[mweisdorfer]

This weekend a buddy of mine and I cleaned the intake valves and changed out the Oil Filter Housing gasket. The Oil Filter Housing Gasket is what prompted me to do the latter, for it was leaking. I figured since I have to take off the intake manifold to reach the third bolt, I might as well do a cleaning. The car has 93k on it. I used a gun cleaning kit with brass brushes and 2 1/2 cans of Seafoam cleaner, which was specific to intake valves. I changed out the intake gaskets too and cleaned the throttle body as well.

All I can say is WOW, what a difference it made in the response etc. The engine is so smooth as silk.

[meyergsr]

Cool. Valve cleaning is on my list of things to do. I'm not sure if I'm going to do the brush and chems or walnut blast. How long did it take you to clean with the brushes?

[Jeff@TopGearSolutions]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

This weekend a buddy of mine and I cleaned the intake valves and changed out the Oil Filter Housing gasket. The Oil Filter Housing Gasket is what prompted me to do the latter, for it was leaking. I figured since I have to take off the intake manifold to reach the third bolt, I might as well do a cleaning. The car has 93k on it. I used a gun cleaning kit with brass brushes and 2 1/2 cans of Seafoam cleaner, which was specific to intake valves. I changed out the intake gaskets too and cleaned the throttle body as well.

All I can say is WOW, what a difference it made in the response etc. The engine is so smooth as silk.

[techwhiz]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

This weekend a buddy of mine and I cleaned the intake valves and changed out the Oil Filter Housing gasket. The Oil Filter Housing Gasket is what prompted me to do the latter, for it was leaking. I figured since I have to take off the intake manifold to reach the third bolt, I might as well do a cleaning. The car has 93k on it. I used a gun cleaning kit with brass brushes and 2 1/2 cans of Seafoam cleaner, which was specific to intake valves. I changed out the intake gaskets too and cleaned the throttle body as well.

All I can say is WOW, what a difference it made in the response etc. The engine is so smooth as silk.

Cool!
My car is in for a head refresh at the dealer.
Looking forward to getting it back.

[OM3G@]

I was having rough cold start idle and 5 misfires in cyl 6 (4 at startup and 1 on the highway with a warm engine) so I had my valves walnut blasted with 63K miles. No surprises, the carbon buildup was awful. Here's an imgur link to some before/after pics I asked the dealer to take. He could only get a decent picture of a couple cylinders but said they were all about the same.

View post on imgur.com

[lfelunden]

Was it something you did yourself??

[techwhiz]

Got my car back from the dealer after a rough idle complaint. Still under CPO.
Here is the part list

Description QTY PN Price Ea Total

REGULATING LAMBDA PROBE L= 1200MM 1 11787558087 $215.65 $215.65
RECTANGRING 2 11317587757 $5.62 $11.24
Bearing Ledge Intake 1 11127550913 $464.53 $464.53
Bearing Ledge Exhaust 1 11127531224 $423.03 $423.03
Gasket ring - Exhaust 6 11627558906 $4.83 $28.98
Gasket - Oil Filter Housing 1 11427537293 $18.37 $18.37
Gasket - Oil Cooler 1 11427525335 $18.37 $18.37
O-ring - Cooling Sys 29X2,9 1 11537545278 $6.08 $6.08
O-ring - Oil Cooler 13,4X1,78 4 17222245358 $1.18 $4.72
Motor oil SAE 5W-30 Longlife 01 1000ML 7 7510017866 $6.25 $43.75
Set oil-filter element 1 11427566327 $12.25 $12.25
Set Bolt Cylinder Head TORX 1 11127574303 $42.83 $42.83
REPAIR KIT VALVE SEAL RING - Intake 1 11340034068 $82.00 $82.00
REPAIR KIT VALVE SEAL RING - Exhaust 1 11340035853 $82.00 $82.00
ANTIFREEZE 1 GALLON 1 82141467704 $19.95 $19.95
Collar screw M10X1X94 2 11367524954 $2.68 $5.36
Flange nut - Turbo 16 18407502196 $2.17 $34.72
ASA-stud bolt - Head M7X39MM 16 11127593376 $0.57 $9.12
Gasket Set Cylinder Head Asbestos Free 1 11127572758 $184.13 $184.13
Spark plug, High Power BOSCH ZGR6STE2 6 12120037244 $21.32 $127.92
Pipe, engine supply-coolant pump 1 11537558523 $155.50 $155.50
O-ring 13,4X1,78 4 17222245358 $1.18 $4.72
Hose clamp L=9-12 1 7129952102 $1.18 $1.18
Decoupling element - Injector 6 13537564751 $7.73 $46.38
Hose from engine to radiator, top 1 17127540127 $56.20 $56.20
Total $2,098.98

I don't know what the labor was.
I went in for 02 sensor and complained about rough idle.
They fixed the O2 and then when hunting for the rough idle.
They pulled the intake and were going to walnut blast thought the valve seals were leaking. Anyway $2100 in parts later.

Also note that these engines have a problem with the cam ledge and it will groove.
not sure why it happens but it does. Maybe oil change interval too long?

