used a spot blaster and sand,absolutely have to comfirm both intake and exhaust valves are closed to use heavy media,worked great,and is labor intensive,reads expensive for the customer,no need to disassemble the car or truck,internal combustion engines all have their quirks,all different
Sad part in many cases is just cleaning the valves doesn’t solve the problem. That gunk also gets into the valve seat and head seat causing loss of compression. Best to pull the heads and do a proper head job (valves and seats)
I own a 2019 DI turbocharged car. It's new but I am aware I will go through this sooner or later and was thinking to myself..why not just take the car to your mechanic and have him remove the head and take it to a shop for proper maintenance as you said.
Looks like a very reliable engine that can easily go 300K miles with very little maintenance
Sarcasm is so annoying boring. Internet today: Everyone tries to be funny.
Sorry CNT, its just coincidence that i answered yours..
Eric, I know its not really a realistic expectation, but every time I see you sitting in a car, I kind of expect that car to be a Ford Fairmont. Good to see you making videos regardless of what car you are repairing.
Happy for the workshop,we do this everyday.warning light come on,and ecu low the power,so you must do it.
Damn that was dirty 😱😱😱
Good job mate! I've got one question on this procedure, when doing all that scraping with the screw driver aren't you knocking some carbon molecules into the piston chamber through the open valves?
listen at 4:39. He makes sure the valve he is working on, is completely closed.
JJ0three11 But once he starts running it, it opens up again.
@@afcgeo882 That's WHY he uses the AIR NOZZLE !
Do believe he did say make sure that the valves should be closed. T.D.C.
@@afcgeo882 lol
I have the exact same car, and had the exact problem. I cleaned my out the same way. That could up is from the pcv system venting condensation/oil mist directly into the intake manifold. That side is open from idle to 2500 rpm. The other side operates at 2500 and above and is vented into the turbo inlet tube. The best way to prevent that build up is to use a catch can on each side of the pcv system. Most Mini owners run one catch can and make the mistake of running it on the turbo side. The intake side is the side that vents directly into the intake and coats the valves with the nasty stuff. For anyone interested in a catch can set up GTT in the UK is the only company that I found that makes the vacuum side/intake side catch can set up. for the Mini. It's about $250.00 US dollars. Considering the dealer charges about $800 to walnut blast the valves its a solid investment. Heres the link for anyone interested on the GTT can set up. www.gtt.uk.com/product/mini-gen-2-gtt-n14-oil-catch-can-vacuum-circuit/
I use oven cleaner to break down the carbon. Fill the whole cavity where the valve sits with the foam and let it break down the carbon. You can either then suck out the big bits or blow them out like Eric did. I have used oven cleaner to free off turbo vanes that have stuck with excess build up of carbon.
Why not prevent this with a oil catch can like the mishimoto mmbcc-msthr-bk one for 21$ on eBay. This would make a good video on installing one, seeing how much oil the recovers from the pcv and how clean is the intake after say 5k miles
I agree, Getting rid of the oil from the crank case ,pcv would be best handled, with a oil catch can, and keep it out of the intake.
Oil catch cans don’t solve the problem.
Never seen a scientific comparison of valves before/after 30,000mi both with and without a catch can. Just guys putting one in and emptying the liquids that collect in there every couple weeks. Do those liquids equate to carbon buildup? - I don't know, because - again show me the evidence on the VALVES -not what's in the can.
Main reason I added a provent 200 and water methanol injection. My tdi has 240 k on it and the intake manifold/ valves look brand new
luke kilah smart man, a water/meth setup is a easy way to deal with the problem plus gain a little more power from cooler intake air temps
MechRider89 thanks bud, it’s made a huge difference. Plus it keeps my egt’s nice and low
Can't wait to pull the trigger on a meth kit. Should be my last mod... Lmao
Hah! So glad I found this. Currently in the process of replacing injectors on my CX-7 and it's got the same exact buildup on my valves from Mazda's GDI. What a pain in the ass that manifold was to remove though!!!!
Everyone makes a big deal out of the DI carbon issue, but It doesn't take that long to just remove the intake manifold and walnut blast it. Simple, easy, good as new. It isn't the end of the world.
The "mini series". Ahhhhhhhh I get it. Good one. :)
I installed an oil catch can on my 2012 Sonata at the 80k kms. mark on the odometer. My car is now on the 145k kms. and perhaps do my own cleaning sometime next year.
