intake cleaning without removal ???

[Cheddar Dan]

Hey All!

QUESTION: **without removing the intake** how can I safely de-crud the intake??

THANKS!

--cd

1994 Ford Explorer XLT
200,000

 

[Maniak]

Hey All!

QUESTION: **without removing the intake** how can I safely de-crud the intake??

THANKS!

--cd

1994 Ford Explorer XLT
200,000

If you mean how to you clean out the intake manifold without removing the intake manifold the only thing I can think of would be to try to run some seafoam through it (you let it SLOWLY suck it in via a vacuum hose..) Even then it's not really going to do much for any oil residue etc but it does help clean the combustion chamber etc..

~Mark

 

[Centaurious]

You can't. And if you could... would you want that mess going into the Catalytic Converters?!!!

 

[Cheddar Dan]

I ask because after a year of chasing a 335 code and multiple part swaps and repeated swaps it seems my 335 code was fixed by manually scraping crud out of upper intake just behind throttle body. Of course, it could be a coincidence, but this sure seems to be the case. Also, even though the 335 is gone the mileage still stinks-which is what mostly concerned me.
Thanks, ALL!

 

[Centaurious]

You probably opened up the vacuum port behind the Throttle Body on the underside of the intake.

 

[Mbrooks420]

What do you mean by your mileage ‘stinking’?

 

[Cheddar Dan]

What do you mean by your mileage ‘stinking’?

With very light foot driving my first mileage test after losing the 335 error was 13.04 MPG. Of course, it's an old Explorer and mileage was never great, but I did have a 15.72 MPG back in August with the error.
Thanks!

 

[Mbrooks420]

Do they use winter blend gas there?

 

[Cheddar Dan]

Do they use winter blend gas there?

I hope so! It's less than 20 degrees (F) here!!

 

[Mbrooks420]

Winter blend yields less MPG due to the higher ethanol content.

 

[Cheddar Dan]

You probably opened up the vacuum port behind the Throttle Body on the underside of the intake.

Yes, probably did. Now, I want to keep it open and as clean as possible somehow without disassembly. ..had done one of the Seafoam TB procedures months ago without any noticeable changes. I may try Seafoam to TB again and more often since some "chunks" of crud have been manually removed; Seafoam may have a better chance this time.

 

[FR-425]

Replace the Differential pressure sensor. (DPFE)
Fault codes do not tell you what part to replace, they describe the symptom.

Problem solved: done and done.

 

[FR-425]

Disconnect the battery before replacing ANY electrical device!

 

[Rhett]

With very light foot driving my first mileage test after losing the 335 error was 13.04 MPG. Of course, it's an old Explorer and mileage was never great, but I did have a 15.72 MPG back in August with the error.
Thanks!

13 mpg is just fine for winter gas on a 1st gen Explorer. I've been known to get 12 mpg if I'm using the 4x4 a lot (snow). 13-14 in-town summer, hilly location is normal.

Manual cleaning of the upper intake mani (including the EGR port on our '94s) is the best way I know of to get it clean, and solve EGR code problems.