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

Mobius97

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This is my first GDI vehicle but I have heard of this problem in the past about these engines. From my reading the common consensus....you do not want to use these types of products due to exactly what @t4thfavor stated above. Ford does not approve of their use and the only thing I have seen that is approved is a replacement or walnut blasting. From the vids and articles I was reading on the topic....if it was under warranty Ford was telling technicians to just replace during extreme buildup/power loss.
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Toytec

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Oh yeah, I think the service I'm thinking of uses a pressurized bottle and sprays directly into the intake manifold through the throttle body. So it would only pass over the valves and then be immediately exhausted through the combustion chamber.
This is what it looks like, This is what I use.

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Floyd

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Most manufacturers don't want you spraying anything down the throat because it will go through the turbo and can cause trouble with the vanes. If a big piece of carbon breaks off during cleaning, it would also go out somewhere, and could mess something up. Also can cause fueling issues when the system isn't metering an amount of fuel that it's coming in from another source.
That is of course a non-sequitor.
Most manufacturers don't want you installing a catchcan, or introducing an agent such as CRC into the engine.

If CRC actually works and was used periodically and prophylacticly, then there could be no hard carbon deposits to break off to begin with.
If CRC actually works through the throttle body it should work through the PCV inlet at least as well if not even better,
Bear in mind that I am not advocating Catchcans or CRC treatments, merely saying that if the offending material is introduced through the PCV system then it is logical that the curative agent would be most effective if introduced via the same pathway.

Since it is known that a Catchcan can only slow the deposit process, and that it is claimed that CRC treatments are curative, then it follows that the combination of the two would be more effective than either one alone.
The catchcan would then reduce deposits leaving less for the CRC to clean up and perhaps requiring fewer treatments.
This is of course all speculative and theoretical and dependent entirely on the acceptance of often conflicting claims.

Relevant question...
What is the temperature of the head at the intake valves on a warm engine when the ambient temperature is 70°F, and what is the actual average content of the influent material responsible for the deposits.
 
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Caluke

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Looks like it will become a necessary maintenance step with our vehicles. Do you use BG products at all? I'm curious if the BG injection service would help prevent this build up in order to postpone the need for walnut shell blasting.
We do have the full BG intake valve cleaning injection system. It uses shop air to spray a fine mist into the intake manifold while the vehicle is running. The biggest problem I see is that it is connected to a vacuum line, usually from the brake booster. Which is almost always at one end of the intake manifold. Therefore you do not get an even distribution of the cleaner on all of the intake valves. When we perform a walnut blast cleaning the results are definitely noticeable (smoother idle, no misfires). I can’t say that for any of the chemical cleaners. Once I remove the intake manifold I usually fill the intake runner with BG GDI cleaner to soften up the deposits. This helps the walnut buster do it’s job a lot faster with less mess. You have to do companion cylinders as pairs and tape off the intake runners that are open. Then turn the engine over by hand and repeat the process on the remaining cylinders. Definitely a labor intensive job but not all the difficult l.
 


FULLSCALE

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We do have the full BG intake valve cleaning injection system. It uses shop air to spray a fine mist into the intake manifold while the vehicle is running. The biggest problem I see is that it is connected to a vacuum line, usually from the brake booster. Which is almost always at one end of the intake manifold. Therefore you do not get an even distribution of the cleaner on all of the intake valves. When we perform a walnut blast cleaning the results are definitely noticeable (smoother idle, no misfires). I can’t say that for any of the chemical cleaners. Once I remove the intake manifold I usually fill the intake runner with BG GDI cleaner to soften up the deposits. This helps the walnut buster do it’s job a lot faster with less mess. You have to do companion cylinders as pairs and tape off the intake runners that are open. Then turn the engine over by hand and repeat the process on the remaining cylinders. Definitely a labor intensive job but not all the difficult l.
What’s the approximate cost of a job like that on a 4 cylinder?
 