I cleaned the ports out on a 2012 Impala 3.6 using a long reach brush set similar to the Bench Buddy but they’re a ¼ drive assortment of stainless/brass/nylon as well as various sizes. I had to use a long-handled screwdriver to dislodge some of it as well. Compressed air helped make the debris airborne so I could vacuum the ports and piston crowns. But of course I had to narrow down some PEX on a bench grinder to fit inside the spark plug hole and adapt it to my wet/dry vacuum. Applying air through the spark plug hole (via a cylinder leak tester) revealed those intake valves are leaking (easier to see by pouring a capful of Berryman B12 cleaner into the port and watching the air bubbles) So since those valves can’t easily be lapped…and I can’t even tap on the stem to seat ‘em better, my brother-in-law has a choice of a complete valve job, or just live with fluctuation at idle and hope that it’ll smooth out as he drives it. I’ll spray some cleaner just past the throttle body when I reassemble and warm it up to see if that’ll help clean the valve face/head seat.
His mechanic wanted $800 to replace the bad injector and the new injectors only cost $116 (+ tax) for the entire set of 6 on Amazon, with a 2 year warranty and while it said aftermarket, every single digit and symbol on ‘em were identical to the original OEM injectors. Guess I lucked out.
Except one Teflon seal was broken from a slice and the injector was scratched from whatever happened. It was the weekend so while waiting 2 days for a response, I twisted apart the old defective injector so I could stretch the old seal onto the new injector.
Problem was, those injectors have double Teflon seals that go into the bore and since the lower one was good, I had to stretch the old one over that. Well an ink pen cap squeezed it back into shape and since the scratch was higher than the seals, it actually held pressure.
Of course the seller wants a picture but they’re already in so I guess they’re off the hook for now.
Back to the direct injection, it has been a learning experience, and like 4x4’s, CVT’s, and anything turbocharged, I'll add it to my list of things to avoid I installed an oil catch can on the PCV to try to prevent or slow down future oil blow-by issues but I can’t help but wonder if just using full synthetic oil, rather than a blend, or rather than dinosaur oil could’ve prevented the whole thing.
Plus I’ve read oil change places pump the oil in too fast, and supposedly could cause the problem. I do all my own wrenching but I still haven’t learned to effectively utilize my new Launch X431 PRO3S+ scanner (that was accidentally listed for less than $100 on Amazon and the seller honored that price)
Have you looked into Methanol Injection on direct injection engines as a means of cleaning the intake? The added power as a result of MI is a nice plus.
GDI increases performance - until it doesn't
Quadrajet need an air horn gasket and float needle once every 5 years. Ten dollar fix.
@@VinnyMartello with crappy fuels now all containing ethanol you pretty much have to rebuild carbs every year. gaskets all get dried out and seals go bad , diaphragms crack , ethanol is hell on carbs even ethanol specific carbs are just a slight increase in life between rebuilds not a guarantee solution that will last years.
@@TheDaltonmichaels my 2 motorcycles have carbs- I put Startron from the Walmart boat section in the fuel tank every winter. The oldest one is a 2002 with all the original parts, except rejetted in 2003 for a freer flowing intake and exhaust.
Faulty rocker covers allowing oil into the intake system are exactly the problem I have with my Mitsubishi 380. No easy fix, it's a bad design from factory. So I recently had to disconnect the pcv pipes and open to atmosphere leaving them as breathers. It's not the right way to do it but I can't do a proper fix. At least I'm not getting the oil consumption anymore and the throttle body is spotless and engine runs much happier not sucking in oil.
Ellesmere Wildwood Install a baffled catch can between the PCV outlet and the intake. The baffles and steel wool that's in the catch can condense and trap the oil vapor/mist and cause it to fall out of the PCV gases. You just empty the can every so often.
Always better to vent crank case and block inlet hole
Car makers have to vent it though engine only due to emmisions they know over long period this hurts your engine
Frosty Flowers 420 Nah, venting to intake puts a slight vacuum on the crankcase to draw out the gases and bring fresh air in. When the oil separation is working correctly, it's fine. When it's not, adding a catch will solve the problem of sludge in the intake.
BS if gasses blow by ring they will vent out off crankcase vacuum is not needed
Frosty Flowers 420 Nitric oxides produced during combustion, as well as water mix in the crankcase making nitric acid. You want to get that out ASAP. Venting to atmosphere vs venting to intake is clearly inferior at removing those gases. Venting to intake draws fresh air in faster. Don't take shortcuts, just install a catch can.
