cleaning an intake

[Shannen Durphey]

You will need gloves, goggles, and protective clothing when working with acid,
lye, or any other chemicals mentioned here.  Do not think lightly of yourself or
of your personal safety.  Please do not try to use any of the methods mentioned
here if you cannot or do not take the time to ensure anyone in the area will be
protected.  Use your head, or pay someone else to do the job.

If you can get it, Lye (or caustic soda) is some damn potent stuff to use.  Put
it in a plastic drum with H2O and set the intake in.  You'll find that most of
the grease and scum comes off just through soaking.  Be warned:  The stuff can
be damn near deadly when used in concentrated amounts.  Old timers would put it
in a metal drum or tank and build a fire under it, but I don't think I'd do
that.  But it is a great way to remove the crusties from old parts.

Acid works for removing rust and metal, but acid can be funny stuff to use. 
Acid works on the high points and sharp edges first.  Any portions of the intake
coated with grease will be untouched because acid works on metal, not grease or
paint.  Painted areas can be stripped completely clean, or can come out with
only small spots of paint removed.  Continued soaking will often reduce the
amount of metal in other parts of the manifold while doing little or nothing to
the painted surfaces you're trying to clean.  Soaking copper or cast iron in an
acid tank often causes crystals to form on the bottom of the tank and will
reduce the effectiveness of the acid more quickly than steel.  A plastic drum
will also work well as an acid tank.  Old batteries with hydrochloric, sulfuric,
or a combination of both acids will work as a source to fill the drum.  Some
"professional strength" wheel acids contain hydroflouric acid, which is
_extremely_ strong and should be handled with more caution than battery acid.  I
use hydroflouric acid to etch stainless steel valves prior to ceramic coating. 
It's strong enough that it foams when the valve is set in.  If you find enough
to make an acid tank please let me know.  I want to remain your friend, as any
bodies dumped in that tank will quickly disappear.

There are safety rules and cautions when dealing with acid and I strongly
recommend to anyone and everyone that they understand them.  For example, it's
wise to add acid to water, but unwise to add water to acid.

The method that seems to work best with an acid tank is to remove the part and
immediately blast it clean with a pressure washer.  The pressure washer will
also help remove some of the crusted junk which the acid did not. 
The metal will oxidize as soon as it contacts air.  Moisture will aggravate
oxidation.  Use compressed air to dry the part as quickly as possible then apply
paint, primer, or another coating of choice right away to prevent any damage to
the part.  Pay particular attention to any holes or threads in the manifold. 
These are the types of areas where the acid can do damage if the part is not
checked periodically.  I once saw a set of cast iron ice cream parlor chairs set
in acid to soak.  When they were removed a week later there was nothing left of
the chairs except the portions of the backs which were not submerged.

Gasoline and a tooth brush has its place also.  An alternative method to time
consuming scrubbing is to use gasoline mixed with top engine cleaner.  A 15
gallon gear oil drum half full of old gas plus one can of TEC will turn a days
worth of work into an overnight soak plus about 15-20 minutes worth of rinsing. 
USE PROTECTIVE GLOVES!  TEC is not good for the skin or body, just like every
other truly effective cleaning solution that you can think of.  Like Darryl
says, the absolute best bet is to leave it to the pros.  If you use any of the
advice on this page, be sure and do some work to understand just exactly what it
is you'll be dealing with.

HTH.
Shannen

bcroe at juno.com wrote:
> 
> I would like to know what it takes just the same.  I am
> really fed up with buying expensive stuff that won't
> clean anything.  I end up using gasoline and a tooth
> brush, which is plenty hazardous.  Bruce Roe
> 
> On Mon, 9 Jul 2001 17:25:50 -0700 "Darrell N." <darrelln at datalog.ab.ca>
> writes:
> > Mathieu:
> >
> > Just take it to your local engine rebuilder and have them run it
> > through
> > their hot tank cleaner.  It will remove all the paint, grease, rust,
> > etc, and
> > look like brand new.
> 
> > Don't try this at home, kids, them nasty chemicals can remove a
> > large
> > quantity of skin before you even know it.  Not to mention your lung
> > tissue and a few brain cells.  Leave it to the Pro's.
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