Intake Valve Carbon Cleaning - Walnut Blasting Method

[@sytrus89]

Excellent info Rich! My 2012 peugot 208 1.6 suffered from carbon build up back in early 2019 and I had it walnut blasted. Difference was day and night. Car revved so much better and accelration was on point.

[@robgrt]

I have a 2010 VW CC with 103K Miles. I just had the walnut cleaning done to my CC and wow! Its better than new. It definitely is quicker and MPG seems a little bit better as well. There was so much carbon build up that when the intake was removed. The intake holes were only halfway open. Crazy. It took my VW dealership 3 days to property clean it.

[@xl600mine]

Great Video! Incredibly informative. More people should be aware of the disadvantages of earlier GDI engines and how chemical cleaners can be a waste of money. I will definitely be looking into a DIY version of Walnut blasting

[@ConquerDriving]

You're welcome and thank you.

[@MrVara411]

Thank you so much for this... my car is having misfire issues and has had all sorts of warranty work done to it. I'm betting the dealership knew this was the issue but had no qualms about replacing parts under warranty instead. Gonna give this a go. Cheers from Texas.

[@ConquerDriving]

Good luck.

[@laylamkioskli1123]

I just did this on a Chevy Cruze 2.0 turbo diesel. It was throwing all kinds of codes for cylinder imbalance, underboost, manifold actuator problems and in limp mode for overheating, as well as the dpf full message every 20 miles. Dealers wanted 5 grand just to open it up. It’s a pain to take everything out to get to the intake manifold, but I wish I could show pictures of before and after. 3 of 4 runners completely obstructed and the valves you could hardly see. Swirl flaps stuck in a mass of carbon gunk. It took a few days to clean the manifold and unstick the flaps. Finally got the nerve to do the valves and I’m confident this has solved my problems. I don’t know how the damn thing still ran. Thanks for giving me the balls to clean that mess!

[@asias1542]

Thank you for showing us something new, Richard. Interesting video and what an impressive results! I think it was worth it and you surely must be over the moon with that “Rolls-Royce” feeling 😉 and someone who invented that method of cleaning using walnuts should get a Nobel Prize!

[@ConquerDriving]

It's nothing new actually, just not well known, walnut blasting is an alternative to sand blasting when you want to be more gentle. I only learnt about it around 6 months ago and there is no one in my whole town who offers it.

[@asias1542]

For us, future drivers, certainly new 😉 I found out about it thanks to you and really appreciate it as I may pass it on to my friends with cars. And it looks someone can possibly think about opening new business in Colchester... I wonder if they offer that service in my town 🤔

[@artemkatelnytskyi]

It must feel so satisfying to finally get it fixed! Good for you, congratulations!

[@ConquerDriving]

Yes it's great to have it running like new again.

[@JWL-UK]

@@ConquerDriving hi there, watched your engine carbon cleaning video and this now. Both really good. How much did it the walnut blasting cost and would you still recommend it 2 years on? I've been seeing garages charging £500 even for a small 2.0, 4 cylinder engine which I think it's a bit of a piss taking considering what's involved. Thank you.

[@slome4467]

I think walnut cleaning is beter than any chemicals 😊

[@bartoszk4812]

Glad you finally got rid of that carbon deposits 👍 Apparently Mini petrol engines are nototious for that carbon build up and associated running problems.

[@kevinsilcock9392]

Interesting video Rich. I've never heard of this process before. Looks like it worked a treat!

[@ConquerDriving]

Yes it worked great, all misfiring and hesitation gone and it feels quite quick even after getting out of the VX220.

[@fedjadrndarski5606]

Great test. I always be curious how much performance is lost with carbon buildup on intake valves... Also it is great to know how much other methods recover lost power. Thank you for such great video!

[@ConquerDriving]

Thank you, I was interested too.

[@MeerFlyMusic]

Great video !