This is the same engine which is used by Groupe PSA in Europe. Which means Peugeot and Citroën. And of course by BMW in Minis. The engine is mostly designed by BMW. PSA calls these the THP engines. I've done (too much) repairs on these and mostly they are related to the timing chain. Latest one had a huge oil leak from behind the engine which turned out to be the chain tensioner leaking which is a spring loaded bolt design that can be removed from the outside of the cylinder head near the timing cover. For some reason the tensioner had come loose and was pouring oil out - replaced the tensioner with the newest revision available, customer was lucky and avoided major engine damage which might have occurred if the tensioner had. The old tensioner come out with my fingers, that is how loose it was.
This carbon build-up is a problem on these older direct injection petrol engines but I don't think it is the biggest one. I owned an 2008 A3 audi before which had a 1.8 TFSI engine. Took the intake off at around 140k kms (87,5k miles) and there was a few millimeters of buildup which I removed in similar fashion like Eric did here. Turned the engine by hand to get the valves closed and then soaked it with different harsh chemicals. I got the ports and valves spotless and also cleaned the intake manifold as well as I could but the only thing I noticed afterwards that the engine felt like it revved a bit easier standing still but drove the same. I changed the PCV valve around the same time because it was a known weak point and could lead to big problems if not sorted.
In my opinion the biggest problems are the timing chains which are usually used in conjuction with direct injection. I have nothing bad to say about timing chains in general but these are just too weak. They last just a bit longer than a cambelt service interval is. I got to around 170-180k kms with the A3 before the chain started rattling badly and the THP engines I've seen have all failed between 70-150k kms. I checked the intake again while doing the timing chain on my A3 and there was no carbon build-up (after 30-40k kms).
But if you forget these downsides then I can say that a direct injection is a good design for making rather good amounts of usable power from quite a small engine. And they are also efficient.
83kY tensioner design is carried over from practically all bmws. Never had one unbolt itself, ever. Sounds like someone was messing with it
Yeah, i have a direct injection V6 Dual Turbo V6 in my Lincoln's MKS. I don't about anyone else but I really don't see myself yanking out the engine to clean the valves. Also on a turbo charged engine if a piece of carbon breaks off and end up in your turbo charger it can destroy it. I've added a catch can and run an Italian tune up at some point each time I drive it and so far I've had zero issues with my car.
Just what I do, maybe not for everyone.
Happy birthday!
Marvel mystery oil. Best detergent on the market.
Doesn't matter how great the detergent is, if it doesn't hit the back of the intake valves. DI goes Direct into the combustion chamber, unlike port injectors. That is, unless you are pulling off the intake and cleaning them out by hand like Eric did here.
a lot of BMW shops have a small sandblaster kit that they tape off the manifold sealing surfaces. ensure the valves are closed, and with the engine in the car they will sandblast the tops of the valves with walnut shell ( less abrasive, and it will burn off in the exhaust if some happens to stay in the intake. then blast them clean with air, and use a cleaner. apparently it's a common practice with DI engines as there are no injectors washing, or lubing the backs of the intake valves. keeping debris, and oil off of them.
Valve stem seals will lead to that, shut the engine off and oil runs down on the back sides of the valves and "cokes". Seen it a lot of that on the older Harley's that didn't come with seals from the factory, one of the big reasons why I always put seals on when rebuilding the older heads.
So, you're telling me I should add secondary injection... ;)
Expand Dong a combination of direct and port injection is best
It's cheaper to either get the valves cleaned occasionally or get a catch can.
Meth injection at throttle body
Ethanol prime injection keeps the oil thin and slippery allowing it to slide past valve stems. Or put 87 and have black oil and main seal leaks and lung cancer and sulfur dioxide clouds to reduce carbon dioxide.
Install a catch Can.
Wow, this sounds like a very expensive and labor-intensive service just to improve gas mileage by one mpg!
I did my 2018 Kia soul.Turned out great.More power.
I soda blast mine. 15 gallon harbor freight soda blaster, large grain armex soda, works good. Big mess, non toxic and water cleans up good. Got a good oil catch can now to help prevent this build up from happening
that brush you used would be good on a rim with the aluminum tpms, clean the sensor hole out quick!
