leave the spark plugs out and shine a flash light through the spark plug hole, if you see light through the intake runner, then its open, better than spraying stuff into the cylinder. Its also better to rotate the engine by hand.
When you use light, you can't see it well, because there is carbon everywhere, including on the valve edges (in the combustion chamber). He also does not spray rubbish in the cylinder, but on the closed valves. I would also jack the car up at 1 wheel, put it in top gear and then crank the engine to the correct position, which is safer than using the starter motor. You just have to be 100% sure that the valves are closed.
@@heinpereboom5521 you are right, and what if the valves don't sear right because of buildup, and the cleaner leaks in to the cylinder. Also I don't see him cleaning were the seats meat the cylinder head.
Mister Ass Sniffer, Yes it can, you dont want to wash the oil off the cylinder walls or dislodge any carbon from around the valves or any on top of the piston and leave it in the combustion chamber, hence leaving the plugs out to blow out the cylinder Thats wihy you make sure the valves are completely closed before you add any solvent and agitate any build up. Fooool.
Awesome video! Helped inspire me to take on this project on at home and made a very noticeable difference in performance. Some notes from my amateur DIY: This is a messy and tedious job. It took me days to finish (also replaced both OFHG gaskets) - definitely recommend replacing the throttle body and manifold gaskets as well because it's quite a chore to get them off and you really might as well. Instead of bothering with the fuel pump relay or fuse, it's very easy to manually bump the starter using alligator clips (this way also allows you to watch as the valves open and close), kudos to @VehicularDIY for this idea. At 108k miles, my intakes were caked. Took about 2-3 passes with fuel injector cleaner before several more passes w brake cleaner (also tried CRC's Intake Manifold Cleaner and TBH fuel injector cleaner worked better - you may need 2 bottles, whatever you decide). Drill w/ wire brush attachments were definitely appreciated (don't worry about scratching the metal). Also highly recommend long pick tools. The short ones didn't provide nearly enough reach or leverage and strained my fingers. Compressed air is super helpful, otherwise u can't get the stuff that settles to the bottom (I bought a little vacuum gun on Amazon and it worked great). You can block the port with a microfiber towel to absorb the brake clean while u blast, then come back and blast out the dry bits (fumy process, I tried to hold my breath but a respirator is probably a good idea). Last couple notes -- it is WAY easier to reinstall the intake manifold if you have someone help you push the pipe near the firewall back towards that direction before attempting to mount it. Struggled for about 20 minutes before my housemate helped hold that thing out of the way and it popped right on. Lastly, that cable hub under the manifold is a bitch. Good luck.
That's right! Or if you have the engine cover off, you can just unplug all your injectors and save even more time! I didn't want to show a fuse to pull since they're different for different models.
Did mine today, best alternative method given compressed air was so damn messy with the first cylinder, I started on is using a soap dispenser hand pump to get 98% of the cleaner out. You can just pull one out of a bathroom soap bottle. Also, instead of using brake cleaner to do all the heavy lifting, use "CRC Valve cleaner". It worked 100x better on the other 5 cylinders and quicker. Use the brake cleaner after you are done with the CRC to clean up the walls kinda like the finishing touch. If you want to prevent your car running like garbage, pull those plugs and coils along with the fuel cables for each injector then turn the car over for 10 seconds. It will expell all that gunk out and car shouldn't even run bad at all like mine.
I've done this job tons of times at a bmw dealership. The bmw special tools with the walnut blaster make it a faster process and I always enjoyed the smell of the walnuts. This is a good cheap way to do this at home. I would just rotate the engine by the crank bolt to avoid setting any faults.
Good video. First thing I would do I actually already did to my N54. Symptom: Serpentine belt would not stay on and was shredding. Remedy: 1. Power steering pulley. 2. New tensioner 3. Both engine mounts. Including dropping the subframe to get the passenger mount out after it was loose. 4. New serpentine belt. Observation: 73” seven rib belt was ridiculously tight. Changed to 73.5” belt. 74” was even better but I had a hard time finding a seven rib. 5. Changed alternator because bearings were squealing. Note: none of these repairs fixed the serpentine issue. 🤯😡 So I got under the car with a screwdriver and started looking for something loose. Found power steering pump was missing the main anchoring 3/8” bolt and the other anchor bolt was loose. That fixed it. FINALLY! Also found water pump was missing two bolts. So I made studs and put nuts and washers on to tighten things up. Approximately 200 miles later and no more problems. Well except the leak from the OFH. That’s the next thing on my list. I still love this car and I knew when I bought it that it would be a labor of love. Engine transmission and convertible top are solid.
What i found useful for a carbon clean if you dont have a air compressor or a wet vacuum is to get a cheap leaf blower, worked a treat to get all those small crumbs of carbon out by sucking it all out and works a treat and blowing dust, debris and getting liquids out and for drying the chambers out for that matter👍
Maybe I missed it but it that’s an N54 you have to remove the intake to get that one bolt out for the filter housing. There’s no other way. So while you’re at it clean the intake valves. Good video.
on cars with lsd diffs and manual gearboxes you can turn the engine by raising the back wheels and rotating the wheel with a large ratchet set on a wheel nut.
