intake grid cleaning

[RSamples]

Want to clean the grids on the intake side and the horn removal looks pretty straight forward. are those screens removable and what are you guys cleaning them wit?

 

[DonFitzwater]

If you have to clean them, I'd suggest some contact cleaner that leaves no residue and big cotton swabs. Why are you cleaning it? Is it getting sooty or carbon buildup?

 

[RSamples]

I have seen pics on here somwwhere and they looked almost clogged after 60000, cant find the post and I need to know if they are removed or you clean them in place.

 

[jhenderson]

Are you sure you weren't looking at the EGR. There is a procedure for cleaning that. If the intake grid heater is dirty you have deeper problems.

 

[Bob4x4]

The 6.7's will have carbon build up on the grid heaters-very normal.I don't think contact cleaner is the way to go.There are strong soaps that will break it down.Solvents that evaporate fast will not generally have time to soften the deposits before the solvent drys-unless you are submerging.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Where does the carbon come from.. The EGR?

Just curious,
Scott

 

[jhenderson]

It must, but you n would think a red hot heating element would keep the grids clean.

 

[Bob4x4]

The grids do not stay hot,only at start up and it must be cold

 

[jhenderson]

I realize that. But it operates as a dead short and heats much like a toaster. I would not have thought they could become soot encrusted.

 

[zzman]

I just cleaned my egr and intake and also found the grid real bad with carbon build up. @105k miles.
I didn't try to remove the heater, just scrapped it with a wire brush while holding the vaccum cleaner close.
It didn't get real clean but I did remove enough to open all the spaces between each coil.

I thought this might help the heater grid from coming on at 65 degrees, but no help.

This type of emmision control is just plain wrong. I do wish they will improve this method.
Exhaust running through the intake is just WRONG.

 

[RSamples]

ZZMAN , when you had the air horn off what did it look like to remove the grid? Glad to know you had some luck by leaving it on. That sort of blockage has to affect air flow. bad system.

 

[Doubleclutch]

Could this be the result of "cooled exhaust gas recirculation"? Cold metal grid getting warm lightly-sooty exhaust passing over it, mile after mile... Makes sense to me.

 

[zzman]

The grid looks to be under the larger intake cover.
I think alot of crap would have to be removed for that.

The gunk that was in the horn was hugh. Just ain't right. Pretty nasty job cleaning all that.

 

[realfine409]

When I performed my own EGR cleaning, I too realized that it was going to be a real PITA to get the grid off/out of the intake plenum. I essentially did what ZZMan did, scraped, brushed, and vacuumed it clean, cleaned the sensor up stream while it was apart. Agreed, it has to screw with the volume and velocity of air passing through if it builds like that at 60k. The dealer I bought from said they performed that service before putting it on the lot. The air filter had soot on the down tube side, the intake horn had a layer 1/16"thk, the crossover tube slightly less. I performed my own cleaning at about 90k just to make sure. No problems yet!!!!