[@hopefulkoala01435]

What a great video man. Informative and thorough - you're clearly very intelligent with vehicles. I hope you keep upload all the type of content you do because it's pure gold. Hope you put some thought into Patreon - I've never used it myself but would sign up in a flash if you did. Thanks again for all your help. Hope you're well :)

[@ConquerDriving]

Thank you. I haven't time to think about patreon, but thank you again.

[@samgab]

Wow, impressive results. I just recently bought a brand new car with a GDI engine, so I hope to not let the intake valves ever get to that point that yours were at, by doing a CRC treatment one week prior to every annual oil change, and by using Valvoline "Modern Engines" full synthetic oil. I did see your results using the CRC product, but my thinking is that it didn't work in your case because they were in just such a bad state to start with (Have you seen the video where the guy soaked his very badly carbon deposit buildup caked intake on his BMW in the CRC GDI cleaner, left it to soak, and it completely dissolved the carbon and cleaned them up, just like a walnut blast, so the stuff really does work). Now that your valves are looking a lot better, I'd suggest doing the same thing I mentioned above; keep them from getting as bad again by doing a CRC treatment a week prior to each oil change (they say that it keeps improving for about 8 days after doing the treatment if the car is driven regularly), and by using the Valvoline "Modern Engines" full synthetic oil, which is specifically formulated to prevent carbon deposit buildup in GDI engines, if one can believe the marketing...

[@ConquerDriving]

I think given that the CRC stuff is £40, I would rather just get them properly cleaned for £300 when they're bad instead of buying several cans of that stuff.

[@samgab]

Conquer Driving Interesting. It’s only the equivalent of 15 GBP here per can, so that, once a year, isn’t too bad, considering how much we spend on other parts of our cars, eg premium fuel, synthetic oil, etc.

[@Trades46]

This is why Toyota/Lexus nailed in from mid 2000s - the D4-S dual fuel injection. Not only do the cars have DI but traditional port injectors as well. This keeps the intake valves clean since they occasionally get sprayed on with gas on top of the normal DI operation depending on throttle application.

[@ConquerDriving]

That's correct, Toyota normally get things right.

[@bjarne_maritime]

That's pretty cool! Nice and informative video. I work on ships and we use walnuts to clean the exhaust side of our turbo. Engine is running while we do it, so we can see a big black plume of carbon. I wonder if you could do it on a car turbo. Might have a look at my own car, hopefully not too much carbon build up ;) Keep it up!

[@vasuhardeo1418]

this was super cool, thanks for sharing that info

[@zipfelchefchen6816]

very interesting! thanks for showing us

[@2smart3guys]

U have no idea how useful this info was. I am about to buy a car and this fixed the problem the owner scared me about

[@2smart3guys]

but locally it is not available. Would any1 recommend other alternatives

[@ConquerDriving]

You do have to travel sometimes, it's worth it. I've tried alternatives which didn't work. I have videos on them.

[@Ultrasonictwo]

well i hope you are running a nice set of catch cans / Oil air separators to prevent this from happening again.

[@harryberry474]

Conquer Driving...Now that you have it clean keep using that CRC GDI Intake Valve cleaner and maybe you can keep the valves clean longer. I wonder if maybe small hole could be drilled into the manifold and spray cleaner into the air path closer to the valves then just cap off hole to seal it, until next cleaning. I think I'll do that when I get mine walnut blasted (for the first time). Maybe do the spray clean every 5k-10k and might save having to walnut blast for a long time.

[@robinrai4973]

I'm not sure whether or not to do this on my car, I've reached 145,000 miles but have no symptoms and the car runs just fine, however the later generation of the engine it's got is known to get blocked valves and manifolds

[@TechNostalgiaNL]

Very thorough video! Excellent! I think I have the same problem. I have a 1.4 TSI CHPA EA211 engine with 140bhp (same as the one in this video I reckon). Recently I replaced the spark plugs with platinum ngk's and changed the oil (high grade OEM spec Champion 5w30) because the car was misfiring and shaking a lot when accelarating hard. Also my gas mileage is pretty low (about 1 litre/16 km), even when driving 'civil'. I had hoped the problems would go away after this service. In fact, they have worsened. My car has over 170000km and I doubt the previous owner has cleaned the intake valves. How much has your gas mileage improved after the walnut blast? Also, do you have any tips for doing this on a CHPA engine? The only thing that stops me from doing this is making a mess due to removing the coolant hose.

