Possible IMRC and secondary valve cleaning tomorrow, have questions!

[Immortal LuD]

Possible IMRC and secondary valve cleaning tomorrow, have questions! (Pics added.)

Hey guys!

I've been trying to get this cleaning done for over a year now, since I noticed that my cars performance has fallen on it's face, and basically feels like an 18 second car...

Already did Seafoam a while back, installed new spark plugs, and as of tomorrow I will have my FRPP 9mm wires delivered to my house while I work on getting the upper & lower intake off.

I have read and studied every tutorial that I've come across, and every thread I could find on here dating back to 2002. I just don't want anything to go wrong, I really can't afford to fix broken fuel injectors or anything like that.

First thing, when I have the IMRC's out and I am spraying them with carb cleaner and scrubbing with a toothbrush or wire brush, I'm hearing that if the rubber gaskets get wet, they will swell up and I will have to rinse them off with water, and let them dry for a few days... Is this true? And if it is, what steps should I take to minimize the chances of them swelling?

Second, I have been reading about cleaning the secondary valves while I am down in there, and I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to get it done. I am hearing that BerryMan's B-12 is the best stuff for the job. Question is, without a wet vac / shop vac, can I still clean them? I don't have access to a vac, and absolutely cannot afford to buy one at this time. But I already know when I get down there, they will be built up with carbon, and I will want to clean them.

I'm just scared with hearing all these horror stories about issues during and after cleaning, and I am trying to avoid them. I have two and half days to get this job done before I go back to work. I will be hitting up the parts store tomorrow to buy the seven or eight cans of carb cleaner, coolant, and a few cans of this BerryMan's B-12 stuff for the valves. I am assuming that I can use the carb cleaner on the upper and lower intake as well?

I'm sorry to ask so many questions, and hope you guys can give me some positive comments to get me pumped up about doing this. I will make sure to take pics and document this operation!

Thanks so much!!!! :beer:

 

[encasedmetal]

take pics before you tear into it- this will help with reassembly so you don't miss anything-if you need to label all wires and vacuum fittings. as far as the gaskets go- simply pull them outwipe them down (they'll probably have oil on them) and set them aside- no big deal at all. however I would set them aside then exact way you pulled them out as if you were facing the car-as the intake gaskets and IMRC gaskets are very confusing looking if you're in there for the first time. for the IMRC themselves- clean them, every part and they will be difficult to clean- don't baby them. no need for a vac for anything unless you want to vacuum your engine valley while your able to. just do your cleaning over a surface you don't mind getting dirty is all. make sure all is dry and reassemble. btw the gaskets are plastic with a rubber lip inside of it.

 

[mustangsvt281]

Hey guys!

I've been trying to get this cleaning done for over a year now, since I noticed that my cars performance has fallen on it's face, and basically feels like an 18 second car...

Already did Seafoam a while back, installed new spark plugs, and as of tomorrow I will have my FRPP 9mm wires delivered to my house while I work on getting the upper & lower intake off.

I have read and studied every tutorial that I've come across, and every thread I could find on here dating back to 2002. I just don't want anything to go wrong, I really can't afford to fix broken fuel injectors or anything like that.

First thing, when I have the IMRC's out and I am spraying them with carb cleaner and scrubbing with a toothbrush or wire brush, I'm hearing that if the rubber gaskets get wet, they will swell up and I will have to rinse them off with water, and let them dry for a few days... Is this true? And if it is, what steps should I take to minimize the chances of them swelling?

Second, I have been reading about cleaning the secondary valves while I am down in there, and I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to get it done. I am hearing that BerryMan's B-12 is the best stuff for the job. Question is, without a wet vac / shop vac, can I still clean them? I don't have access to a vac, and absolutely cannot afford to buy one at this time. But I already know when I get down there, they will be built up with carbon, and I will want to clean them.

I'm just scared with hearing all these horror stories about issues during and after cleaning, and I am trying to avoid them. I have two and half days to get this job done before I go back to work. I will be hitting up the parts store tomorrow to buy the seven or eight cans of carb cleaner, coolant, and a few cans of this BerryMan's B-12 stuff for the valves. I am assuming that I can use the carb cleaner on the upper and lower intake as well?

