# How To Clean Intake Manifold



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

I decided to take off my Throttle Body and my Intake Manifold to clean it all. When I pulled off the Intake Manifold, it looks pretty bad, dirt wise. I was wondering what the best way is to go about cleaning this? Also what is a good way to clean inside the Intake Manifold? Here are some pictures. I just now taped up all the cylinder holes and the vacuum hoses. I might need to take a few days doing this, so I made sure everything was covered up.


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

Shop Vac for the majority, and lots of shop rags with brake cleaner for the rest. Looks like there's a lot of sand hanging out there. Take your time.

Did you spray it down with the air hose before dissassembly?


----------



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

Yes I sprayed it down before removing it. I will go to the store tomorrow to get some brake cleaner. Is there a specific one you recommend or have used that works well? Also by cleaning this, will it allow the car to run better?


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

Brake cleaner is brake cleaner, IMO. Well, technically it doesn't "clean" brakes ('cept for oils/greases), but it works just as good as carburetor cleaner and is cheaper. I don't have a preference for any particular brand.

I wouldn't, however, spray it down a running engine... carb cleaner is designed to be consumed in combustion, whereas brake cleaner isn't, though it would still probably burn.

It probably wont help anything other than make it look nice and _maybe_ help with heat soak.


----------



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

Ok great. And what about inside the Intake Manifold. How would I go about cleaning the internals?


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

The manifold comes apart. Each intake port has its own separate trumpet inside the manifold. It just all wipes down with a rag/paper towel. Again, I'd use the brake cleaner.

Also if you're going to clean the TB, try to keep as much solvent away from the drive-by-wire components, there's a gearbox in there with special lubricant.


----------



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

I was reading it is vibration welded together. The only way to separate it is to cut it.


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

I just went thru this. The stock manifolds don't come apart. The LS6 mani in fact was made in one piece. A lot of the stuff you see in there is a hardened oil from the PVC system. That's the reason that I embarked on an experimental catch can. The standard catch can let the gunk get in there. I got a foot long stiff bottle brush with a twisted wire handle to clean out the runners. I used Sea Foam and then brake cleaner followed by gasoline and then I used Dawn and a spray hose. It took a lot to get it cleaned up.


----------



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

Will cleaning all this gunk out in the engine and in the Intake Manifold allow it run better? Will it be a noticeable difference?


----------



## motoristx (Apr 27, 2010)

well, if you clean it the gunk has no chance of getting into the cylinder... which is always good in my book (yes I have a book). it may open them up a little, depending on how bad it is... you might not "feel" a difference

as for cleaning... it might be a little dangerous, but, i went to on of those pressure washing car washes... put 50 cents in and blasted it! that got a lot out, then i went back and scrubbed it out with that orange scented degreaser. you have to let it set a few ins then scrub it out with a towel. its a pain, and it takes a while, but it will get it clean with med amount of elbow grease.


----------



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

Yea thats what I figured. The car right now is out of commission since I am waiting for my new tires in the mail, so I am taking this time to clean things up. I figured I would take the throttle body out and Intake manifold and clean them up. The car has almost 50k miles on it right now. I am also trying to figure out what else I could clean that might help out


----------



## Poncho Dan (Jun 30, 2009)

svede1212 said:


> I just went thru this. The stock manifolds don't come apart. The LS6 mani in fact was made in one piece. A lot of the stuff you see in there is a hardened oil from the PVC system. That's the reason that I embarked on an experimental catch can. The standard catch can let the gunk get in there. I got a foot long stiff bottle brush with a twisted wire handle to clean out the runners. I used Sea Foam and then brake cleaner followed by gasoline and then I used Dawn and a spray hose. It took a lot to get it cleaned up.


Are you sure? The intake manifolds for the Gen II+ 3800 V6, are of similar design to ours, and the trumpets come out. Maybe the LS6 is put together and sonic welded... at least it looks that way from the pics. Hard to tell without one in hand. 

Oh yeah, Falco, have you thought about taking a Dremel tool to those runners? Not to clean them...


----------



## svede1212 (Nov 1, 2005)

Poncho Dan said:


> Are you sure? The intake manifolds for the Gen II+ 3800 V6, are of similar design to ours, and the trumpets come out. Maybe the LS6 is put together and sonic welded... at least it looks that way from the pics. Hard to tell without one in hand.
> 
> Oh yeah, Falco, have you thought about taking a Dremel tool to those runners? Not to clean them...


I'm sure. The LS6 uses the "lost core" molding process somewhat like my hand made intakes used except they used a low melting point metal core. It's one of the reasons that the LS6 intake is superior to the LS2 unit. The LS2 is made in two pieces and they are sonic welded together. There are leaks and such in that method. You'd have to cut and glue either one back together and that's something that no one I know of recommends.


----------



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

Yea I was going to port the throttle body and the runners in the Intake Manifold. I just need to find someone with a dremel haha the one we had is broken


----------



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

Well I didn't get a chance to do anything today. I was helping out my grandfather pressure cleaning his patio for him all day. Tomorrow I will have the entire day to do what I gotta do. Gonna go buy some brake cleaner in the morning, and see how it comes out. Also gonna probably try and scrape some of the dried up sludge in the lifter valley. We will see what happens. I will post some pics though thats for sure


----------



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

I finally got a chance to clean the Lifter Valley and the Intake Manifold. Here are the pictures. Definitely looks a lot better.


----------



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

Some of Intake Manifold


----------



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

And does anybody know a good way to clean inside the Intake Ports?


----------



## BRZN (Jan 31, 2011)

Cleaned mine with Brake Cleaner and a rag.


----------



## Falco21 (May 11, 2010)

So it is ok to get the brake cleaner inside those ports in the Lifter Valley?


----------



## roy (Jun 1, 2010)

*Gas tank cleaner*

I took my old 66's gas tank in for a leak fix & cleaning, i noticed 3 or 4 LS style intakes & a tunnel ram lined up with a bunch of gas tanks & asked what was goin on
The guy says - allot of LS style mills have no catch cans from the factory & get covered internally with oil, seems the way they clean gas tanks works on manifolds too, bout 40 bucks an intake & looking down the ports of a cleaned one, looks brand spanking new.
I think they steam clean em


----------