[@ConquerDriving]

It sounds like you have the same problem. Very common with these engines. The hot weather won't be helping it. The fuel economy never changed. I would guess the hot weather would be increasing fuel consumption with the AC working harder. I would recommend you get a specialist to do the work. Much easier if you can if it up and get under the car.

[@liav1609]

Damn! I had no idea it can be that good

[@stevehodges6792]

Can i please ask how much the garage charged you each time to remove / refit the inlet manifold. I have exactly the same car/engine i am interested in doing the inlet cleaning myself just trying to work out how difficult / how long the manifold takes to remove thanks

[@ConquerDriving]

Took him about 1.5 hours in total.

[@stevehodges6792]

@@ConquerDriving thank you

[@Khg72]

After how long can this clean be seen?

[@dalakeyal]

Really thanks for the video. Would you say there is an adventage for treating the car with walnuts & hydrogen carbon cleaning. Do the hydrogen do somthung the walnuts will not ?

[@ConquerDriving]

I didn't really noticed an improvement with with hydrogen cleaning.

[@ridercanada1]

Wow, walnut power!! Do you think the CRC would have worked better if you had sprayed it through the throttle body dirctly instead of that long pipe?

[@ConquerDriving]

I did spray it directly onto the throttle body. The hole I sprayed it through was directly above the throttle body.

[@seemaab]

@@ConquerDriving think he meant the valves

[@joepearson6644]

Do Diesel engines have the same issue with clogging up intakes? My Zafira B 1.7 CDTI feels really unresponsive

[@ConquerDriving]

I have heard they do but have not had experience with this.

[@JamesBrown-ux9ds]

Brilliant - thank you for sharing!

[@ConquerDriving]

You're welcome.

[@davidjacobs8558]

I see dry ice blasting that cleans car parts. would dry ice blasting work fr carbon build up ?

[@ConquerDriving]

Possibly. Very expensive though.

[@charlesholland-keen2222]

It's obviously good to go nuts occasionally but not while you're driving. Going green too.

[@ConquerDriving]

😄

[@twinring3846]

Just curious why you chose a petrol over a diesel considering the mileage you do, and how diesels are easier to drive which is a bonus for learners. Also, you probably wouldn't have the carbon build up as you do with the GDI engines?

[@ConquerDriving]

I've taught previously in diesels for 5 years and now 8.5 years with petrol. In my opinion petrol is easier to teach in. It stalls gently, therefore not scaring my pupil, my petrol is way more flexible in gear choice, so if my pupil gets the wrong gear is not usually a big deal. I don't have a Diesel particular filter to worry about any more, the engine is smoother and more refined making it a nice a place to spend time, I only lose 7 miles per gallon but my petrol has a solid flywheel which is way cheaper and unlikely to go wrong unlike a dual mass flywheel which is fitted to most diesels. When I used to start the diesel up in the garage, if I didn't move it immediately I would feel ill which tells me something about what it kicks out the tail pipe. Then there is the fact I just enjoy driving manual petrol cars, I prefer diesels to be automatic. I'm not against diesels, I bought my other half one as it suits her circumstances, but even though the improvement in economy seems to suit my circumstances, after 6 years of using two I decided they're not for me (the first year with a diesel was before I was an instructor hence why I've been teaching for 5 years in diesels but I drove them for 6 years). Also, I've been told diesels suffer with blocked intake valves too, although I've not experienced it.

[@twinring3846]

Thanks for responding. That was really useful. Think I'm going to switch to petrol after reading your response. You are right about stalling in a diesel, it's brutal.