I'm sorry to ask so many questions, and hope you guys can give me some positive comments to get me pumped up about doing this. I will make sure to take pics and document this operation!

Thanks so much!!!! :beer:

dont waste your time cleaning them, just get the deletes. it may not be the plates are gunked up it could be the actuator not opening the imrc plates and i dont think ford sells that part any more, which is why got the deletes.

 

[SNAKEYE]

Don't forget the O-rings for the crossover tube!

The gaskets are silicon, just treat them with respect. Washing with soap and water won't hurt just don't brush them.

 

[KCRN12]

Use brake clean instead of carb cleaner and you won't have to worry about the rubber. I never use carb cleaner on anything, for that very reason. Brake clean is designed to be safe on rubber because of the caliper piston boots, and it works just as well.

 

[encasedmetal]

just put vasoline on all orings before re install and you'll be fine

 

[DVJ38]

You don't need that many cans of carb cleaner. Try like 2 cans of carb cleaner and 5 of Berrymans B-12. That really should be enough.

To be honest, the shop vac with a small tube taped on the end of the hose reeeaalllly helped me clean out the secondary intake ports and valves a lot faster and easier! It was so much faster and more efficient. I would try to borrow one if possible. Take it easy on the connectors as they are starting to get old and could be brittle. Ask any questions you have, because plenty of us have been there before and have an answer for you.

 

[Immortal LuD]

Five hours later, and we finally have it all apart. The coolant crossover tube gave us the most grief, and we ended up bending the tube a bit while prying it off. The burping plug is completely stuck on and stripped, and I may need to find someone to weld on a nut so we can get it off and back on... What a PITA.

So I guess I will get started with cleaning the plates with the carb cleaner, and see how it goes.

I don't think I will be touching the secondary valves unless I can just spray and scrub them. I cannot see inside enough, and don't have the knowledge or resources to do it correctly. Do I absolutely have to use a vac to suck it all out, or will it burn up the carbon deposits when I start the car? Let me know if I should just skip this process, or what other things I can do to get them clean. I took many pictures so it can aid me in getting it back together correctly.

I will be back shortly!

 

[Immortal LuD]

So after cleaning the IMRC's and lower intake, we were putting the actuator and IMRC's back on, got it wired back the way it was to the best of my knowledge, and we broke a tip on one of my fuel injectors. Is that little orange piece the crown? It didn't fall into the valve luckily, but fuel did build up a tad in one of the primaries. Will that be ok when I go to start the car? It really wasn't too much, but a small puddle on the bottom behind the valve.

Also, I am going to try and get the coolant crossover taken care of tomorrow. I need to get that stupid plug in working condition so I can remove it and put coolant in. These o-rings that you guys talked about, I tried to pick some up Advanced Auto, and they had a huge pack for $20 with all kinds of crap. Do they just come in a pack of three? I only saw two, where the tube goes into the block.

Hopefully when I have more daylight tomorrow, I can make sure everything is in place before I piece it all back together.

We had a hard time getting the lower intake out. First when we took it out, the IMRC's were still bolted on, so we took them off with the actuator, and putting it back together we put them back in first. Is this ok?

I will update you guys tomorrow, if you have any other suggestions that you can make before we get it back together, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks for listening to my rambling! :beer:

 

[1989Gt.]

Just buy an oring kit their cheap and if you ever need them they are already their!! they usually come in handy if you ask me. You should really just delete the imrcs. Are you sure the actuator works?

 

[Ciotti]

I'm gonna have to do this soon as well, which guide did you use, this one?

http://www.svtmustangcobraclub.com/media/pdfs/tech/IMRC_Cleaning.pdf

 

[PSUCOBRA96]

you can buy a HD buckethead vacuum at home depot for 20 bucks, will work perfect and its a wet dry vac

 

[Immortal LuD]

Just buy an oring kit their cheap and if you ever need them they are already their!! they usually come in handy if you ask me. You should really just delete the imrcs. Are you sure the actuator works?

Well that's what I'm saying, they wanted $20. Didn't think that was so cheap!