Instead of compressed air I use a shop vac with a piece I made to fit from the vac hose down into the valve area, And put a towel or rags along side the block to catch any spillage. Also use a jumper wire I made to fit on to the starter to bump the engine, it’s better than jumping in and out of the car
Excellent video for cleaning All the gunk from the valves seriously your method is prime example of how to clean without walnut blasting! Should dedicate a video just to doing this, alot of GDI Engine owners are stuck with this problem, plan on doing the cleaning to my kia optima will let you know how it goes!
Great information. You made the right decision not buying the seafoam. I don't think I have ever seen a positive video on it except from people that are sponsored by them. I like how you showed a different way of doing it then spending money for a special tool and then the walnuts. So my most definitely hit the like button and I hit the subscribe button also. I'm getting ready to watch another one of your videos on this car. I want to see how it runs after you fix things on it.
If you're doing plugs and taking the intake off I'd do the valve cover gasket while you're in there. It sounds like it's a pretty common issue, I just did mine because it was leaking oil on to my exhaust and smoking.
Has anyone used the CRC valve cleaner on BMW engines? I use it on my SQ5 twice a year for the last 5yrs (70k miles). I’ve had zero issues. Runs, idles smooth, pulls hard to redline. Hardest part is you need to have someone maintain a 2k rpm idle while I spray into the intake (after the MAF).
I would not use a metal brush as you might end up with metal shavings in the engine. I used a ring pick tool to scrub it off and then Intake Valve cleaner from CRC which works like magic and really dissolves the black build up. I would not use brake cleaner as it’s too dry and does not dissolve the carbon at all.
Thanks!! Great video!! Very good tip on how to do an intake cleane without using walnuts! Some remarks, as the coil packs are not that expensive (45 Euro each) I’ve always replaced these when buying a used BMW. With respect to the oil filter gaskets, again as the O rings of the oil piping is not expensive I’ve always changed them.
New cars today attached with more electronics components ( E.C.U) and you have to restored all sensors and activated the car back to Mfg settings when you remove the battery In my opinion you just need 1/2 ratchet with correct socket to fit crankshaft bolt to turn the engine back and forth
could you simply remove the fuse for the fuel pump instead of physically disconnecting the fuel pump? Is it possible to connect one of those harbor freight brushes to a power tool and let the power tool do most of the scrubbing?
Easiest way to get the fluid out of the intake ports is to take a 3/8 rubber hose and duct tape it to the inside of a Shop-Vac. should just be able to suck it all out
Just be careful because the injector cleaner is flammable and the sparks from the vacuum motor could turn the whole thing into a big flame pretty quickly!
I just use Amsoil Power Foam, let it sit in there. Use a long art paint brush to agitate the base of the valve where it seats. Use a 1" wide soft nylon brush to agitate the rest of the carbon. Wrap paper shop towels around the nylon brush and repeat until all the nasty liquid is soaked up. Repeat procedure if needed, but your valves and intake runners will look BRAND NEW. I mean they will SHINE. Flawless, all in under an hour.
@@edgarasjokubauskas629 I take the intake manifold off and spray it directly at the valves. Let it sit for a minute or two, scrub it with the nylon brush, then soak it up and repeat until they are perfect. You might use about half a can or a little more of Power Foam on a 4 cylinder to get there. Just MAKE SURE your valves are NOT OPEN on the section you are doing. My cars are 4 cylinders, so I can just chock the wheels, keep it in neutral, and pull on the belt to move the valves shut.
Use a shop vac while you're blowing out each intake. You will have nearly zero mess and you will minimize any risk of getting brake-cleaner in your eyes. I would only use compressed air after you've used a shop vac to get the majority of debris out, otherwise you're going to get it everywhere.
The problem is that the injector cleaner is flammable, so you risk turning your shop vac into a flamethrower, as the (brushed) motor creates sparks as it turns. So be careful if you decide to go this route!
Be super careful!!! If any intake valve leaks even a tiny bit....hydrolock!!!!! I would leave the sparkplugs out, after cleaning, pull the engine over on the starter for a few seconds before reinstalling the sparkplugs.
Regular old red ATF will also work for this and actually allow things to seal a bit better for a short period of time...brake clean is like using a chainsaw to trim your toe nails
or.. you could just remove the fuel pump fuse or relay.. a lot quicker, and that $50 did not include the air pump, hose and air gun.. not many folks have those at home
I used a walnut blaster extensively and did dozens of car when I worked at a bmw shop, nowadays I don't miss getting walnuts in my ears and eyes and everywhere, but it does clean the valves just as well! Thanks for watching, Dave 😊
🤔 I admire anyone who takes the time to put themself out there and upload some KT. It is best to turn the engine manually and determine tdc and which valves associated with said cylinder are open/closed amongst other things. Also, I would never spray brake cleaner into the combustion chamber without knowing if said valve is open/close and risk damaging cylinder wall, Thanks for sharing nonetheless.
Mmm I've heard mixed opinions on this. The oil filter spins on which is why you lubricate the o-ring, because otherwise it could catch and bind causing a bad seal. On a flat-to-flat gasket, there is no need for oil in my experience. But I guess it's a preference thing, if it works for you then keep doing it! I probably wouldn't oil up a valve cover gasket before trying to install it, for example. Seems like you're just giving a path for the oil to start leaking early.
@@TheBimmerBarn All "O" rings move when compressed a light smear of oil allows them to squidge a bit, one of the reasons they leak is overtightening, I guess we all have our own way, but I have always used some lube, oil or rubber grease depending on where they are.
No I highly doubt it would destroy carbon buildup as stubborn as this. Might clean the valve on a regular port-injected car though! But those typically don't suffer from carbon buildup like this.
