How To Clean An Aluminum Intake Manifold – Practical Guide

When it comes to vehicle maintenance, the engine tops the list. Your car engine performance depends on how you take care of it.

Among the things that can damage the engine is carbon buildup which decreases the efficiency of your car engine.

Carbon builds up in various areas in the car like throttle body butterfly, combustion chamber, plenum chamber, and aluminum intake manifold.

In this article, we’ll go through the process of how to clean an aluminum intake manifold of your car.

Let’s jump straight in and learn about all the steps and things we need, shall we?

How To Clean Your Car’s Aluminum Intake Manifold

A car’s aluminum intake manifold can accumulate carbon and become dirty after using it for a short time.

An aluminum intake manifold that has carbon buildup causes various problems.

These include lack of power, engine misfiring, lack power, engine light on, sluggishness, vehicle not powering up like before.

If your car exhibits these issues, you need to clean the aluminum intake manifold of your car.

What You Need To Clean An Aluminum Intake Manifold

Every day, newer and advanced automobile cleaning products are being introduced in the market. For car owners, this has made how to clean an aluminum intake manifold easier.

You can now even clean an aluminum intake manifold without removing it with all these cleaning products. Before engaging yourself in the task, be sure to perform the steps in this guide confidently.

So, what are the things that you need to clean your car’s aluminum intake manifold? You only require the following:

• Foam intake cleaner – removes grime, varnish, gum, and carbon deposits inside the aluminum intake manifold.
• Screwdrivers, wrenches, and spanners – for removing or screwing hoses or tubes.
• Gloves (household) – to ensure hands’ safety by protecting them against the heat and harmful chemicals from the engine.
• Surgical face mask – to protect you from inhaling harmful gases.
• A clean microfiber or cotton cloth – to wipe the excess liquid from the car engine.

Steps Of How To Clean And Polish An Aluminum Intake Manifold Without Removing It

Cleaning and polishing an aluminum intake manifold, both the inside and outside, can be done without professional assistance.

In this regard, the following are the simple steps to clean and polish an aluminum intake manifold.

You can use these steps to clean and polish the aluminum intake manifold without removing it from the car.

Maybe you could be asking yourself if these steps you can use on your modern engine car.

If you have a car with a modern engine, worry less because these steps you can use to clean and remove carbon buildup inside aluminum intake manifolds of modern engines.

These are engines that have an emission control system and direct fuel injection.

Identify And Park The Car In A Well-Ventilated Space

Before cleaning and polishing the aluminum intake manifold, park the car in a well-ventilated and shady area. It is to prevent suffocation caused by harmful exhaust fumes.

Ensure that there are no children close to where you will be cleaning the aluminum intake manifold.

Additionally,  make sure there are no other chemicals. It prevents any unwanted accidents caused by chemical reactions with harmful exhaust fumes.

Switch Off The Car Engine And Disconnect The Throttle And Air Intake Tube

After placing the car in a well-ventilated area, you need to turn off the engine if it is still on. The next thing you need to do is to disconnect the throttle.

Disconnecting means separating the throttle from the air intake valve and not removing it from the car’s engine. Again, remember to keep the engine turned off during this process.

Next, go through the air intake duct and disconnect it from the throttle body to ensure that it is ready to work with the car engine.

Clean The Throttle Valve Using The Foam Cleaner

After disconnecting the air intake duct, you can clean the aluminum intake manifold by spraying the throttle valve.

Clean the inside and outside of the aluminum intake manifold by spraying the power foam on the throttle valve.

Be careful during this step because you use a chemical to clean the aluminum intake manifold. This process requires a lot of foam cleaner sprays.

Try to spray at least half of the power foam cleaner can for just this purpose. Use it to clean and polish the inside and outside of the aluminum intake manifold.

Using the clean microfiber or cotton cloth, clean the excess liquid off the valve’s plate. Lastly, connect the air intake tube back to the throttle valve.

Clean And Wipe The Dirt From The Aluminum Intake Manifold

Like the throttle valve, the vacuum hose is first detached from the aluminum intake manifold. It is an essential step because spraying the power foam cleaner into the vacuum line.

To allow the sprayed power foam cleaner to settle, give it 5 minutes. Taking a break and leaving the spray there gives it ample time to soak in.

Then, reconnect the aluminum intake manifold back to the vacuum hose. In this process, spraying the foam should be done while the car engine is fast idle.

After the foam has settled, turn off the engine. When cleaning the inside and polishing the aluminum intake manifold correctly, the engine should function flawlessly.

Reattach The Air Intake Duct Back To The Aluminum Intake Manifold

You are done with spraying and cleaning the dirt in the air intake duct at this stage. The carbon buildup has been carefully removed from the inside and outside of the aluminum intake manifold.

The next thing you need to do is to reattach the vacuum hose. To do this, take the vacuum duct with your hand and carefully reattach it to the aluminum intake manifold.

That is it! That is how you clean and polish the inside and outside of an aluminum intake manifold. Your car engine will now function at its peak performance.

The process of cleaning and polishing the inside and outside of an aluminum intake manifold takes time.

Suppose you’re among those who don’t have the time or confidence to go through the process; you can also take your car to a mechanic to clean the aluminum intake manifold.

Conclusion

Carbon buildup inside the aluminum intake manifold increases as you continue using your car, especially for long-distance travel.

This carbon buildup then starts to affect the performance of your car engine.

If you’re experiencing problems related to engine performance, like stalling when starting, you need to clean the aluminum intake manifold.

The process is easy, and you can do it yourself. If you follow the steps to clean an aluminum intake manifold, it’ll take you at least one hour to complete.

After cleaning and removing carbon buildup inside the aluminum intake manifold, you’ll immediately notice an improvement in how your engine performs.