new 11/20/2003
Kirk,
Have you had any evidence that use of a good fuel system
cleaner (Chevron Techron etc) has any effect at all on the
carbon build-up on the one valve that is closed off by the
butterflies?
When you were at my place for the camfest, there was speculation if it would help (only when the butterflies were open obviously) so I have been adding a bottle every few tanks and have been running up the rpm's more than I usually do to open those runners more often.
Just wondered if you had ever found one that was carboned up, left it alone, put in lots of fuel treatment and checked it in a few months?
Might be worth the experiment!
Don Mallinson
No not really.. I'm one of those guys that LOVE to run fuel cleaner through my car, I run a bottle through at least twice a month and the intake still gets all grungy. I recently had mine apart (after The National Porter Dragathon) and it was oily. I have been using Both Prestone 0-60 and Berrymans but it still stays gunked up..
Now I will say this, it is no where as bad as the first time I cleaned it, like everyone else's that I or anyone have cleaned it wont get that dirty for a long time. And the more you clean it off the better chance you have of keeping it clean. Doing like Paul did by eliminating the EGR is a good idea if you're not worried about pollution control and car inspections. But No gas gets to those valves whatsoever so a injector type cleaning wont do anything for those valves or passage ways through the lower intake.
Paul is making the correct steps to eliminate this altogether, but its not for everyone to do what he as done and made to achieve this. But it's the only way
It gets like this because of the "Fresh air in" tubes and the PVC line. Under pressure FAI lines pressurize passing oil and fumes into the intake, then they mix with the Hot EGR gasses making it sticky, then when you shut the car off it gets hard. Blow by gasses (which most V8s that I have seen) also contribute to this a lot!
I disconnected the Fresh air in tubes and eliminated all most all the cr*p getting in there, but that was before I went through the wiring harness issues and but it back to stock. Its been that way ever since, but will have to go back when I install the S/C over the next few months.
Another way to eliminate some of this is a polishing of the intake, Mine is a mirror finish from the back of the TB all the way to the lower intake. By polishing it, the stuff don't stick as easy as it did to the very rough castings that make up our intake. I even polished the entire surgetank, even behind the horns :) Again not a reasonably cost effective measure but has worked for me. I would like to see what a clean and polished intake with Paul's setup would do.
I have also though about cutting the blocker out of the heads like the v6 has to see what that would do, but if it didn't work the cost in gaskets and bolts alone would deter most away from the option. For most. A free flowing filter like the K&N would also slow this down a bit, it would not have to draw quite as hard and not pull quite as much oil up through the fresh air tubes.
I attached two pictures, showing the difference of the intake air inlet at the beginning of the surgetank. For those that don't know what you are looking at.. These are of the beginning part of the surgetank (the big connector just behind the throttle body) and it sweeps back to the runners..
Kirk J Doucette
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