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So we've all seen what the catch can is able to catch from the pcv system before it enters back into your intake
by not having a catch can your intake valves can look like this pic below
obviously a catch can would help significantly reduce the amount of sludge entering into the intake, however if you decided to install a catch can @ 50k your intake tract and valves would more than likely have an abundance of carbon build. you will need to have a shop manually clean your valves with wire brushes.
In my 2011 Ecoboost with 55k, completely stock, it's starting to idle rough until it's at operating temp then it runs smooth. I believe this is because I may have a few cylinders with an abundance of build up on the intake valves causing the rough idle until operating temp.
Ford doesn't currently suggest a way to clean your intake tract and valves and doesn't recommend seafoam as it could damage your turbos and void your warranty.
My suggestion to clean your intake tract and keep it clean would be to install a water/meth injection kit. This would basically steam clean the deposits off your intake tract, intake valves and tops of your pistons.
The best way is to remove your intake manifold (first use compressed air to blow away any sand or debris accumulated where the IM mates with the heads). Then clean around each port with brake clean and a clean rag.
With wide painters tape, tape off each open port except the one your going to clean first.
Using a bright light, look into that port and turn the crank pulley bolt until you see both valves are closed (both intake valves open and close together).
You will need a long shaft flat blade screw driver and a shop vac as well as a set of long shaft brushes (we prefer stainless but a gun cleaning kit for a 20-12 gauge shot gun can work as well) and a drill or die grinder.
First use the screw driver to break loose the larger deposits and scrape all you can with it, then shop vac out the debris and blow the rest out with a air nozzle.
Then switch to the brushes, and work your way around each valve and the chamber itself. (Dont worry about scratching anything, it is all far harder than what your using).
Once clean, again, shop vac and blow out w/compressed air and then clean around the port and tape it off, move to the next and repeat. It will take a while but this is the process we are training the Ford techs and others how to clean these deposits w/out the possible damage that can occur using an upper induction cleaning solvent.
Here are some before and after pictures:
Or doing the same with the walnut shell blasting media:
If you need guidance, just ask. Please take pics of each step and post before and after as well as your impressions on the power and smoothness if running as it should improve substantially.
The best way is to remove your intake manifold (first use compressed air to blow away any sand or debris......
The question is, wouldn't water/meth injection steam clean the intake track, intake valves, tops of pistons, and possibly even the exhaust valves and turbos?
What I'm saying is, if water/meth cleans then why not use this to clean it and keep it clean..... sounds like a safe alternative and you get the bonus of added performance..... I'm no expert by any means so correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't water/ meth injection just reduce intake temps and in our direct injected ecoboost wouldn't the computer automatically adjust timing and fuel delivery on the fly so no tuning needed? If no tuning needed then couldn't this be an easy setup for performance and cleaning of of the engine?
At about 129,000 miles I added water methanol injection to my truck. The claimed benefits were increased power, mpgs, and cleaner engine. I saw the power and mpgs for sure. But now, after spraying for about 250,000 miles I got a little peak inside the engine.
Here is the pic from 2008 when the truck had about 129,000 miles and I installed the water/meth:
Not too bad just a little crud.
Here are this weeks pics when I pulled the intake off: (the wet on the outside is the lube I sprayed for a couple days fearing stuck bolts)
Side note: I've seen pics of stock trucks with under 100 k and the intake 40%+ clogged with soot. I played with different percentages of meth, but for the most part I sprayed straight water and only added methanol in freezing temps.
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Last edited by Ruthless Robbie; 06-23-2014 at 06:56 PM.
I've never seen an ecoboost with valves that bad, nor even close. Ford uses a reversion process that sprays fuel on the valves on the exhaust stroke. Those look like valves from an early DI motor. I don't think you have to worry about it and water meth is more work with little payback on the ecoboost...
In the last 6 months we've started offering direct port methanol injection packages for the various EcoBoost engines. While the direct injection EcoBoost engines certainly do have complaints and issues with carbon developing on the back side of the intake valves and water methanol injection is one way to combat that. Methanol injection offers performance enthusiast many other notable benefits such as knock control, reduced intake air charge temps, additional fuel allowing for more performance.
Let me know if you have any questions. There's some great info on this forum from what I read already. Hopefully we can contribute to it.
06-23-2014, 12:28 AM
Ecoboost intake valve build up fix???