Great work as always! noob question, I'm about doing this to my N55 but I don't like using the starter to rotate the valves; I know that I need to rotate the engine but not sure what direction and which pully I need to use to rotate it?
Might seem like a "noob" question, but there's nothing noob about understanding the differences of procedures & wanting to do a job as safely as possible.
My BMW X1 2018 has this DTC 133710 Intake Valves Adaptation Air Mass Flow: Lower Limit Position Reached, is this related to intake valves cleaning or I need to change something else ? When I start the care for the first time in idle feels a bit jiggle for like 15-20s after rev is around 700 then it doesnt feel anything, its smooth.
Amazing video! I'm getting straight on this as soon I can. Only question I had was about cranking the engine. So if I used a remote starter switch, connected to the starter motor, and removed the spark plugs, I wouldn't have to mess around with disconnecting the fuel pump etc would I? (Sorry if that's a super simple question, I'm new to all this ) Cheers, Rick
Hello, I did not pay attention to the opening of the valves and I sprayed the product inside so directly in the combustion chamber. I still haven't restarted the engine since. Do you think it's risky to start the engine like this?
Yes risky, but all you need to do is pull out the spark plug for that cylinder, and then crank the motor! it will force out any excess fluid, then you can reinsert your sparkplug and car will be safe to start. Good luck!
@@TheBimmerBarn I think I'll take out a spark plug and suck the excess with a syringe because i havent access for cranking the engine. Do you think there is always a risk if the chamber is slightly wet ? Thanks again for advices.
@@bartuurk if it's a small amount it won't make any damage, maybe just misfire and puff some smoke for a minute when you first start it. Enough fluid in there could hydrolock the cylinder, causing piston or valve damage.
Hi, i am from India , can this method work on my 2011 VW Polo Tdi 1.2 , i have driven 1lac 43k till date without any problem, should i also clean my car's intake valves since my car's performance and km/litre is perfect as it was new
Genuine question here: What happens when all that left gunk gets in the cylinder? I would be afraid it could get between the piston rings and have a catastrophic failure.
Definitely unplug all the coils, that way you wont get ignition from turning the motor over. Also unplug the injectors, that way fuel doesn't spray into the cylinders and flood it either. Hope that makes sense!
Nice video, I will definitely refer back to this when the time comes. I bought mine used but only has 25k miles on car. Is there a certain mileage when carbon clean should be done? I've done my plugs, belt, pulleys etc, but can't bring myself to mess with the OFHG as it's nice & dry. I can't get my head around renewing a gasket that isn't leaking, just in case I get the install wrong & it makes it leak lol
Honestly it varies on different cars, depending on driving style, condition of turbos, etc... Wouldn't hurt to look though, I'd be curious on such a low mileage car, usually 50k miles is a good interval to follow. More often if you're tuned, a little less often if you have a catch can/working pcv system, but contrary to popular belief, a catch can does not "solve" that problem 100%, only a mitigation for tuned cars. Check and let us know!
@@X11CHASE A deal came up for me to straight part ex with two cars I already had. It was up for 30k (about 15k cheaper being a Cat D) and is an E82 1M.
Hello just ask to you how the car is going so far with the intake valves cleaning after one year. Did you get any carbon inside the cilinders or any problem, did you change the oil after this operation Thanks BimmerN53
No problems whatsoever. If a little fluid/carbon fell in the cylinders, it burned immediately and was forced out of the motor. Now just make sure you don't accidentally flood one of the cylinders (if the valve was open and you poured cleaner in it) and you won't have any problems. Thanks for watching and the thoughtful question! PS: no didn't change the oil.
Nice video!. Couple of questions or thoughts for onsideration. The Berryman flluid is much more intense than Seafoam. Could you simply run the Berrryman in a tank of fuel every month to clean the valves? If the carbon build up is eaasy to desolve woundn't that make some sense? Maybe even reaching out to them and asking as the issues of direct injecttion could be helped. Also I think it probably easier to look in the owners manual and pull the fuel pump relay or fuse than taking the wires off under the seat. Your results were great! Thank you!
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts! The problem is that being direct injection, the Berryman wouldn't ever touch the affected intake valves as the injectors would spray the mixed fuel right over the piston. It does work for cleaning the injectors for minor sediment buildup.
@@TheBimmerBarn Yes I agree. Totally ignorant to this set up but fmiliar that you have the issue. What causes the gunk? Back presure when the valves open? Would a catch can system help? Would a normal type spray of eather the B'man or Seafoam into the air intake solve the issue of getting to the back side of the valves? I know it wouldn't be a good as the results you got with your DIY (which was nicely done!) but thinking there must be little things that coul prevent the carbon from forming in the first place. Thanks for the reply!
@@fstlnj29 Some of the gasses in the valve cover are cycled into the inlet manifold. Those gasses are often pumped from the bottom of the cylinders by the natural action of the engine. Old cars used to just vent those gasses out but newer motors produce fewer emissions, and this is one of those ways. Using a catch can can divert a lot of the sediment suspended in the gasses and pro long the interval needed between valve cleanings. Spraying Seafoam or other liquids into the intake would be tricky as you don't want to get those liquids on your air sensor or hfm or whatever your car uses to detect how much fuel to inject. So you'd want to spray it in after but you'd have no way of regulating which valves the liquid would go to. In essence you'd end up with the center cylinders having a good spray wash and the outer cylinders not so much. I'm honestly surprised that an enterprising mechanic hasn't pulled an intake off a car in a salvage yard, drilled a tiny hole in each intake runner and fabricated a system to attach a can of CRC and feed each intake runner. All you'd have to do is remove the cars intake, install the modified intake, reinstall everything, run the car for a few minutes, let the CRC do it's thing, then remove and reinstall the original intake. Car would run rough, stumble a bit, throw codes etc the entire time but it would far less labor intensive.
