How to Clean Intake Valves On Ford EcoBoost Engines with CRC GDI IVD® Intake Valve Cleaner

[Dgc333]

FWIW, I have been using the aerosol top end cleaners in my vehicle engines since the early 70s with no detrimental effects. And that included approx 750k miles on turbo vehicles starting in 1985.

I have seen several videos where they removed the intake manifold and photographed the intake valves then put the intake back on and sprayed in the top end cleaner (seen videos of the CRC and Seafoam) then pulled the manifold afterward. In all cases it did not remove all the carbon build up but in all cases it made a very noticeable improvement. The consensus was using these cleaners on a regular basis will keep the carbon build up at bay.

I started using the CRC GDI Intake Valve cleaner on every other oil change starting in 2011 with my wife's new 2012 Focus. The Focus was not a Turbo but my 13 Focus ST, two Ecoboost Mustangs and the Ranger are. Between all those engines I have accumulated close to 200,000 miles and never noticed any degradation in performance or idle quality. I had purchased a bore scope to take a look down the intake manifold on the 17 Ecoboost Mustang but traded it in before I got around to it. Haven't done the second oil change yet on the Ranger but will use the CRC on it.

After reading through this thread I have a few comments:
1. I wouldn't recommend spraying the cleaner in through the air box. There are to many direction changes, and pockets between the air box and the intake manifold for the material to drop out of suspension and not make it to the valves. On my Focus ST I removed the hot side pipe at the throttle body to spray in. On the Ecoboost Mustangs I removed the hose from the manifold to the Catch can and sprayed it in there. Have not scoped out the best place on the Ranger yet.
2. Some folks are concerned about chunks of carbon breaking off then going through the engine and damaging the turbine wheel in the turbo. This stuff dissolves the carbon build up so there are no chunks associated with it. Plus under normal conditions the carbon can break off and go through the engine at anytime. I have never heard of a turbine wheel being damaged by carbon.
3. Folks are concerned about the solvent in the cleaner damaging seals. The seals in a turbo are made of a ceramic like material that are impervious to automotive solvents. Plus if you are following #1 above the compressor side of the turbo never sees the cleaner and on the turbine side it is burned hydrocarbons just like your exhaust is all the time.

Now with all that being said; a buddy of mine just traded in a 14 Focus ST with over 120,000 miles on it. This car never saw anything but the cheapest 87 Octane gas he could get and oil changes were done at 10k miles with conventional dino oil. The car was running as strong and smooth as the day he bought.

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[mailbox4449]

[Now with all that being said; a buddy of mine just traded in a 14 Focus ST with over 120,000 miles on it. This car never saw anything but the cheapest 87 Octane gas he could get and oil changes were done at 10k miles with conventional dino oil. The car was running as strong and smooth as the day he bought.
[/QUOTE]

Exactly my point Dave! All depends on how much time and money you want to spend for that "peace of mind". But just like your buddy....I hate it when I see people like that and they have no issues. No offense to your buddy , but just also proves you don't have to go TOO far for extra maintenance to get decent results.

So you mentioned you haven't scoped out a good place to spray on the Ranger. Any ideas ??

 

[Dgc333]

[Now with all that being said; a buddy of mine just traded in a 14 Focus ST with over 120,000 miles on it. This car never saw anything but the cheapest 87 Octane gas he could get and oil changes were done at 10k miles with conventional dino oil. The car was running as strong and smooth as the day he bought.

Exactly my point Dave! All depends on how much time and money you want to spend for that "peace of mind". But just like your buddy....I hate it when I see people like that and they have no issues. No offense to your buddy , but just also proves you don't have to go TOO far for extra maintenance to get decent results.

So you mentioned you haven't scoped out a good place to spray on the Ranger. Any ideas ??
[/QUOTE]

There is a line attached to the hot side hose right in front of the throttle body that seems like will be a convenient spot to spray in the cleaner. I would like to use one that is after the throttle body but if there is not one to easily get at I will use the one mentioned.

 

[mailbox4449]

There is a line attached to the hot side hose right in front of the throttle body that seems like will be a convenient spot to spray in the cleaner. I would like to use one that is after the throttle body but if there is not one to easily get at I will use the one mentioned.
[/QUOTE]

Something like this?? 2.7EcoBoost recommended??

 

[Stevedbvik1]

FWIW, I have been using the aerosol top end cleaners in my vehicle engines since the early 70s with no detrimental effects. And that included approx 750k miles on turbo vehicles starting in 1985.