[@twinring3846]

Do you fill up with E5 or E10 by the way?

[@ConquerDriving]

I've always bought the cheapest I can find. It's not relevant to the rear of the intake valves as fuel doesn't touch them in a direct injection engine. Even cheap fuel seems to clean things well though. I used cheap fuel in my VX220 with a very modified engine that breathed a lot of oil, yet the intake valves were kept very clean by the cheapest petrol blowing into them.

[@twinring3846]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I Didn't realise that about the cheaper fuel Have been using E5 for my petrol car thinking it would help prevent less carbon build up. You seem to quite knowledge about cars. I'm still impressed with how many miles you have got out of your Leon. Mine is a 63 plate as well, but it's the 2.0 184 diesel. It's only done 40k and has started lossing coolant. I've taken it to a trusted mechanic who has added a dye, done a few pressure tests, and he can't find it anywhere. It's to drop off at below the minimum mark every few hundred miles. This seems to occur when it goes through a DPF clean. I top it up and then it's fine for a couple of weeks, then uses a load more. Heating and air con running as normal. Recently the clutch pedal has started playing up, occasionally it gets stuck half way up, I then place my foot under it to pull it back up and it's fine. I have also had this looked at, the clutch itself is fine, the clutch slave is also fine. It's had full service history, and well looked after like yours, cambelt, water pump all changed according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Being a diesel it's always had a good blast on the dual carriageway a couple of times a week. Thinking of switching to a 2017 2.0 tsi, 13k from new, one owner, four services from Seat, but then I've read horror stories about clutches going at 20k, and more coolant issues. I know you have maintained your car very well, but could it just be luck that you got a 'good one' off the assembly line?

[@AnilKumar-yn6ns]

Hi im looking to get a 1.4 125 bhp whats your mpg like around town

[@ConquerDriving]

I haven't tried the 125bhp variant. My economy ranges from 35mpg in stop start town driving to 50mpg if I take it on a long run.

[@bricknplay]

We had a Audi A3 1.8 tfsi (tsi petrol) and after about 170k kilometers it broke a valve off and destroyed it self 😢 I had so many memories paired with that car 😭 It had problems with the oil scraper rings made from vw… those are common and made so they consume oil

[@eskania]

What are you using to mount your Go Pro to the dash.

[@ConquerDriving]

A clamp I found on Ebay.

[@catalincrivineantu1850]

what is the optim granulation for valve clean ?

[@ConquerDriving]

I've not heard of that.

[@FLPML]

Do you change the intake manifold gaskets every time you take it off? Thank you

[@ConquerDriving]

No need to do that, they're rubber.

[@clamanttomb2317]

Can this cause the engine to idle irratically and stall?

[@ConquerDriving]

Yes. In extreme cases it will stall. Misfires (lumpy idle) is more common.

[@zipfelchefchen6816]

Why wouldn't the carbon buildup affect VW diesels? They all have direct injection and AGR

[@danielteyehuago1633]

Thanks for sharing it

[@giedriuspetrulis4298]

Hey. What size walnut shell granules have you used?

[@ConquerDriving]

I'm afraid I don't know, it was finer than sand but coarser than powder.

[@Vatierville]

I've been told to do this on my Citroen DS3 THP engine?

[@ConquerDriving]

Yes, very common on those, there are special wands available for that engine. I believe that engine isn't used by BMW amongst others.

[@Vatierville]

@@ConquerDriving I was told it is shared on some bmw minis

[@marwanazoz3551]

did you have to drain the coolant to take the intake out ?

[@ConquerDriving]

Not on this car.

[@0l0dom40l0]

What diameter pipe is on the end of the blasting gun?

[@ConquerDriving]

I'm sorry, I don't know.

[@tony199110]

Hi, great info. Do you mind disclosing which company did you use for the job? Thanks!!

[@ConquerDriving]

I believe I mention it in the video. They're in Chelmsford.

