Take intake manifold to the carwash?

[jelih]

I'm changing cam and lifters this weekend (and probably next weekend too), and I've got all these dirty parts lying around that I want to clean up a bit before I put them back on. I'm sure I saw on another thread someone suggested taking the intake manifold to the car wash and spraying it out, but I can't find that thread now no matter what I type in the search bar. Idk bout all that, but is it worth the trouble to spray with degreaser and hose out? I feel like it may be possible for water to pool in some hidden nook and/or cranny and cause problems bigger problems for me later.

Also, how are you guys cleaning your throttle bodies? Can I just spray it with cleaner and wipe it down? Is there some special magic juice I should use? How about the alternator? It's got a bunch of gunk on it too that I'd like to get rid of, mostly on the bottom.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Wild one]

I'm changing cam and lifters this weekend (and probably next weekend too), and I've got all these dirty parts lying around that I want to clean up a bit before I put them back on. I'm sure I saw on another thread someone suggested taking the intake manifold to the car wash and spraying it out, but I can't find that thread now no matter what I type in the search bar. Idk bout all that, but is it worth the trouble to spray with degreaser and hose out? I feel like it may be possible for water to pool in some hidden nook and/or cranny and cause problems bigger problems for me later.

Also, how are you guys cleaning your throttle bodies? Can I just spray it with cleaner and wipe it down? Is there some special magic juice I should use? How about the alternator? It's got a bunch of gunk on it too that I'd like to get rid of, mostly on the bottom.

Thanks in advance.

Pull the short runner valve on the back of the intake,and you can spray engine degreaser on it,and in it,then wash the hell out of it at the carwash. Just dump the water out of it when you're done,and if you have an air compressor you can also blow it out,but if it's gonna sit for a week,before re-installing it,it also be dry by then even if you don't blow it out.The inside of the intake doesn't really have to many nooks or crannies,if it did,it wouldn't flow air very well.
Use dedicated throttle body cleaner for cleaning the throttle body,don't hit it with brake clean.
I've washed alternators in the sink,and used SOS pads to scrub them clean,then blow them dry,and let them sit for a day or more before re-installing. Don't forget the alternator is on the front of the engine,and if you're driving in heavy rain,the fan is basically blasting water at everything on the front of the engine. Clean your parts as soon as you can,so they get a chance to evaporate dry,especially if you don't have an air compressor to blow them dry, before you re-install them,and you'll be good to go.

 

[jelih]

Can I use brakleen on the alternator, then? The Mrs. is a hard no on cleaning car parts in the sink. I do not have an air compressor, but I DO have a week for everything to dry.

Do I need to pull the fuel rail and injectors off? Seems like I should, but I'm hesitant to pull the injectors because I'm having slight difficulty finding new o-rings other than the mopar option at $12+ per injector, and as far as I can tell they weren't leaking when I parked it. In all the pictures of the injector it looks like 2 different sized o-rings, but all the pictures of aftermarket options just seem to have multiples of the same size. Of all the options on rockauto, the only one that lists the mopar part # in the description is the fel-pro, but still shows what look to be like multiples of the same o-ring.

 

[Wild one]

Can I use brakleen on the alternator, then? The Mrs. is a hard no on cleaning car parts in the sink. I do not have an air compressor, but I DO have a week for everything to dry.

Do I need to pull the fuel rail and injectors off? Seems like I should, but I'm hesitant to pull the injectors because I'm having slight difficulty finding new o-rings other than the mopar option at $12+ per injector, and as far as I can tell they weren't leaking when I parked it. In all the pictures of the injector it looks like 2 different sized o-rings, but all the pictures of aftermarket options just seem to have multiples of the same size. Of all the options on rockauto, the only one that lists the mopar part # in the description is the fel-pro, but still shows what look to be like multiples of the same o-ring.

I'd pull the injectors if it was my intake. If the wife doesn't like you using her sink,use your outdoor garden hose,lol.
If your engine is up there in milege,i'd replace the injector o-rings,order in the felpro's from Rock Auto,and go from there.New felpro intake o-rings wouldn't hurt either,along with a valve cover kit.
You can buy a cheap portable air compressor,that'll work for blow drying parts,adding air to tires etc.

https://www.amazon.com/WALNUT-CANYON-Compressor-Portable-Pneumatic/dp/B0CJTKN6JX/ref=sr_1_4?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5-Caz5AOddlW9B1D6xP-Saao83wU4U8mOLZri-vcXnaihdYL_ZjUYWDSEojKVtTEDI1PuSk-cEQe-X9OqUiZWJXqL1mnyBz7IDlHV7nPMogjqUK36fOghtleC89dRN6FMQP5XFw__uBp5a6DUL5uGUsocxRG6sEGmeYYQbMR_o9MRgkt09LTkdeZ3MhxxxbyhLHOlNX5zCpMFnte2Xl7tE-zuIBeeG6ZPo5NCR72paeOCupwjQ8tcbzYkawEBInih31eGH0MiaoUcfr5am5B5CyeEiMnRSxAKiGJ1wHMP7c.5Yllw3g5Wnx3t8V4bs5uzYbTR8_zeycAFnp4kRYLG2Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=2%2Bgallon%2BAir%2BCompressors%2B%26%2BInflators&qid=1708745178&s=power-hand-tools&sr=1-4&tag=ramforum-20&th=1

Amazon.com : 2+gallon+Air+Compressors+&+Inflators

 

[Mister Luck]

The alternators windings are sensitive to degreasers because they use a heat resistant resin and acrylic laminate

DIY alternator repair | AUTODOC tips

DIY alternator repair | AUTODOC tipsAlternator pulley noise can be a sign that the mechanism is going to fail. It’s not always necessary to buy a new unit to...

