MK5 Golf GTI
All Things Mk5 => How to Guides / Troubleshooting => Topic started by: OSB on April 29, 2013, 08:01:39 am
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There have a few posts about intake valve cleaning - Wynns, Seafoam, Terraclean etc.
But has anyone actually tried this?
If it works at least partially, its easy and good value for money. Hum....
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Interesting.
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That video is by a member on here :happy2:
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That video is by a member on here :happy2:
Ahhh! Interesting.
I think I will give it a go in that case.
My only concern is there any chance of causing problems or damage to any part of the intake system, or the exhaust - thinking of the cat - by running a non petrol inflammable fluid into the engine.
I assume the mineral spirit (white spirit) is simply burnt in the combustion process, any dissolved or dislodged carbon with it.
Or am I missing something here?
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http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=3794
Incase you want to message him
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I had a go at doing it the way below, certainly never did any harm,
The best way to get these products onto the valves on a TFSI engine is directly into the intake manifold. I have tried it and works. You cant rev the engine though as if you get boost pressure the pipe will be blown out of the port. On the other end of the pipe is a football inflation needle which meters the flow of product (redex in this case). On tickover there is a vaccum which draws the redex into the manifold and over the valves.
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fww123%2Fjon-tfsi%2FIMGP2302.jpg&hash=abe758c392fdfcb206b679bcc831f34abc151c47)
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fww123%2Fjon-tfsi%2FIMGP2303.jpg&hash=ddc3aca3863d875b3160cb50408bad874477ef07)
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http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=3794
Incase you want to message him
Thanks - appreciate that. I will.
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I had a go at doing it the way below, certainly never did any harm,
Did it help atall?
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Without seeing the valves before and after im honestly not sure,
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Without seeing the valves before and after im honestly not sure,
Could you not tell if it ran any better afterwords? im thinking about doing it to mine currently on 94k and wondering if i can do some logs to see if there is an improvement
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Without seeing the valves before and after im honestly not sure,
Could you not tell if it ran any better afterwords? im thinking about doing it to mine currently on 94k and wondering if i can do some logs to see if there is an improvement
That's really the question - does it have measurable results?
I don't have a VAG COM but if there is someone in the Woking/Guildford area who has one and can help - I'm happy to try it and post the before and after results.
55 plate GTI, 53k, no mods :)
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It did actually feel a bit more lively but that could have been placebo.
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Without seeing the valves before and after im honestly not sure,
Could you not tell if it ran any better afterwords? im thinking about doing it to mine currently on 94k and wondering if i can do some logs to see if there is an improvement
That's really the question - does it have measurable results?
I don't have a VAG COM but if there is someone in the Woking/Guildford area who has one and can help - I'm happy to try it and post the before and after results.
55 plate GTI, 53k, no mods :)
The air will be less restricted so with my very basic understanding of engine management the maf reading should be higher, the iat's lower due to less restriction (probably not a measurable amount though) so more ignition advance? :confused: Does the buildup affect the lip on the valves and the head where they seal? if so it should increas compression too. Hmm i might have to give this a go and measure everything before and after. I have vag-com and a compression gauge by the way
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The air will be less restricted so with my very basic understanding of engine management the maf reading should be higher, the iat's lower due to less restriction (probably not a measurable amount though) so more ignition advance? confused Does the buildup affect the lip on the valves and the head where they seal? if so it should increas compression too. Hmm i might have to give this a go and measure everything before and after. I have vag-com and a compression gauge by the way
It's the before and after testing that will be the key to whether it works -ie does it actually clean some carbon build up off. I think there will be quite a few of us v interested!
I'm calling in to see a friendly MOT tester next week. For the price of a drink or 2 he might do a before and after emissions test for me. If so I'll post the results.
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That would be brilliant if you could do that and I could test with vcds before and after to see if it really is wirthwhile
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I think there is a plan coming together here!
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Cool, if weather holds I will probably do it mon/tues. Is it best to use redex or something else?
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Well I'm going to try the mineral/white spirit method as per the Youtube clip. Prob use a squeezy bottle instead of the pump up thing shown.
White spirit is cheap!
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What about this then!
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Redex and a football pump adapter worked fine for me.
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So, this morning I had time to do the clean as per the video. I had intended to get a before and after emissions test from my friendly MOT tester. Sadly the before test was not accurate and when I went back for the after test, it had stopped altogether. Oh well!