Caluke

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What’s the approximate cost of a job like that on a 4 cylinder?
What’s the approximate cost of a job like that on a 4 cylinder?
Ford’s current labor time is 1.3hrs to replace intake manifold gaskets. Gaskets list for $3.87 each. Most shops will probably charge around .5hrs for each cylinder runner to be cleaned. So looking around $350-400 total.
 

PNW_Ranger87

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It almost sounds like it's worth it to just wait long enough until there is a problem then just manually clean the intake valves by walnut blasting for the most effectiveness. As counterproductive as that sounds...
 

Caluke

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It almost sounds like it's worth it to just wait long enough until there is a problem then just manually clean the intake valves by walnut blasting for the most effectiveness. As counterproductive as that sounds...
I totally agree. I have just under 5k miles on my truck. Will be performing it’s first service sometime next week. Going to install an oil catch can at that time to try and extend the intake valve cleaning interval. I will not be using any type of intake valve cleaner through the engine. I will just do a walnut blast once I have an issue, hopefully around 50-60k+. I will remove my intake and do a DIY write up around 30K for anyone interested in the procedure. For the time being let’s just enjoy our Rangers. All direct injection engines suffer from this issue at some point.
 

FULLSCALE

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Ford’s current labor time is 1.3hrs to replace intake manifold gaskets. Gaskets list for $3.87 each. Most shops will probably charge around .5hrs for each cylinder runner to be cleaned. So looking around $350-400 total.
Thanks, not bad at all!
 

2.7EcoBoost

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I used the CRC on my F-150 @ 15k, 30k and 45k with out issues. I also do 5k OCI to help prevent too much oil vapors through the PCV system. I personally think the extended OCI is the 2nd biggest contributor next to the lack of port fuel injection. Turbos are prone to this problem more due to their higher crank case pressure. I'll be doing my Ranger this weekend. The CRC is a Turbo cleaner as well and if I have giant chunks of carbon breaking off and going thru the turbo at 15k, there's a problem....I'm sold on the stuff and will run it regularly on all my turbo engines.
 

CompDude

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I used the CRC on my F-150 @ 15k, 30k and 45k with out issues. I also do 5k OCI to help prevent too much oil vapors through the PCV system. I personally think the extended OCI is the 2nd biggest contributor next to the lack of port fuel injection. Turbos are prone to this problem more due to their higher crank case pressure. I'll be doing my Ranger this weekend. The CRC is a Turbo cleaner as well and if I have giant chunks of carbon breaking off and going thru the turbo at 15k, there's a problem....I'm sold on the stuff and will run it regularly on all my turbo engines.
Have you done the CRC cleaner on your ranger? How did it go and what entry point did you use?
 

2.7EcoBoost

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Have you done the CRC cleaner on your ranger? How did it go and what entry point did you use?
Yes @ and it was 18k, due to my oil change schedule being 18.5k. I wish I'd have done it at my prior oil change around 13.5k, but I was just busy with summer. I'm going to do my next CRC about 500 miles prior to my next oil change which is due @ 28.5k miles, then i'll continue (about 500 miles prior to) every other oil change (10k miles) from there for the life of my truck as the plan is to keep this long term. Doing my own oil changes cost about $20, so throwing in another $15 every 10k is cheap maintenance.
 
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OWSportninja

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Yes @ and it was 18k, due to my oil change schedule being 18.5k. I wish I'd have done it at my prior oil change around 13.5k, but I was just busy with summer. I'm going to do my next CRC about 500 miles prior to my next oil change which is due @ 28.5k miles, then i'll continue (about 500 miles prior to) every other oil change (10k miles) from there for the life of my truck as the plan is to keep this long term. Doing my own oil changes cost about $20, so throwing in another $15 every 10k is cheap maintenance.
Where did you inject the crc into? Like what port or vacuum hose?
 

BigBallin

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I just did some walnut blasting on my Jetta. A company made a cover to go over the valve. One hole is for the walnut wand and the other is for a vacuum to suck them out. Super easy and works great.

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