Inlet manifold cleaning

[Roryb1985]

Morning all as I’m going to be replacing my glow plugs in the next few weeks I thought while the inlet manifold was off was to clean it. Now I’ve seen some post that that people have soaked it in caustic soda but the question I want to know is how long do I soak it for.

[X5Sport]

EGR Cleaner spray and a couple of bottle brushes/toothbrushes might be an alternative and is a solvent anyway. Caustic Soda is serious stuff, especially anywhere near aluminium. I know the manifold is plastic and you’ll need to check that CS won’t damage it. Dishwasher chemicals might do the job too - they’re caustic but not as nasty as CS.

If you know anyone with access to an engine parts washer then even better.

[marti]

Used a couple of gallons of unleaded in a container overnight...worked a treat with a bit of pipe brushing next morning