The equipment isn't cheap and is kind of expensive to buy purely for a once in great while service to be performed. Would love to have the equipment though and am considering it myself.
Hi. Great video. I have 1 question. After how many milles or km should you do it again. I know it depends on the usage of the car, but just to have an idea ? Every 10k miles ? 50k, 100k ? Thank you
If it were me, I would pull the intake manifold off to check after 30k miles, they might just need a light cleaning. Rather than waiting and finding more gunk and buildup again.
@@stevechapman5311 well. I have an oil catch can, but still, it don’t stay absolutely clean. I think I am going to an intake cleaning every 30k miles (every 3 years)
Cleaned my valves and my car felt way better 🤙
Sweet!
Me too, pulls so hard and fast now, Wow
Imagine que
use BG Air Intake & Valve System Cleaner Brand New PN 260, don't need to remove air intake manifold ,
@@thev5140 removing intake is the best method and removes 95-99%
Those chemicals you dump into intake remove roughly 30-40 percent it seems
leave the spark plugs out and shine a flash light through the spark plug hole, if you see light through the intake runner, then its open, better than spraying stuff into the cylinder. Its also better to rotate the engine by hand.
When you use light, you can't see it well, because there is carbon everywhere, including on the valve edges (in the combustion chamber).
He also does not spray rubbish in the cylinder, but on the closed valves.
I would also jack the car up at 1 wheel, put it in top gear and then crank the engine to the correct position, which is safer than using the starter motor.
You just have to be 100% sure that the valves are closed.
@@heinpereboom5521 you are right, and what if the valves don't sear right because of buildup, and the cleaner leaks in to the cylinder. Also I don't see him cleaning were the seats meat the cylinder head.
nice job, but risky. If valve is leaking and that amount of liquid goes to the cylinder....
Mister Ass Sniffer, Yes it can, you dont want to wash the oil off the cylinder walls or dislodge any carbon from around the valves or any on top of the piston and leave it in the combustion chamber, hence leaving the plugs out to blow out the cylinder Thats wihy you make sure the valves are completely closed before you add any solvent and agitate any build up. Fooool.
Is this real?
Awesome video! Helped inspire me to take on this project on at home and made a very noticeable difference in performance.
Some notes from my amateur DIY:
This is a messy and tedious job. It took me days to finish (also replaced both OFHG gaskets) - definitely recommend replacing the throttle body and manifold gaskets as well because it's quite a chore to get them off and you really might as well.
Instead of bothering with the fuel pump relay or fuse, it's very easy to manually bump the starter using alligator clips (this way also allows you to watch as the valves open and close), kudos to @VehicularDIY for this idea.
At 108k miles, my intakes were caked. Took about 2-3 passes with fuel injector cleaner before several more passes w brake cleaner (also tried CRC's Intake Manifold Cleaner and TBH fuel injector cleaner worked better - you may need 2 bottles, whatever you decide).
Drill w/ wire brush attachments were definitely appreciated (don't worry about scratching the metal).
Also highly recommend long pick tools. The short ones didn't provide nearly enough reach or leverage and strained my fingers.
Compressed air is super helpful, otherwise u can't get the stuff that settles to the bottom (I bought a little vacuum gun on Amazon and it worked great). You can block the port with a microfiber towel to absorb the brake clean while u blast, then come back and blast out the dry bits (fumy process, I tried to hold my breath but a respirator is probably a good idea).
Last couple notes -- it is WAY easier to reinstall the intake manifold if you have someone help you push the pipe near the firewall back towards that direction before attempting to mount it. Struggled for about 20 minutes before my housemate helped hold that thing out of the way and it popped right on.
Lastly, that cable hub under the manifold is a bitch. Good luck.
You can just pull the fuse of the fulepomp, so you dont have to take out the seat and disconnect the pump.
That's right! Or if you have the engine cover off, you can just unplug all your injectors and save even more time! I didn't want to show a fuse to pull since they're different for different models.
Why not just turn the engine by hand?
Fuel pump relay, pull that
Or just jump the starter and disconnect nothing
use BG Air Intake & Valve System Cleaner Brand New PN 260, don't need to remove air intake manifold ,
Did mine today, best alternative method given compressed air was so damn messy with the first cylinder, I started on is using a soap dispenser hand pump to get 98% of the cleaner out. You can just pull one out of a bathroom soap bottle. Also, instead of using brake cleaner to do all the heavy lifting, use "CRC Valve cleaner". It worked 100x better on the other 5 cylinders and quicker. Use the brake cleaner after you are done with the CRC to clean up the walls kinda like the finishing touch. If you want to prevent your car running like garbage, pull those plugs and coils along with the fuel cables for each injector then turn the car over for 10 seconds. It will expell all that gunk out and car shouldn't even run bad at all like mine.
