Any ideas for cleaning LT1 Plenum?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 28
From: South Riding VA
Any ideas for cleaning LT1 Plenum?
Anyone have any good ideas for cleaning the LT1 intake plenum without removing it from the car? I pulled and rebuilt my throttle boddy (will post that process and pics in a different thread) and it was pretty dirty. The back side of the blades as well as the interior of the plenum have a lot of deposits.
Here's a picture (not the best pic, it looks dirtier in person!)
and the back of the TB before I cleaned it:
I tried throttle body/carb cleaner and a modified toilet brush and that got some of it, but I figured most for that would just run down and leave the crud on my valves... so without pulling the intake is there any other way to get a good interior cleaning? I've seen some Seafoam kits, but do they really work? Is there anything else?
Here's a picture (not the best pic, it looks dirtier in person!)
and the back of the TB before I cleaned it:
I tried throttle body/carb cleaner and a modified toilet brush and that got some of it, but I figured most for that would just run down and leave the crud on my valves... so without pulling the intake is there any other way to get a good interior cleaning? I've seen some Seafoam kits, but do they really work? Is there anything else?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,139
Likes: 482
From: H-Town Texas
I feel your pain. Thruth is, the best way to get it really clean is to take it off, thus ensuring that none of the debris goes to the cylinders and the valves. You could try some top end cleaner and it will do some, but if there is alot of stuff in there, well, you know where it has to go.
The good news is that taking the intake off is not really that big of a deal. Don't need to drain coolant or anything of that sort. Basically just unplug and unbolt. Of course new gaskets and sealer will be order, but this isn't neccessarily a bad thing either.
The good news is that taking the intake off is not really that big of a deal. Don't need to drain coolant or anything of that sort. Basically just unplug and unbolt. Of course new gaskets and sealer will be order, but this isn't neccessarily a bad thing either.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 10,641
Likes: 13
From: Slidell Louisiana
You intake doesn't look bad. Without removing the intake any crap you clean out of the intake will go through your engine.
IMO you have 3 options
Sea Foam or one of the other engine cleaners (old timers used to spray a mist of water into intakes IO decoke an engine) I've never tried it maybe someone will chime in.
Remove the intake and clean it
Live with it.
From the pictures I'd choose 3, until the inevitable china wall leak and then I'd clean it.
Mike
IMO you have 3 options
Sea Foam or one of the other engine cleaners (old timers used to spray a mist of water into intakes IO decoke an engine) I've never tried it maybe someone will chime in.
Remove the intake and clean it
Live with it.
From the pictures I'd choose 3, until the inevitable china wall leak and then I'd clean it.
Mike
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 28
From: South Riding VA
Yeah I guess #3 is where I'm headed. The TB came out nice and maybe I will try seafoam but I'm not ready to pull the manifold... Maybe next winter when I send the injectors out for a good cleaning. ...
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
For an older Vette the plenum looks fairly clean in comparison. I mean if it bugs you run some stuff through it but it will never be clean and wont run a bit differently. Will dirty up again soon as you start driving it. 
If you want the valves clean go run that sucker hard for an afternoon.
If you want the valves clean go run that sucker hard for an afternoon.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 34,988
Likes: 515
From: Riverside County Southern California
Co-winner 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
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St. Jude Donor '09 thru '20
it looks clean to me. If you see mine you would have a stroke. By the look of your intake, you don't rev the Lt1 a lot. You can use sea foam to clean it up. Understand it will not give remove all the gunk.
Last edited by PLRX; Apr 26, 2013 at 11:46 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21,543
Likes: 3,216
From: Park City Utah
OP, your intake is not dirty.
That carbon build up (which is very minimal) is normal and insignificant...and furthermore, if you clean it, it will come right back! It's the nature of an internal combustion engine w/a dry intake. If you clean it, you will only be doing so for appearance and (your own) psychological reasons...it won't make a bit of difference in the way the car runs. WASTE OF TIME.
For the guys who recommend Seafoam, there are a lot of other products out there that actually work, since they have detergent in them instead of alcohol, Naptha and sewing machine oil.
That carbon build up (which is very minimal) is normal and insignificant...and furthermore, if you clean it, it will come right back! It's the nature of an internal combustion engine w/a dry intake. If you clean it, you will only be doing so for appearance and (your own) psychological reasons...it won't make a bit of difference in the way the car runs. WASTE OF TIME.
For the guys who recommend Seafoam, there are a lot of other products out there that actually work, since they have detergent in them instead of alcohol, Naptha and sewing machine oil.
Last edited by Tom400CFI; Apr 26, 2013 at 12:18 PM.
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 28
From: South Riding VA
Yep you are correct, I just got this one a few months ago and I'm still working out the bugs and taking it easy until I can get all the fluids changed etc. flushed the cooling system as part of this exercise, brake fluid and power steering done last week, all were black.. I'll get the transmission this week and maybe the rear next ... And with the nice weather ill be able to get out and really drive it!!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 28
From: South Riding VA
For an older Vette the plenum looks fairly clean in comparison. I mean if it bugs you run some stuff through it but it will never be clean and wont run a bit differently. Will dirty up again soon as you start driving it.
If you want the valves clean go run that sucker hard for an afternoon.
If you want the valves clean go run that sucker hard for an afternoon.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21,543
Likes: 3,216
From: Park City Utah
I had a friend back in school that had a mint Camaro. On weekends, he's doo things like:
*polish his transmission case
*Polish the exhaust system and Muffler
*Polish his drive shaft
At least with those things, you can see them. I mean, you'd need mirrors or you have to park it on ramps....or people would have to get on the hands and knees to look under the car...but at least you can SEE the part.
The inside of the plenum? Kind of a hard part to show off at the car shows. You know...your piston tops look like that too!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 28
From: South Riding VA
Marky? Marky Bloom?? That you?
I had a friend back in school that had a mint Camaro. On weekends, he's doo things like:
*polish his transmission case
*Polish the exhaust system and Muffler
*Polish his drive shaft
At least with those things, you can see them. I mean, you'd need mirrors or you have to park it on ramps....or people would have to get on the hands and knees to look under the car...but at least you can SEE the part.
The inside of the plenum? Kind of a hard part to show off at the car shows. You know...your piston tops look like that too!
I had a friend back in school that had a mint Camaro. On weekends, he's doo things like:
*polish his transmission case
*Polish the exhaust system and Muffler
*Polish his drive shaft
At least with those things, you can see them. I mean, you'd need mirrors or you have to park it on ramps....or people would have to get on the hands and knees to look under the car...but at least you can SEE the part.
The inside of the plenum? Kind of a hard part to show off at the car shows. You know...your piston tops look like that too!
. ... And this ones not really a pristine showpiece either, so there's HOURS of entertainment for me....
Racer
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 445
Likes: 11
From: Indiana
I'm the same way. Clean to much every time I'm doing something. This time I decided to polish my Super Ram. Now the weather is nice and the Super ram is half polished. This is one time I wish I would've just put it back together.
