How to Clean Carbon Out of an Intake Manifold
- 1). Add a good quality engine cleaner treatment to your gas tank. Remove the air cleaner or air intake hose and with car running spray the carburetor/intake cleaner into the air intake hose.
- 2). Park the car preferably in a garage but can be outside on level ground.
- 3). Disconnect battery cables from the battery with the socket set.
- 4). Drain the cooling system by removing the drain plug from the bottom of the radiator; remove the hoses with the screwdrivers.
- 5). Remove the air cleaner and any vacuum hoses located on the intake manifold with the screwdriver. Mark all connections for reinstallation purposes.
- 6). Disconnect the fuel line with the pliers and plug by sticking a chunk of cork in the end of the tubing so as not to allow fuel leakage onto engine compartment.
- 7). Disconnect all wiring connections on the carburetor with the pliers and mark for reinstallation.
- 8). Remove any air ducts that run between the exhaust manifold by removing the mounting bolts with the socket wrench and the air cleaner with the screwdriver.
- 9). Choose the proper-size socket and remove intake mounting bolts and detach the manifold from the engine.
- 10
Being careful not to let any debris fall inside the engine, remove the main part of the intake manifold gasket. - 11
Fill the engine ports with clean, lint-free rags and remove all remaining pieces of the old intake gasket with a scraper. - 12
Scrape clean the intake ports with a scraper or small knife blade to remove any excess carbon buildup on the intake ports. - 13
Wipe the mating surfaces of the engine with a rag and the intake manifold with acetone cleaner. - 14
Remove all the rags from the engine ports and install the new manifold gasket. - 15
Install the intake manifold in position on the cylinder head, taking care to align the new gasket. Install the mounting bolts and just tighten to hold everything in place. - 16
Once you are sure the gasket is in the proper position, tighten the mounting bolts to the specified torque. Your local auto parts store can help with the specified torque and torquing sequence. - 17
The remainder of the installation is the reverse of the removal procedure from above.