I've done this job tons of times at a bmw dealership. The bmw special tools with the walnut blaster make it a faster process and I always enjoyed the smell of the walnuts. This is a good cheap way to do this at home. I would just rotate the engine by the crank bolt to avoid setting any faults.
that was my first thought too
When you worked with BMW, did they have a special room for the walnut blasting ? Did it make a mess in the shop ?
@@truhunk1 the tool covers the intake port and is connected to a vacuum so theres no mess
Agreed. Don’t know why he didn’t do it that way.
@@unitedwestanddividedwefall3521 because it costs way more for all the necessary tools and shells lol
Best intake clean video I've seen. As well it was great to see the gaskets done for the oil filter unit! Thank you.
Yes, thank you for watching! The oil filter stand gasket is definitely one of those "while you're in there!" jobs :)
use BG Air Intake & Valve System Cleaner Brand New PN 260, don't need to remove air intake manifold ,
Dollar store and Walmart sell turkey basters and "flavor injectors" that can siphon out the cleaner a lot faster.
The dry ice blast method is the best results I've ever seen.
Good video. First thing I would do I actually already did to my N54. Symptom: Serpentine belt would not stay on and was shredding.
Remedy:
1. Power steering pulley.
2. New tensioner
3. Both engine mounts. Including dropping the subframe to get the passenger mount out after it was loose.
4. New serpentine belt.
Observation: 73” seven rib belt was ridiculously tight. Changed to 73.5” belt.
74” was even better but I had a hard time finding a seven rib.
5. Changed alternator because bearings were squealing.
Note: none of these repairs fixed the serpentine issue. 🤯😡
So I got under the car with a screwdriver and started looking for something loose. Found power steering pump was missing the main anchoring 3/8” bolt and the other anchor bolt was loose. That fixed it. FINALLY!
Also found water pump was missing two bolts. So I made studs and put nuts and washers on to tighten things up.
Approximately 200 miles later and no more problems. Well except the leak from the OFH. That’s the next thing on my list.
I still love this car and I knew when I bought it that it would be a labor of love. Engine transmission and convertible top are solid.
What i found useful for a carbon clean if you dont have a air compressor or a wet vacuum is to get a cheap leaf blower, worked a treat to get all those small crumbs of carbon out by sucking it all out and works a treat and blowing dust, debris and getting liquids out and for drying the chambers out for that matter👍
Maybe I missed it but it that’s an N54 you have to remove the intake to get that one bolt out for the filter housing. There’s no other way. So while you’re at it clean the intake valves. Good video.
Great suggestion to change the oil filter housing gasket at the same time.
I wouldn’t want a wire brush in there I’ve pulled those out of a oil pickup on a n54. Best a good toothbrush
on cars with lsd diffs and manual gearboxes you can turn the engine by raising the back wheels and rotating the wheel with a large ratchet set on a wheel nut.
Instead of compressed air I use a shop vac with a piece I made to fit from the vac hose down into the valve area, And put a towel or rags along side the block to catch any spillage. Also use a jumper wire I made to fit on to the starter to bump the engine, it’s better than jumping in and out of the car
Excellent video for cleaning All the gunk from the valves seriously your method is prime example of how to clean without walnut blasting!
Should dedicate a video just to doing this, alot of GDI Engine owners are stuck with this problem, plan on doing the cleaning to my kia optima will let you know how it goes!
Great information. You made the right decision not buying the seafoam. I don't think I have ever seen a positive video on it except from people that are sponsored by them.
I like how you showed a different way of doing it then spending money for a special tool and then the walnuts. So my most definitely hit the like button and I hit the subscribe button also. I'm getting ready to watch another one of your videos on this car. I want to see how it runs after you fix things on it.
Sea foam works great if it is used properly. There are videos out there showing it’s effectiveness that aren’t sponsored by them also.
If you're doing plugs and taking the intake off I'd do the valve cover gasket while you're in there. It sounds like it's a pretty common issue, I just did mine because it was leaking oil on to my exhaust and smoking.
You made this job look so easy… Time for me to do mine now lol 😂
Great vids. Asking myself howcome I found this channel after 2 years.
Has anyone used the CRC valve cleaner on BMW engines? I use it on my SQ5 twice a year for the last 5yrs (70k miles). I’ve had zero issues. Runs, idles smooth, pulls hard to redline. Hardest part is you need to have someone maintain a 2k rpm idle while I spray into the intake (after the MAF).
I would not use a metal brush as you might end up with metal shavings in the engine.
I used a ring pick tool to scrub it off and then Intake Valve cleaner from CRC which works like magic and really dissolves the black build up. I would not use brake cleaner as it’s too dry and does not dissolve the carbon at all.
Thanks!! Great video!! Very good tip on how to do an intake cleane without using walnuts! Some remarks, as the coil packs are not that expensive (45 Euro each) I’ve always replaced these when buying a used BMW. With respect to the oil filter gaskets, again as the O rings of the oil piping is not expensive I’ve always changed them.
New cars today attached with more electronics components ( E.C.U) and you have to restored all sensors and activated the car back to Mfg settings when you remove the battery In my opinion you just need 1/2 ratchet with correct socket to fit crankshaft bolt to turn the engine back and forth
I did the same type of cleaning, I let the valves soak in chem dip and I used an oil extractor pump to get it out
Always use the BMW factory oil filter housing gaskets they are now made in Japan and will last much longer.
could you simply remove the fuse for the fuel pump instead of physically disconnecting the fuel pump?
Is it possible to connect one of those harbor freight brushes to a power tool and let the power tool do most of the scrubbing?