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You’d have to disassemble the alt and clean the front and rear case separately and then possibly change the bearings.

 

[Mister Luck]

I watched a few YT videos with washing intake plenum instructions I liked Martin Built’s video using the 4.7 Jeep manifold

How to Clean an Intake Manifold Inside & Out (Remove Carbon Buildup)

How to thoroughly remove all the carbon inside of a plastic or aluminum intake manifold using Purple Power and a dryer lint brush. In the video, I'm using an...

youtu.be

 

[jelih]

The alternators windings are sensitive to degreasers

I just spritzed it with some brakleen and scrubbed a bit with an old toothbrush, then a little more brakleen. Fingers crossed.

As for the intake manifold, I had two cans of foaming decreased. Half a can on the outside, the other can and a half inside. Turned it over a few times, let it sit, then spent several minutes rinsing. It'll be 2 weeks before it goes back together so I'll turn it over every day to make sure it's all out and dry. I saw some dude submerge the entire thing in a tub so I figured I'd be ok. Wasn't looking to make it brand new, just a lot less dirty.

 

[jelih]

Hey @wildone, do you know what the 0.75 stamped on my pistons means?

 

[jws123]

Hey @wildone, do you know what the 0.75 stamped on my pistons means?

if its on the top of the pistons it means someone has been there before lol possibly had engine rebuilt once.

 

[CanRebel]

Hey @wildone, do you know what the 0.75 stamped on my pistons means?

.75mm oversize or if stock, it's size

 

[Wild one]

Hey @wildone, do you know what the 0.75 stamped on my pistons means?

With-out a pic it's tough to say.Not many places use mm's on an overbore,but if the 0.75 does refer to millimeters,it's been roughly bored 0.030" / 0.02952"

 

[jelih]

I was told it was rebuilt right before I bought it. The place I bought it from had a shop on site. I was specifically told new pistons. But also from the rtv on the valve covers I'm not convinced they did a great job. However now I have an entirely new problem.

I pulled this whole thing apart because I had a tick near the #8 cylinder. We checked with a stethoscope all down both heads and on both sides of the block just above the oil pan, and it was a dull thud everywhere except by 8 where it sounds like someone hitting a chisel with a hammer. But now that I've got it all apart. All the lifters and the cam look fine. The pic is all the metal that came out of the pan (AAA battery for scale), but I have no idea how long it was there.

Other than the tick, it ran fine, no codes, and still had plenty of power. I drove it to work for 2 days after it started. Oil pressure was the same as it's always been.

I was just under it and I can't wiggle the rods at all. They all have the tiny fraction of forward and backwards play that I believe to be normal, but I can't move any of them side to side or up and down. I thought a symptom of a spun bearing was loss of oil pressure? Idfk what to do now. I have a new cam and lifters but I don't want to put it all back together just for a shop to have to pull the engine anyway if the tick remains.

 

[jelih]

With-out a pic it's tough to say.Not many places use mm's on an overbore,but if the 0.75 does refer to millimeters,it's been roughly bored 0.030" / 0.02952"

 

[Wild one]

Could stand for an over bore. Any plans to spend some time cleaning your pistons and heads,as there seems to be quite a build up of carbon on that piston.

 

[jelih]

Could stand for an over bore. Any plans to spend some time cleaning your pistons and heads,as there seems to be quite a build up of carbon on that piston.

Yeah I'm gonna clean them all up first.
Did you see my other post above that one with the pic of the metal I found in the pan? I'm panicking a little here.

 

[Wild one]

Yeah I'm gonna clean them all up first.
Did you see my other post above that one with the pic of the metal I found in the pan? I'm panicking a little here.

Just seen it now. Those look more like chunks of a piston,or maybe parts of the timing chain tensioner set-up,they don't look like bearing material. I'd start by looking up at the bottom of the pistons,and looking tensioner over close for pieces missing or broken

 

[jelih]

Just seen it now. Those look more like chunks of a piston,or maybe parts of the timing chain tensioner set-up,they don't look like bearing material. I'd start by looking up at the bottom of the pistons,and looking tensioner over close for pieces missing or broken

I have a new tensioner anyway. Timing chain looks mint. There certainly no pieces like that missing off of it. I can get back under it with a flash light and look at the bottom of all the pistons, but while I was checking the rods, what I could see of them, they all looked like new aluminum. If it actually was rebuilt, it's only had 40k miles since then.

I was asking you about the oil pump the other day and you said to take it apart before I slapped the new one in. It was still making good pressure and this is how it looks all the way around. No areas better or worse than this. Same situation both the outer gear.

Also, I appreciate your guidance. I owe you a 12 pack when this is all done.

 

[jelih]

Just seen it now. Those look more like chunks of a piston,or maybe parts of the timing chain tensioner set-up,they don't look like bearing material. I'd start by looking up at the bottom of the pistons,and looking tensioner over close for pieces missing or broken

Bottoms of the pistons all look brand new. There's also still some really nice cross hatching in the bores. I wouldn't think it'd be that way after over 160k miles.

 

[jelih]

I guess this settles it. It's been gone through. I'd seen this when I took the timing cover off earlier today but I hadn't actually "looked" at it until just right now. Explains the fresh pistons and honing.

 

[Wild one]

If nothings looking wonky on the bottom end,the next area to look over would be the heads,for maybe a broken rocker stand,if that checks out,i got nothing,other then maybe pulling each rod cap,and checking the rod and main bearings over. Only other option might be the engine wasn't properly cleaned when it was rebuilt,and those chunks might be from before the rebuild.