I have seen several videos where they removed the intake manifold and photographed the intake valves then put the intake back on and sprayed in the top end cleaner (seen videos of the CRC and Seafoam) then pulled the manifold afterward. In all cases it did not remove all the carbon build up but in all cases it made a very noticeable improvement. The consensus was using these cleaners on a regular basis will keep the carbon build up at bay.

I started using the CRC GDI Intake Valve cleaner on every other oil change starting in 2011 with my wife's new 2012 Focus. The Focus was not a Turbo but my 13 Focus ST, two Ecoboost Mustangs and the Ranger are. Between all those engines I have accumulated close to 200,000 miles and never noticed any degradation in performance or idle quality. I had purchased a bore scope to take a look down the intake manifold on the 17 Ecoboost Mustang but traded it in before I got around to it. Haven't done the second oil change yet on the Ranger but will use the CRC on it.

After reading through this thread I have a few comments:
1. I wouldn't recommend spraying the cleaner in through the air box. There are to many direction changes, and pockets between the air box and the intake manifold for the material to drop out of suspension and not make it to the valves. On my Focus ST I removed the hot side pipe at the throttle body to spray in. On the Ecoboost Mustangs I removed the hose from the manifold to the Catch can and sprayed it in there. Have not scoped out the best place on the Ranger yet.
2. Some folks are concerned about chunks of carbon breaking off then going through the engine and damaging the turbine wheel in the turbo. This stuff dissolves the carbon build up so there are no chunks associated with it. Plus under normal conditions the carbon can break off and go through the engine at anytime. I have never heard of a turbine wheel being damaged by carbon.
3. Folks are concerned about the solvent in the cleaner damaging seals. The seals in a turbo are made of a ceramic like material that are impervious to automotive solvents. Plus if you are following #1 above the compressor side of the turbo never sees the cleaner and on the turbine side it is burned hydrocarbons just like your exhaust is all the time.

Now with all that being said; a buddy of mine just traded in a 14 Focus ST with over 120,000 miles on it. This car never saw anything but the cheapest 87 Octane gas he could get and oil changes were done at 10k miles with conventional dino oil. The car was running as strong and smooth as the day he bought.

Appreciate the input but…
1. Turbo seals are not ceramic. They are iron material same as engine piston rings.
2. Have personally seen plenty of carbon damaged turbine wheels, especially newer turbos that spin at higher rpm. Close to 20 years experience in the repair, rebuilding of and sales of turbos. Please don’t speculate

 

[Dgc333]

Appreciate the input but…
1. Turbo seals are not ceramic. They are iron material same as engine piston rings.
2. Have personally seen plenty of carbon damaged turbine wheels, especially newer turbos that spin at higher rpm. Close to 20 years experience in the repair, rebuilding of and sales of turbos. Please don’t speculate

I will stand partially corrected. When I first started playing and modifying turbo powered vehicles in the early/mid 80's it was quite common for them to be a draw through design (throttle body or carb was before the turbo). The original 2.2 Mopars up to 87 come to mind as a draw through design. Because of the high vacuum levels in the compressor housing when the throttle was closed/partially closed they used carbon seals (my mistake to have said ceramic) to prevent oil from being drawn from the bearing housing into the compressor. I incorrectly assumed that they were still using this type of seal.

All through the 80s and 90s I was very active in the Shelby Dodge Club and worked on a lot of 2.2 and 2.5 turbo Mopars. I never saw a damaged turbine wheel that could be attributed to carbon. Certainly damaged turbines from blown engines when a piece of a valve or piston made there way into the turbo but not carbon.

 

[Stevedbvik1]

I will stand partially corrected. When I first started playing and modifying turbo powered vehicles in the early/mid 80's it was quite common for them to be a draw through design (throttle body or carb was before the turbo). The original 2.2 Mopars up to 87 come to mind as a draw through design. Because of the high vacuum levels in the compressor housing when the throttle was closed/partially closed they used carbon seals (my mistake to have said ceramic) to prevent oil from being drawn from the bearing housing into the compressor. I incorrectly assumed that they were still using this type of seal.

All through the 80s and 90s I was very active in the Shelby Dodge Club and worked on a lot of 2.2 and 2.5 turbo Mopars. I never saw a damaged turbine wheel that could be attributed to carbon. Certainly damaged turbines from blown engines when a piece of a valve or piston made there way into the turbo but not carbon.

Yes, there was a carbon seal on the cold side of a few gas engine turbos back then. In today’s engine carbon is a much bigger issue. Especially in diesel applications with all the emissions crap. Closed crankcase ventilation systems are also issue compared to older turbo motors. Have seen some real jaw dropping surprises inside of turbos the last few years. Things you’d never see in the past.

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