Nice job
You could take out the fuse for fuel pump
Just to consider, soak up as much liquid cleaner as you can before spraying compressed air. Use a vacuum cleaner hose while blowing out the chunks.
Easiest way to get the fluid out of the intake ports is to take a 3/8 rubber hose and duct tape it to the inside of a Shop-Vac. should just be able to suck it all out
Just be careful because the injector cleaner is flammable and the sparks from the vacuum motor could turn the whole thing into a big flame pretty quickly!
I just use Amsoil Power Foam, let it sit in there. Use a long art paint brush to agitate the base of the valve where it seats. Use a 1" wide soft nylon brush to agitate the rest of the carbon. Wrap paper shop towels around the nylon brush and repeat until all the nasty liquid is soaked up. Repeat procedure if needed, but your valves and intake runners will look BRAND NEW. I mean they will SHINE. Flawless, all in under an hour.
Do You spray the foam directly into the valve compartments or do the whole thing where You remove the air filter and spray thru there?
@@edgarasjokubauskas629 I take the intake manifold off and spray it directly at the valves. Let it sit for a minute or two, scrub it with the nylon brush, then soak it up and repeat until they are perfect. You might use about half a can or a little more of Power Foam on a 4 cylinder to get there. Just MAKE SURE your valves are NOT OPEN on the section you are doing. My cars are 4 cylinders, so I can just chock the wheels, keep it in neutral, and pull on the belt to move the valves shut.
Need to do this too my n54. Oil filter housing as 2 gasket you should have of have replaced you right there.
Why not just rotate the crank with a 22mm socket?
You can do that too :)
yea or that insted of hasling with pump???
Brilliant content, keep on the good work!!!
Much appreciated!
the best solvent to remove the carbon deposit is Berryman Chem-Dip carb & parts cleaner its the most powerful cleaner
I heard ice blast works wonders on the carbon build up.
You could have pulled the fuse or the relay for the fuel pump... the relay is really easy to access
Just did this after watching your vid. B-12 worked much better and less elbow grease than when I did it a few years ago with the CRC stuff.
Finally an easy DIY thanks.
Very well explained video; Much appreciated;
Use a shop vac while you're blowing out each intake. You will have nearly zero mess and you will minimize any risk of getting brake-cleaner in your eyes.
I would only use compressed air after you've used a shop vac to get the majority of debris out, otherwise you're going to get it everywhere.
The problem is that the injector cleaner is flammable, so you risk turning your shop vac into a flamethrower, as the (brushed) motor creates sparks as it turns. So be careful if you decide to go this route!
Try CRC ....I LIKE YOUR WORK MAN
Be super careful!!! If any intake valve leaks even a tiny bit....hydrolock!!!!! I would leave the sparkplugs out, after cleaning, pull the engine over on the starter for a few seconds before reinstalling the sparkplugs.
Unlikely with such little amount of fluid. Car may hesitate to start but will immediately burn off the b12 and brake cleaner.
Can use a shop vac to remove the excess fluid also than air and be less messy
You can tourne it manually, I’m did it in a Serie 630i.
Nice vídeo and very helpful. It is better to perform this cleaning than spraying wallnut scrap inside the chamber.
Regular old red ATF will also work for this and actually allow things to seal a bit better for a short period of time...brake clean is like using a chainsaw to trim your toe nails
or.. you could just remove the fuel pump fuse or relay.. a lot quicker, and that $50 did not include the air pump, hose and air gun.. not many folks have those at home
I'll be planning to do my E46 soon thanks nice video
Build yourself a walnut blaster kit from Harbor freight, The first time you use the walnut blaster you’ll say I should’ve did it long time ago.
I used a walnut blaster extensively and did dozens of car when I worked at a bmw shop, nowadays I don't miss getting walnuts in my ears and eyes and everywhere, but it does clean the valves just as well! Thanks for watching, Dave 😊
excellent video. after you've cleaned the intake. Is there a way to prevent it from clogging up again? Do catch cans really work?
Yes
Changed my valve cover gasket
🤔 I admire anyone who takes the time to put themself out there and upload some KT. It is best to turn the engine manually and determine tdc and which valves associated with said cylinder are open/closed amongst other things. Also, I would never spray brake cleaner into the combustion chamber without knowing if said valve is open/close and risk damaging cylinder wall, Thanks for sharing nonetheless.
Damnn thanks bro
I jsut bought one
Now i know what to clean first
Glad we could help, congrats on the new car!
Not to nitpick, but always put oil on the new gaskets....Just as you would on the oil filter o-rings.
Mmm I've heard mixed opinions on this. The oil filter spins on which is why you lubricate the o-ring, because otherwise it could catch and bind causing a bad seal. On a flat-to-flat gasket, there is no need for oil in my experience. But I guess it's a preference thing, if it works for you then keep doing it! I probably wouldn't oil up a valve cover gasket before trying to install it, for example. Seems like you're just giving a path for the oil to start leaking early.
@@TheBimmerBarn All "O" rings move when compressed a light smear of oil allows them to squidge a bit, one of the reasons they leak is overtightening, I guess we all have our own way, but I have always used some lube, oil or rubber grease depending on where they are.
does seafoam sucking in intake manifold remove the intake valve carbon too ??
No I highly doubt it would destroy carbon buildup as stubborn as this. Might clean the valve on a regular port-injected car though! But those typically don't suffer from carbon buildup like this.