[@tony199110]

@@ConquerDriving thanks. some suppliers I contacted said their equipment (the vacuum hose) are specifically made for BMW (or German cars) hence will not do other cars. Don’t know whether SEAT count as German tho, will check them out!

[@ConquerDriving]

@@tony199110 you don't have to have the exact tool, I think they used BMW tools on mine.

[@TheSuperBoyProject]

Seat is a german car. It's owned by vw and they use vw engines

[@mannyt7064]

What walnut blaster tool are you using? Is that the BMW one ??

[@ConquerDriving]

It was a kit for BMWs.

[@ValentinoBros]

Hi! What is the name of this tool that makes the job a lot easier? Thank you very much! :)

[@ConquerDriving]

Intake valve walnut blasting adaptor and wand.

[@ValentinoBros]

@@ConquerDriving where can I get it?

[@Sinner987]

Bálint Rácz just google walnut blasting machine, you also need an air compressor. I think its the same machine used for sandblasting, except you need an adaptor which fits to the intake, and ground walnut shell to put where the sand would normally go

[@SamuelHale-fk9ij]

£300 is an amazing price!... I have a 4 cylinder car and I was quoted £1300!!! for a walnut blasting valve clean.. needless to say I turned it down!...

[@Hi.Al.]

How many miles/km before it looked like that?

[@thedreadedgman]

85000 miles

[@ukkomies100]

fuck i need to do this. i drive a audi a6 c6 with the 2.0 tdi engine with 220000km on it and i love the car but it is starting to feel so sluggish at the high rpms in sure this job would do wonders considering ive already confirmed that the turbo is in prime condition with zero slack and these diesel engines tend to get them selves jammed with soot typically

[@simoncsaby3073]

bro give me the adres vere u doit the intake clean using the walnut blasting method please...

[@ConquerDriving]

Google Dukes Park Automotive in Chelmsford.

[@leobaptista1871]

what mileage is your car currently?

[@ConquerDriving]

Now it is 167,000 miles.

[@kykykykykkkkyy250]

🤣 Just realised, I just messaged the one you went to for walnut blasting quote

[@ConquerDriving]

Be interesting to know the price.

[@kykykykykkkkyy250]

@@ConquerDriving 329 1.4 tsi twincharged

[@kykykykykkkkyy250]

How long did it take btw 👨‍🔧

[@PlatinumG]

Jesus, for that price you can get a small air compressor, the walnut blaster, the walnut grounded shells, and a 5gallon shop vacuum and do it your self! And of course the benefits here are that you will then have all the necessary tools to do it again on your next oil change or 10k miles and so on and so on.. and of course you would have a handy air compressor, blaster for rust/corrosion/sludge remover, and a wet/dry shop vac!

[@jimbo4311]

How is the car doing two years after this service? I have heard that turbo charged engines don't last much past 200,000 miles. Whether it be the turbo wearing out the engine prematurely because of pressure, or the turbo actually dying. Wondering if it is more of an intake problem rather than a turbo not lasting problem.

[@ConquerDriving]

My car now has 175,000 miles, still has loads of power and seems ever so slightly more economical. Lockdown means it has less miles than it would have had but I have a lot of faith in the engine as it seems to be strong, smooth and quiet. Another cambelt change is nearly due and I'll service it soon. Been serviced every 18,000 miles with long life oil. Just spent £575 upgrading the stereo to a system from a 2020 Leon with android auto as I tried many cars over the last couple of weeks but the new stuff hasn't moved the game on, they drive the same albeit with adaptive cruise control which is something I would like. But not worth the cost of a new car. New Leon, Golf and A3 don't look as good as the last model in my opinion either. The Mazda 3 however was lovely if a little underpowered even from the 186ps skyactiv x engine, lacks torque and my Leon feels way faster on the road. But the Mazda is a luxurious place to sit. The 200,000 mile number you hear quoted on motor reviewer etc is just a made up number in my opinion. Not many people have tested these engines over that distance as the car will be 20 years old normally by then and this engine was released in 2013.