Bench Buddies are great.
missing fastener = weight reduction XD
About to remove the entire air intake manifold... I do not believe other methods like running car on high RPM while spraying carb cleaner will work for my car. This is indeed a better solution.
stopped paying attention to mini stuff 2 second after spotting the legend
How in hell did they not know about this problem in development? Push it out the door and all you poor DI owners get to pay for it. 😂😃🤣😄😆
InsideOfMyOwnMind its design flaw they make test but never run full or check entirely possibly kn a slight issue and stamp it good and always remember time line for demand to accomplish a job and produce by corporate demand do u think pple who drive 100k dollar cars care lol they just want 💰
They fired all the older experienced engineers who warned them about this.
I actually just saw that exactly happen with an electronics firm. Dyed in the wool American company, moved out of the country, lost all the good people, got new ones and now there's nobody to tech support last year's models.
They didn't care. Direct injection gets better gas mileage so it satisfies epa and its not a big issue until like 75k. Catch cans and aos helps.
They new about it. They don't care. They blame owners saying it's maintenance. Another way to rip off people.
30-50 k miles and engine needs pulling?
NO. Manifold needs taking off. And you get in there with the drill brush. FACT IS that multiple places now make a spray you put in behind the MAS or in front of the throttle body for this. CRC has one and there's a couple others. You can also get intake manifold cleaner (some sitting on my bench right now) and that SHOULD do something. That's LIQUI MOLY brand and easily available. Done it on my old hyundai a couple weeks ago.
THANKS, BMW!
@@TheOzthewiz is not a BMW specific issue, all newer engines in all brands are GDI due to emissions requirements .
I remeber watching a video, saying that adding a oil filter can or something like that between PCV and intake mainfold would filter 95% of the fuel before they are going back to the cylinder
"Catch can"
That's why an oil catch can is like mandatory on a DI engine. Using a cleaner like sea foam through a vacuum hose also can help. You gotta use it as a preventative though, like before they get bad at all to keep them clean. I was using sea foam like every 10k miles on my DI 2.0T optima.
"Early DI engines"???? don't you mean ALL Direct injected engines?
Some new GDI engines have a second set of injectors at the port that spray every so often to keep the valves clean.
@@nikolaibreckenridge2287 therefore Dual injection..Direct and port
@@nikolaibreckenridge2287 Yes, Toyota and Ford are using dual injectors.
Why do you say "early" direct injection vehicles? What has changed?
th-cam.com/video/APVUHH8NChc/w-d-xo.html
M B I agree. Last I knew only two manufactures have added that extra wash valve. The dozen others using DI are all prone to this carbon build up.
Mazda has solved this problem with their Skyactive engines by running the engines a tad hotter, enough to burn the carbon off. Its been six years now they introduced the Skyactive and no complaints about carbon buildup.
rc max Ahhhhhh! I've got a 2017 Silverado with direct injection & have always been freaked out (though I'd found out it's "normal") that the thing runs at 210 deg!!
M B running engines hotter has been used for a few decades to reduce emissions.
Hi Eric, at minute 4:45, you mentioned you want to make sure the valves are closed before you spray the carbi cleaner to avoid a hydro lock. Did you rotate the engine to close the valves for each cylinder?
Heard of the nitrogen gas in car intake trick. Adding small amount of the gas to a running engine off and on to clean carbon. Think that was before ceramic intake manifolds.
1. Close the vavle
2. Soak it in WD40 .. and i mean REALLY soak it!
3. Leave it for 2-3 days (maybe spray some more in that time)
4. After 2-3 days, come back and blast it with compressed air (at least 6 bar of pressure) and marvel of the huge whole chunks of carbon that will come flying out
5. A clean, SHINY valve will stare back at you.
DISCLAIMER: if the WD40 goes inside the cylinder; then you'll need to pull out the glow/spark plug, raise the piston to TDC, and WITH THE VALVE OPEN, blow compressed air through the plug hole to blast the liquid out.
B24Fox acetone works great too, seafoam too. Crc sucks
try dry ice blast
You can get the PCV hose deleted as there is some plugs from PSA (Peugeot/Citroen) that you can use,and that will reduce the amount of oil getting to the intake manifold,also I hope you cleaned the throttle body while you was there,and got it reset to adapt new values.
Your spot on Eric, I've seen engineer with less than 30K on the clock completely caked over. The factory service manual calls for a Walnut (yes walnut shells) media blast to clean this engine. My understanding is that all DI engines suffer from coaking to some degree of another.