Great work as always! noob question, I'm about doing this to my N55 but I don't like using the starter to rotate the valves; I know that I need to rotate the engine but not sure what direction and which pully I need to use to rotate it?
You can rotate the main crank pulley clockwise, which is the natural direction of the motor when it runs. I think it's a huge socket like 30mm
@@TheBimmerBarn Thank you so much!
Might seem like a "noob" question, but there's nothing noob about understanding the differences of procedures & wanting to do a job as safely as possible.
Thanks for the good video in the volume is awesome
Did you get a slight firework sort of smell and hotter exhaust afterwards?
I would use a turkey baster to remove most of the dirty cleaning fluid
My BMW X1 2018 has this DTC 133710 Intake Valves Adaptation Air Mass Flow: Lower Limit Position Reached, is this related to intake valves cleaning or I need to change something else ? When I start the care for the first time in idle feels a bit jiggle for like 15-20s after rev is around 700 then it doesnt feel anything, its smooth.
Why don’t you take the fuse out for the fuel pump and the relay?
Thanks for this video it helped me a lot great job 👍👍
How often does a BMW N54 engine need this done?
Thanks for the video. Did you register any better mpg with this? Once the valve ports were exposed how long did you spend on each valve?
Porbably about 5-10 minutes per valve. Car ran much better afterwards, I wouldn't be surprised by an increased mpg. Thanks for watching!
You know the fuel pump has a fuse up front right?
Once you have done this then ditch your PCV system and install a catch can so you never have to worry about buildup again.
Does the oily carbon gunk plastic get on the plastic intake manifold and if so how do you clean that?
Amazing video! I'm getting straight on this as soon I can. Only question I had was about cranking the engine. So if I used a remote starter switch, connected to the starter motor, and removed the spark plugs, I wouldn't have to mess around with disconnecting the fuel pump etc would I? (Sorry if that's a super simple question, I'm new to all this )
Cheers,
Rick
Yeah you could do it that way! Good thinking 👌
Hello, I did not pay attention to the opening of the valves and I sprayed the product inside so directly in the combustion chamber. I still haven't restarted the engine since. Do you think it's risky to start the engine like this?
Yes risky, but all you need to do is pull out the spark plug for that cylinder, and then crank the motor! it will force out any excess fluid, then you can reinsert your sparkplug and car will be safe to start. Good luck!
@@TheBimmerBarn thank you very much its an excellent idea. But do you think the product can evaporate on its own even if I wait 2 or 3 days?
@@bartuurk Not sure, I think it would take a while to evaporate at room temperature.
@@TheBimmerBarn I think I'll take out a spark plug and suck the excess with a syringe because i havent access for cranking the engine. Do you think there is always a risk if the chamber is slightly wet ? Thanks again for advices.
@@bartuurk if it's a small amount it won't make any damage, maybe just misfire and puff some smoke for a minute when you first start it. Enough fluid in there could hydrolock the cylinder, causing piston or valve damage.
Hi, i am from India , can this method work on my 2011 VW Polo Tdi 1.2 , i have driven 1lac 43k till date without any problem, should i also clean my car's intake valves since my car's performance and km/litre is perfect as it was new
How much time/days it took from you to do this?
I want to do this on my V8 NISSAN ARMADA gdi engine and want an estimate
Great result
What do you advise to do on a 90k mi 2016 built N55?
A friend of mine did that and it screwed something up I don't know what it was but he didn't have any luck with that crap
Genuine question here: What happens when all that left gunk gets in the cylinder? I would be afraid it could get between the piston rings and have a catastrophic failure.
I think that stuff would get inside anyway if it’s not cleaned
Question. Are the manifold gaskets supposed to be replaced as well?
Yes it's recommended, especially if they're old or never been replaced
Thanks for this video, will do this to my n54!!!
Glad it helped! Feel that powahhh
Lots of critics! Good job 👍
Thank you 🙏, there's lot's of way to "skin a cat", but this is just my way I felt like sharing! Budget friendly, little messy.
Noob question but when turning the motor over with a starter what exactly do i have to unplug coils and spark plugs or the injectors
Definitely unplug all the coils, that way you wont get ignition from turning the motor over. Also unplug the injectors, that way fuel doesn't spray into the cylinders and flood it either. Hope that makes sense!
Any reason not to stick a small tip from a shop vacuum and suck out the sludge that way? I'm about to embark on this so I'm curious.
The injector cleaner is highly flammable, and could catch fire from the shop vac motor. Would not recommend 👀
@@TheBimmerBarn I’m such a dumbass!!! Thank you for straightening me out.
to keep it clean install a ovs
Why did u buy the brushes if you didn’t use them?
Why not just yank the fuel pump relay/fuse? Or turn it over by hand off the crank
Nice video, I will definitely refer back to this when the time comes. I bought mine used but only has 25k miles on car. Is there a certain mileage when carbon clean should be done?
I've done my plugs, belt, pulleys etc, but can't bring myself to mess with the OFHG as it's nice & dry. I can't get my head around renewing a gasket that isn't leaking, just in case I get the install wrong & it makes it leak lol
Honestly it varies on different cars, depending on driving style, condition of turbos, etc... Wouldn't hurt to look though, I'd be curious on such a low mileage car, usually 50k miles is a good interval to follow. More often if you're tuned, a little less often if you have a catch can/working pcv system, but contrary to popular belief, a catch can does not "solve" that problem 100%, only a mitigation for tuned cars. Check and let us know!