[Jklad]

Originally Posted by techwhiz

Got my car back from the dealer after a rough idle complaint. Still under CPO.
Here is the part list

Description QTY PN Price Ea Total

REGULATING LAMBDA PROBE L= 1200MM 1 11787558087 $215.65 $215.65
RECTANGRING 2 11317587757 $5.62 $11.24
Bearing Ledge Intake 1 11127550913 $464.53 $464.53
Bearing Ledge Exhaust 1 11127531224 $423.03 $423.03
Gasket ring - Exhaust 6 11627558906 $4.83 $28.98
Gasket - Oil Filter Housing 1 11427537293 $18.37 $18.37
Gasket - Oil Cooler 1 11427525335 $18.37 $18.37
O-ring - Cooling Sys 29X2,9 1 11537545278 $6.08 $6.08
O-ring - Oil Cooler 13,4X1,78 4 17222245358 $1.18 $4.72
Motor oil SAE 5W-30 Longlife 01 1000ML 7 7510017866 $6.25 $43.75
Set oil-filter element 1 11427566327 $12.25 $12.25
Set Bolt Cylinder Head TORX 1 11127574303 $42.83 $42.83
REPAIR KIT VALVE SEAL RING - Intake 1 11340034068 $82.00 $82.00
REPAIR KIT VALVE SEAL RING - Exhaust 1 11340035853 $82.00 $82.00
ANTIFREEZE 1 GALLON 1 82141467704 $19.95 $19.95
Collar screw M10X1X94 2 11367524954 $2.68 $5.36
Flange nut - Turbo 16 18407502196 $2.17 $34.72
ASA-stud bolt - Head M7X39MM 16 11127593376 $0.57 $9.12
Gasket Set Cylinder Head Asbestos Free 1 11127572758 $184.13 $184.13
Spark plug, High Power BOSCH ZGR6STE2 6 12120037244 $21.32 $127.92
Pipe, engine supply-coolant pump 1 11537558523 $155.50 $155.50
O-ring 13,4X1,78 4 17222245358 $1.18 $4.72
Hose clamp L=9-12 1 7129952102 $1.18 $1.18
Decoupling element - Injector 6 13537564751 $7.73 $46.38
Hose from engine to radiator, top 1 17127540127 $56.20 $56.20
Total $2,098.98

I don't know what the labor was.
I went in for 02 sensor and complained about rough idle.
They fixed the O2 and then when hunting for the rough idle.
They pulled the intake and were going to walnut blast thought the valve seals were leaking. Anyway $2100 in parts later.

Also note that these engines have a problem with the cam ledge and it will groove.
not sure why it happens but it does. Maybe oil change interval too long?

Wow, so you got a new cam bearing ledge, oil filter housing gasket, valve cover gasket, and more all under cpo at no cost? That's incredible!!-I thought gaskets were not covered. You save a ton!

[marsflis]

talk about getting hooked up!!!

How many miles do you have? I hope I can get all this covered under CPO

Originally Posted by techwhiz

Got my car back from the dealer after a rough idle complaint. Still under CPO.
Here is the part list

Description QTY PN Price Ea Total

REGULATING LAMBDA PROBE L= 1200MM 1 11787558087 $215.65 $215.65
RECTANGRING 2 11317587757 $5.62 $11.24
Bearing Ledge Intake 1 11127550913 $464.53 $464.53
Bearing Ledge Exhaust 1 11127531224 $423.03 $423.03
Gasket ring - Exhaust 6 11627558906 $4.83 $28.98
Gasket - Oil Filter Housing 1 11427537293 $18.37 $18.37
Gasket - Oil Cooler 1 11427525335 $18.37 $18.37
O-ring - Cooling Sys 29X2,9 1 11537545278 $6.08 $6.08
O-ring - Oil Cooler 13,4X1,78 4 17222245358 $1.18 $4.72
Motor oil SAE 5W-30 Longlife 01 1000ML 7 7510017866 $6.25 $43.75
Set oil-filter element 1 11427566327 $12.25 $12.25
Set Bolt Cylinder Head TORX 1 11127574303 $42.83 $42.83
REPAIR KIT VALVE SEAL RING - Intake 1 11340034068 $82.00 $82.00
REPAIR KIT VALVE SEAL RING - Exhaust 1 11340035853 $82.00 $82.00
ANTIFREEZE 1 GALLON 1 82141467704 $19.95 $19.95
Collar screw M10X1X94 2 11367524954 $2.68 $5.36
Flange nut - Turbo 16 18407502196 $2.17 $34.72
ASA-stud bolt - Head M7X39MM 16 11127593376 $0.57 $9.12
Gasket Set Cylinder Head Asbestos Free 1 11127572758 $184.13 $184.13
Spark plug, High Power BOSCH ZGR6STE2 6 12120037244 $21.32 $127.92
Pipe, engine supply-coolant pump 1 11537558523 $155.50 $155.50
O-ring 13,4X1,78 4 17222245358 $1.18 $4.72
Hose clamp L=9-12 1 7129952102 $1.18 $1.18
Decoupling element - Injector 6 13537564751 $7.73 $46.38
Hose from engine to radiator, top 1 17127540127 $56.20 $56.20
Total $2,098.98

I don't know what the labor was.
I went in for 02 sensor and complained about rough idle.
They fixed the O2 and then when hunting for the rough idle.
They pulled the intake and were going to walnut blast thought the valve seals were leaking. Anyway $2100 in parts later.