[@jimbo4311]

@@ConquerDriving I am really looking forward to the 2022 Toyota GR86. A little worried about the longevity of my GTI and thinking the NA boxer engine might last long into the future, once gas vehicles are banned.

[@ConquerDriving]

Keep changing the oil when needed and cam chain if it's an EA888 and I'm sure it will last as long as you want it to. Especially if it's standard.

[@datsuntoyy]

The VW, VAG is more than VW, Audi, Seat and Skoda. You forgot Porsche, Bently, Bugatti and Lamborghini. Plus Ducatti, if you're counting motorcycles and several truck brands. I need the carbon cleaning. My Audi S6 is getting sluggish but given it's design, it's not going to be easy.

[@ConquerDriving]

I know VAG has it's exotic brands too. I was sticking with run of the mill cars.

[@datsuntoyy]

@@ConquerDriving Oh come one, Bugatti's are everywhere. lol

[@tdbone35]

What about dry ice cleaning I bet it'll be cleaner and easier

[@ConquerDriving]

I've recently discovered that. The cost of the equipment though is prohibitive so it won't become common until it's cheaper.

[@Quettesh]

VW TSi engines have carbon build up problems, every one of them. On the other hand VW diesels are one of the best in the world, you can easily find their 2.0 TDI in MK 1 Superb/older Passat with 1 milion + km. Even when you consider the issue with misleading pollution numbers, they are not worse than any other diesel in that category.

[@BedazzledChanclas]

What kinda car is that though?? 👀

[@ConquerDriving]

2014 SEAT Leon fr 1.4 TSI 140 SC

[@ironduke298]

Has anyone done this on Range Rover V8 Diesels ??

[@JuelZ925]

Price?

[@ConquerDriving]

Very different depending on the garage and the car.

[@tribunation]

Thumb on the trigger? Those look like forefingers on the trigger to me. Haha

[@ConquerDriving]

You are right. I think I added a correction in the video.

[@MESSIAHCUSTOMS]

@@ConquerDriving Rewatched. You did make a correction. Time for me to get some spectacles. 👍

[@Bshipbuilder]

Very funny!

[@jackmaclean7564]

Darn direct injection!

[@comedyman112]

300 gbp ... wtf ?

[@MauriceNL1]

This is what you get very fast if you always shift at 2000rpm. Pretty bad for engine

[@ConquerDriving]

When you consider some people see this after only 30k miles I think it's done well.

[@MauriceNL1]

@@ConquerDriving 30k is very fast! Mine has done 104k and is luckily still fine, i'm letting it warm up with low rpm but when the oil is warm i push it to redline a couple of times.

[@ConquerDriving]

I push mine to the red line regularly too. 2000rpm is sedate residential quiet considerate driving. But give me a national speed limit and an open road and I'll enjoy myself.

[@kresimirmatic6627]

volvo too

[@w0lvez1]

Why do people keep making something really simple more complicated? Easy to dissolve carbon. Walnut salesman everywhere. kzbin.info/aero/PLppkgAfZ1SDKacUMrYFZGA3yfOEA00MCe

[@ConquerDriving]

I tries chemicals and they didn't work. I would be very interested in something that's cheaper easier and does actually work.

[@w0lvez1]

@@ConquerDriving Water based Industrial Grade Carbon Remover works very well. It converts carbon buildup to co2 bubbles. It will not work if you don't add water. 20 liters only cost $60 USD.

[@ConquerDriving]

Isn't that the same as CRC chemical cleaner which is did a video on?

[@w0lvez1]

@@ConquerDriving Not sure, I been using that for more than a decade. patents.google.com/patent/US2509197A/en

[@w0lvez1]

@@ConquerDriving Cleaning the intake valve only makes engine idle smoother. Cleaning the exhaust pipe makes huge very noticeable increase in performance.