@@TheBimmerBarn ok, yeah I haven't bothered with a catch can, all I've done is upgrade my pcv valve to an aluminium one.
@@stevesas632 Good upgrade!
How much did you pay for your 25k mile car? Which chassis?
@@X11CHASE A deal came up for me to straight part ex with two cars I already had. It was up for 30k (about 15k cheaper being a Cat D) and is an E82 1M.
Hello just ask to you how the car is going so far with the intake valves cleaning after one year.
Did you get any carbon inside the cilinders or any problem, did you change the oil after this operation
Thanks
BimmerN53
No problems whatsoever. If a little fluid/carbon fell in the cylinders, it burned immediately and was forced out of the motor. Now just make sure you don't accidentally flood one of the cylinders (if the valve was open and you poured cleaner in it) and you won't have any problems. Thanks for watching and the thoughtful question! PS: no didn't change the oil.
Is this procedure safe?? I would think you now have particles/chemicals in the engine that weren't there before!
Nice DIY. How about the intake manifold? Was it as greasy?
A bit wet, but the intake manifold doesn't get hot enough to cook the oil and leave that carbon buildup, thank goodness. Thanks for watching!
Nice video!. Couple of questions or thoughts for onsideration. The Berryman flluid is much more intense than Seafoam. Could you simply run the Berrryman in a tank of fuel every month to clean the valves? If the carbon build up is eaasy to desolve woundn't that make some sense? Maybe even reaching out to them and asking as the issues of direct injecttion could be helped. Also I think it probably easier to look in the owners manual and pull the fuel pump relay or fuse than taking the wires off under the seat.
Your results were great!
Thank you!
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts! The problem is that being direct injection, the Berryman wouldn't ever touch the affected intake valves as the injectors would spray the mixed fuel right over the piston. It does work for cleaning the injectors for minor sediment buildup.
@@TheBimmerBarn Yes I agree. Totally ignorant to this set up but fmiliar that you have the issue. What causes the gunk? Back presure when the valves open? Would a catch can system help? Would a normal type spray of eather the B'man or Seafoam into the air intake solve the issue of getting to the back side of the valves? I know it wouldn't be a good as the results you got with your DIY (which was nicely done!) but thinking there must be little things that coul prevent the carbon from forming in the first place.
Thanks for the reply!
@@fstlnj29 Some of the gasses in the valve cover are cycled into the inlet manifold. Those gasses are often pumped from the bottom of the cylinders by the natural action of the engine. Old cars used to just vent those gasses out but newer motors produce fewer emissions, and this is one of those ways.
Using a catch can can divert a lot of the sediment suspended in the gasses and pro long the interval needed between valve cleanings.
Spraying Seafoam or other liquids into the intake would be tricky as you don't want to get those liquids on your air sensor or hfm or whatever your car uses to detect how much fuel to inject. So you'd want to spray it in after but you'd have no way of regulating which valves the liquid would go to. In essence you'd end up with the center cylinders having a good spray wash and the outer cylinders not so much.
I'm honestly surprised that an enterprising mechanic hasn't pulled an intake off a car in a salvage yard, drilled a tiny hole in each intake runner and fabricated a system to attach a can of CRC and feed each intake runner. All you'd have to do is remove the cars intake, install the modified intake, reinstall everything, run the car for a few minutes, let the CRC do it's thing, then remove and reinstall the original intake. Car would run rough, stumble a bit, throw codes etc the entire time but it would far less labor intensive.
Have you tried soaking the inlet ports overnight with oven easy off? It dissolves the hardened carbon and cleared the gunk.
I haven't, but if you try this let us know! I can imagine it working well, although you could only do 4/6 at a time.
That's not good for alluminum. Oven cleaners are very harsh to alluminum. Especially leaving it there that long.
Does this build up also occur in the intercooler and on the turbo fins?
Turbo exhaust fins yes! But inside the intercooler and charge pipes, it's too cool to burn and leave the carbon deposits, so the oil stays liquid.
Why not just walnut blast ?
The equipment isn't cheap and is kind of expensive to buy purely for a once in great while service to be performed. Would love to have the equipment though and am considering it myself.
A cheap hand pump vacuum bleeder from harbor freight would be a much better option than blowing out the intake valves with compressed air.
Definitely would be a cleaner solution, that's for sure 😁
I can do the cleaning part but dismantle all the nuts and bolts is too much for me
One assume the inlet manifold was cleaned.
what kind of benefits do you gain from cleaning this? (sorry if this is a dumb question)
Hi. Great video. I have 1 question. After how many milles or km should you do it again. I know it depends on the usage of the car, but just to have an idea ?
Every 10k miles ? 50k, 100k ?
Thank you
If it were me, I would pull the intake manifold off to check after 30k miles, they might just need a light cleaning. Rather than waiting and finding more gunk and buildup again.
@@TheBimmerBarn hi. Thank you 😊
depends if you have a oil catch can installed if you do you won't need to have to keep cleaning them
@@stevechapman5311 well. I have an oil catch can, but still, it don’t stay absolutely clean.
I think I am going to an intake cleaning every 30k miles (every 3 years)
I'd say on any direct injection car do this at minimum of every 50k and might consider an oil catch can.
Thank you for your clear step. Nice
What's the Enduro back there? ❤️
Drz400s, good eye 👀
what symptoms did he have with the deposits on the valves?!