I had made a suitable plug to fit in the Inlet Manifold Air Temp Sensor hole. A suitable length of tube fitted snuggly into this and was connected to a container for the spirit - old bleach bottle - fairly rigid plastic.
The engine was started and run up to 1500rpm. I was not expecting the amount of vacuum at that point!!! the 1/2pint of white spirit was drawn out of the bottle in about 5 - 10 seconds. The bottle then collapsed flat. I had intended to take 30 secs or so over the fluid going in, so giving it more time to dissolve/clean up the deposits.
However, lots of white smoke and a bit of a misfire showed it was doing something!
After removing the cleaning system and reconnecting the IMATS I went for a drive. Bit of misfire and smoke for first 1/4 mile which cleared. Warmed the engine up and redlined it a couple of times plus some revs up the A3 (low gear).
First impression was that the car was revving a bit more freely and smoother. The idle feels smoother too.
Not the 'test with measurable results' I had been hoping for. The white spirit was fed in much quicker than intended and no emissions test to verify results.
Worth doing? I think yes, if just for the smoother feel. I will check the MPG over the next week or so and see how the car feels back in the real world.
Cost? A few minutes turning the IMATS plug from a short length of nylon rod. A length of pipe - £1. Empty bleach bottle. !/2 pint white spirit - 50p. 10mins of time to do the 'clean' once I had everything together. I will work out a way of controlling the flow of liquid and preventing the bottle collapsing and repeat the test later this year.
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Cool, if weather holds I will probably do it mon/tues. Is it best to use redex or something else?
Did you manage to do your clean?
Any results?
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bloody battery on the laptop died so had no vcds but got a new one now, il see what i can bodge up today. I went on a 5 hour drive the other day over the tops giving it a good blast and it must of cleaned some crap out because the idle is so smooth now
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ok, ive found a suitable pipe and a restricter so it doesnt suck it all through at once and went out to get some white spirit and do a run logging certain things to compare to after, but the road is too wet and its just spinning up in 3rd and theres no point in doing a half assed effort. I might aswell wait untill its dry, get a before run, do the clean and then do an after run, only thing is my car is going into vw tommorrow for a few days so fingers crossed its dry'ish tommorow morning.
So let the engine warm up, hold 1500rpm
suck 500ml of white spirit up
shut engine off for 30 mins to soak up
start engine and give it a good rev to clear it out
does this sound about right?
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why white spirit?
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thats what people seem to be using
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why white spirit?
The video on Youtube talks about mineral spirit, which is white spirit in the UK.
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ok, ive found a suitable pipe and a restricter so it doesnt suck it all through at once and went out to get some white spirit and do a run logging certain things to compare to after, but the road is too wet and its just spinning up in 3rd and theres no point in doing a half assed effort. I might aswell wait untill its dry, get a before run, do the clean and then do an after run, only thing is my car is going into vw tommorrow for a few days so fingers crossed its dry'ish tommorow morning.
So let the engine warm up, hold 1500rpm
suck 500ml of white spirit up
shut engine off for 30 mins to soak up
start engine and give it a good rev to clear it out
does this sound about right?
Sounds good to me. I didn't let it soak but I think that's a good idea. I also did the 'clean' from cold. The thinking being that if the valves were hot, the white sprit would just evaporate as soon as it hit them.
Good luck tomorrow!
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Good thinking, i think i will do it cold then do it again warm mabie? ive got 750ml so can use half each time. Cheers, hope it doesnt nacker my milltek sports cat too much :chicken:
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Go for it!
Apparently, although white sprit burns with a bit of white smoke, it does not affect cats - even Miltec ones!
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Ok, results are in aaaannnndddddd.......Its made absoloutly no difference to the figures :signLOL: ahh well was worth a shot
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Well done for getting some definitive results!
Sadly not what we were looking for........
Still pretty sure mine has a bit better pick up and smoother tickover, but was that just the result of an Italian Tune Up?
I'm more inclined to believe your readout than my subjective seat of pants! :grin:
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haha, tis a shame as i was quite confident it would make a little difference but computer says no! After a good 5 hour blast the other day my engine feels much smoother and quieter on tickover and even further up the revs so i would definitely reccomend that. Unfortunately after doing both tests i reset the fuel trims so not had chance to see if the mpg has gone up or not yet but will keep a close eye on it and report back over the next few days