Also note that these engines have a problem with the cam ledge and it will groove.
not sure why it happens but it does. Maybe oil change interval too long?

[techwhiz]

Hi,

I have 95K on my engine.
Complained about rough idle and power.
Mechanic test drove and did leak down. Valves weren't seating correctly due to buildup.
That triggered the rest.

Forget about asking for walnut blasting.
If it's under CPO, tell them it's running rough and down on power. Tell them you want them to do a leak down test to make sure the compression is okay.

If the valves don't seat correctly and you are under CPO, you get walnut blasting or a refreshed head.
Since it's CPO they diagnose and charge $50.

This is the way to back into walnut blasting or valve cleaning.
You don't ask directly.

[mweisdorfer]

It took me 6 hours to do this because I was very meticulous. I cleaned out the throttle body and also changed out the oil housing filter gasket. The infamous electrical box was not too difficult to get off. It was stuck, but once I put some bolt loosener on it and lifted the plastic over the metal tab portion of the metal fingers, it was easy to slide off. When put it back to together, I greased the metal fingers with synthetic grease.

Walnut blasting will require you to buy the cylinder adapter and an additional adapter for the hole in the adapter, which attaches to the sand blaster gun. You might have to buy all three, assuming you have at least a 6# air compressor that goes up to 150# PSI. You will also have to know what the valves look like when they are shut.

[Bluesun]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

[...] You will also have to know what the valves look like when they are shut.

This is one question I've been wondering about, before I tear into my car. If you just use some Seafoam and a gun cleaning kit, do you need to turn the crank and seal the valves? My assumption has been that you do.

[mweisdorfer]

Yes you have to take the fan out to get to the crank.

Gun cleaning kit was about $20.00 and the seafoam was about $11.00 a can. You will need 3 cans. I would look for the seafoam specific to intake valves etc.

[CptJoe732]

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

This weekend a buddy of mine and I cleaned the intake valves and changed out the Oil Filter Housing gasket. The Oil Filter Housing Gasket is what prompted me to do the latter, for it was leaking. I figured since I have to take off the intake manifold to reach the third bolt, I might as well do a cleaning. The car has 93k on it. I used a gun cleaning kit with brass brushes and 2 1/2 cans of Seafoam cleaner, which was specific to intake valves. I changed out the intake gaskets too and cleaned the throttle body as well.

All I can say is WOW, what a difference it made in the response etc. The engine is so smooth as silk.

I heard sea foam is one of those products that people are on the fence about. It works / it doesn't work. Do you think it actually made a difference?

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by CptJoe732

I heard sea foam is one of those products that people are on the fence about. It works / it doesn't work. Do you think it actually made a difference?

I used sea foam that was specifically designed to work on carbon for intake valves etc. I would say it did. I did not have to soak the cylinders for too long before I could begin brushing.

If I had to do it all over, I would have got a bronze brush that you can put into an impact driver. This would do wonders on the walls. As far as getting into the cylinder where the valve was, thats where the gun brushes come in handy.

[prepster]

i was wondering if there is a way you can be 100% sure that the intake valves are closed after turning the crank over counter clock wise. I would hate to pour sea foam into the intake valves and have them sit there and soak, only to come back and find that it all drained into the cylinder.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by prepster

i was wondering if there is a way you can be 100% sure that the intake valves are closed after turning the crank over counter clock wise. I would hate to pour sea foam into the intake valves and have them sit there and soak, only to come back and find that it all drained into the cylinder.

Yes. once the valve closes, you will fee tension on your socket wrench attached to the crank. Also, you can fill up the valve with Seafoam, and it will pool.

[chili36]

Originally Posted by prepster

i was wondering if there is a way you can be 100% sure that the intake valves are closed after turning the crank over counter clock wise. I would hate to pour sea foam into the intake valves and have them sit there and soak, only to come back and find that it all drained into the cylinder.

It's visible. As you are cranking you can see when they get to the fully shut position.

I've done a lot of these blast jobs and I wouldn't do it any other way. You can't compare the end result., Waaaaay cleaner in every way doing it with walnuts vs. Chem.

[ritjeff]

You can also just jump the starter quickly to close the valves. Just make sure it's not in gear (if MT).

[chili36]

Originally Posted by ritjeff

You can also just jump the starter quickly to close the valves. Just make sure it's not in gear (if MT).

Exactly what I do. So much easier than having to crank by hand.

[Jklad]

What about rocking the car back and forth while in gear for mt? That seemed to work just fine for me.

[chili36]

Originally Posted by Jklad

What about rocking the car back and forth while in gear for mt? That seemed to work just fine for me.

Get a remote starter switch and make the job easier.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/291069247749