spark plugs & engine cleaning

1. Am I correct in thinking that even though I replaced the spark plugs 6 or so months ago that since I am doing the vcg & intake gasket, including cleaning as best I can, that I should replace them again? Plus I have already removed them & put them back in once. Oh, & the fuel injectors are out for a pro cleaning....

I am thinking I probably should add some seafoam or some such to the oil & do an a cleaning through the pvc valve once I am reassembled. I am of course attempting to remove all the gunk I can, however I am sure there will be loose residue left behind. This is my reasoning for the cleanings.

2. So, if I am on the right track, I would add some stuff to the oil, do the engine cleaning, drive the truck for a bit & then change the plugs & oil, correct?

 

I would say you don’t need new plugs if you just replaced them 6 months ago.
If you seafoam just run the engine hard to clean out the plugs.
Clean the valve covers inside with brake cleaner really good.
Maybe get a new PCV valve.
Are you talking about carbon build up or sludge build up?

High mileage oil actually has Detergent to slowly clean the inside of the engine.
You don’t want to put a cleaner in the oil that breaks it all loose and then plugs up other parts of the engine system like the oil pump or screen filter etc

 

I agree with the above comments, but would add if you didn't apply any anti-seize to the plug threads, I'd pull them and do so.

Loctite and Permatex both make copper based high heat paste.

 

Mostly carbon buildup. There is (or was) a little sludge in a few bolt hole pockets in the rocker? What is the correct part name? (where the valves actually reside)

Ok. I just thought there were crush washers on the plugs, so maybe those would have been compromised.

Oh, & curious as to why we don’t put thread locker on the valve cover bolts since they tend to loosen up?

 

Just so happens I have some copper stuff....

 

I plan to use green locktite on the valve cover bolts and mark them with a paint marker to have a quick visual check if they ever loosen.

 

NGK says that it's not needed on their plugs since it's nickle coated on the threads. If you use it, make sure to torque it 10% less than book spec so you don't strip your head.

 

I just noticed rust in the intake manifold & there is foam around the back that may have a piece missing? (Or is it supposed to be like that).

Suggestions?

 

Looks like just surface rust to me so I wouldn't worry about it. Not sure what that foam piece is for. I haven't seen it on mine and my engine hasn't exploded yet so I think it's fine.

 

Rust is nothing to worry about.

I don’t think it’s the bolts that loosen up but the rubber Collapses under pressure overtime you can see these two rubber washers, new and old

 

That foam piece I don’t think is original
BUT YOU DEFINITELY HAVE A HUGE carbon problem in the intake valves,

SHOT some photos of what the valves look like inside,

This is a photo of my intake valves what yours should look like carbon free.
And a Carbon choked valve.
If they are plugged up that means the truck will run lean and poorly

 

The foam is essentially weather stripping to "limit" the amount of "weather" that gets under the intake. The area is by no means anything like "sealed" so I wouldn't give it another thought.

A tad of rust under there is nothing to worry about. Worry should start if there is dried up antifreeze residue. With that said, when ever I get an intake off I reseal the coolant tube, takes 10 mins.
Talking about the end fastened to the block with two bolts. No gasket or o-ring, just coolant rated RTV silicone.

Yellow arrow.


Tube removed.

 

Yup. They’re definitely nasty. Saw that right away. I believe my spark plugs had revealed this lean issue 6? or was it 8? months ago. I had posted them on here cuz it seemed as though there was a couple of things showing up through them. From that there were compression tests, etc. Getting in to do at least the fuel injectors has been in queue since then. It was supposed to be a winter project, however got bumped by my spending time investigating & then re-replacing leaf springs & axles & ?

Phone didn’t want to flash.
Hope this works. If not, I can use the reg camera & post ‘em later.

 

They don’t look terrible but definitely plenty of carbon there

 

Torquing to spec will not strip the spark plug hole threads, with or without anti-seize compound.
If you have it, I would use the compound because even though NGK says it's OK because of the nickel plating, it's still a different metal. So, you can easily get dissimilar metal corrosion.

 

Questions of the morning -

1. There is a lot of carbon deeper down plug well #2. I’ll clean it up of course. Question - what is the main reason for contamination? the spark plug seals? the plugs not being tight enough or seated correctly?

2. Removing the intake cover brought me to uncharted territory. I actually didn’t realize there was an “empty” space at the center of it all. Hence “block”?
Anyway, onto the question - it is unclear to me why it is not painted, protected. The underside of the cover is. The brackets inside are.... -is there any reason it should not be painted (protected)?

3. Yesterday was the 1st time I peered into intake valves. I was freaking out a little because I realized that my precaution of putting a paper towel in each well actually caused junk to loosen & now sits on the valve. However, at least it is sitting on the valve & not down into the next uncharted territory.
Soooo.... yup, question -
as I am cleaning the intake valves, I will do my best to not send junk down the chute, however it is not the end of the “world” as I 1st thought, correct? I can carefully go after it with a shop vac?

 

Carbon build up has NOTHING to do with your plugs,

How are you cleaning the carbon out of the intake valves?
How to Prevent Carbon Buildup

• Get regular oil changes, and use the correct fuel for your vehicle. If you own a German auto, using top tier field (as recommended by your manufacturer) can help, but will not totally prevent this problem.
• Put the pedal to the floor and “blow the junk out.” If you are mostly driving commuter miles, then it can’t hurt to take your car out on the freeway and let it go. But again this will not totally prevent carbon buildup.
• Fuel additives: while many fuel additives claim to prevent carbon build up, it’s our experience that none of them really do. The fact is that carbon build up is just a byproduct of owning a direct injection engine and cleaning it out should be one of the regular maintenance items that you shouldn’t ignore.

 

Pretty much stick to all of the above. However, I only, within the past couple of years, switched to high octane. I have my trip set to 5,000 & use regular high mileage 5w-30.
I can have a heavy foot & typically do some highway driving, probably on a weekly basis.
I have on occasion used an additive, but can’t say I was impressed, so can’t recall the last time I did.

Cleaning wells. I shop vac’ed once. & will again before I clean. I was thinking whatever I can get, i’ll pull out. In other words, wipe towards me. Use a rag or toothbrush with brake cleaner & pull towards me. (I won’t back & forth scrub.) Cuz now I am getting that it’s ok if it ends up in the block? because I can easily vacuum that out.

Sound good?

 

Oh, & I have never done a cleaning. This is the first time the fuel injectors will have been touched. The IAC - first time a few months ago. Throttle body a few years back, however not knowing about the IAC port didn’t help.

 

I don’t know how adventurous you are but MARVEL MYSTERY OIL will actually Dissolve the carbon completely.
But it would mean you would crank the motor over using a socket with breaker bar on the crankshaft nut to work on that specific cylinder were the valves are closed to soak all the carbon over night,
Then clean it out the oil and go to the next cylinder.