So i just finished my Throttle Body Polish. Good times had by all. But it uncovered a rather daunting (to me and my lack of mechanical skillz) problem.
This is the view INSIDE my upper intake plenum:


it is THICK with built up crud. This is after it took a full quart of Seafoam 7 or 8 months ago straight into the TB.

My question: Would it be worth the time to tear this pig open and try to clean that crap out. i'm not looking to gain lost hps, mpgs, or anything at all. I just dont want that BS breaking free and blowing up my engine. it's bad in there.

What should I do?

 

Wow, I swear you took this picture of my plentum. I did the same thing too, cleaned throttle body and discovered this crud. I plan on cleaning mine out either this spring or this summer hopping that it give my Jimmy a little more pep in her step, so to speak.

 

i'm scarred to try and "scrap it out" because if any chunky bits get to floating, there aint a lot of good places for them to go from there

i think i'm just going to pretend it never happened and tackle it later when my 'skillz' go from "tire changer" to "...that pay the billz". Hopefully it is something that can wait until i learn more and better weather comes along.

BTW: If it's NOT something that should wait, PLEASE tell me now, and not later when I post my "GOD DAMN ENGINE BLEW UP!!!" thread....

 

that'd be worth the price of admission. wait.......didn't you do that once already?

but like i said in "what have you......" earlier, it looks a little worse than mine, but i had my upper off when i saw this;
(with flash)


(without flash)


and this was the intake on a 270K engine i ripped apart, much better IMO,


question........do you think it'd be worth swapping out my lower intake for this one? any gains in doing that?

 

I thought you'd be better trying to use parts wash or media blasting your current intake. Dont know that the condition (structurally wise ie warped etc etc) the lower intake with 270K on it is.

 

If you really want to clean it up really good, the easiest way would be to remove it.

You could stuff rags down the intake runners and then spray on some sensor safe carbon cleaner, wait a bit, spray some more on, wait some more, then wipe it clean. Repeat as necessary. But DO NOT forget the rags!

 

^^^ yeah, didn't somebody do that exact same thing, and ended up sending rag pieces throughout the engine?

 

If you have never changed your intake gaskets Now would be a good time to take the whole thing off and clean it up.

 

Just did this one! Removed the entire intake on wife's '95 4.3 and soaked upper and lower innards with diesel and scrubbed with a round stiff parts cleaner brush. Careful not to mess with the spider. Rinsed with "brake cleaner" spray, replaced both gaskets and voila, goodr than new!! Woulda replaced the spider but the economy and all.......

 

why!??



i've always had the philosiphy that if it ain't broke, there's no need to try & fix it.

and it has proven to work time & time again, as i proved HERE.


@ martinez: did you take it off simply for that, or was there another reason?