I have no clue if the actuator works. I'm sure it does, and I should have waited to tear it down and do this cleaning. I should have just installed my spark plug wires to see if that was the problem. Again, it never hurts to clean the IMRC's, but damn, my body is still sore from today. Gotta be up this morning to get back to work on her. Hope everything is ok.

Ciotti, I did, as well as numerous other tutorials. They all leave the specifics out though. Things regarding how to take out the lower intake, what to do with the fuel injectors/rail, etc... I had to gather as much information as I could, and I still feel like this thing isn't going to start back up. Feels like with everything that happened, it'll explode when I turn the key.

That other guy on here was doing his IMRC's, and accidentally turned his key to download a tune or something, and blew his entire motor! I don't have a pot to pee in, otherwise I WOULD be doing the deletes. Hell, If I had $300 - $900 to throw around every time I want to mod my car, might as well buy a Terminator! I just cannot afford the deletes, tune, or anything right now. Plug wires because mine were original though! :rolling:

 

[Immortal LuD]

Guys, need your immediate help.

Got it all back together today, fuel injector went back in with a broken pintle cap, and had a guy weld a nut on top of my coolant crossover plug. Everything worked great.

Filled up the coolant, (scared about the o-ring issue, got some replacements but used the originals instead.)

Car cranked right up, and runs great. Only problem, is I believe we twisted the coolant crossover tube while it was off and reinstalling it, and there is coolant dripping out of the middle. I never knew you could twist it around like that, but I have been trying to squeeze the two sides together to stop it from leaking.

I'm out of ideas, anybody ever had this issue?!

 

[98fourvalve]

Guys, need your immediate help.

Got it all back together today, fuel injector went back in with a broken pintle cap, and had a guy weld a nut on top of my coolant crossover plug. Everything worked great.

Filled up the coolant, (scared about the o-ring issue, got some replacements but used the originals instead.)

Car cranked right up, and runs great. Only problem, is I believe we twisted the coolant crossover tube while it was off and reinstalling it, and there is coolant dripping out of the middle. I never knew you could twist it around like that, but I have been trying to squeeze the two sides together to stop it from leaking.


I'm out of ideas, anybody ever had this issue?!

Easy. The crossover comes apart and has a o ring on the driver side one IIRC. Fix it. Probably messed the old o ring up when you twisted it.

Glad everything else went ok.

 

[Immortal LuD]

Ok, so when I twist the coolant crossover tube apart, there is an o-ring in there as well? It looks like in order to put the tube back on correctly and have it sit in on both sides, we couldn't have it tightened as much as before.

I called the Ford parts department here, and they said nothing about having o-rings for this vehicle. Maybe there is a particular part number I need? Guess since the upper, lower, and everything else is back together, shouldn't be too much of an issue getting the tube off again. Just really worried about this.

Do you think running the car up to temp will help possibly in sealing it?

 

[98fourvalve]

Its possible it will seal at operating temp but not likely.

Don't worry yourself. Pull it back off and do it right. the o ring on the inside is just like the ones on the bottoms iirc. I'll go outside and double check here in a few for you.

As far as a part number Idk I always just get one that is very very close to the same thing as originally installed and has been fine ever since. I got a bag of em for a couple bucks a few years ago.


And you might want to check into getting one of the custom crossover bolt's that are CNC'd with a 18 mm head on them. I got one for my build, a tad pricey IIRc like 40 bucks or something but for the peace of mind and quality of it I don't think it can be beaten.

 

[98fourvalve]

I went out in my parts and dug up my extra one I'm going sandblast and respray. Here's a pic of them split and comparing the 2 o rings. Left is one from middle and right is one from bottom. Verdict. Same o ring. So you said you got some but used the originals. Put one that is maybe a tad thicker in there and you shouldnt have any issues.

Also there is my custom crossover plug a fellow member makes. Fantastic!

 

[Immortal LuD]

SHIT.

Ok, fixed the crossover tube... Worst thing that can possibly happen, when it got up in temp, coolant was spewing all from the backside of the motor.

I can eyeball coolant puddled under the lower intake.

This has to be a gasket or seating issue. Correct? Guess my two days of work did absolutely nothing.

Let me know if you have ever heard of this happening.

I don't have money for new gaskets, but I will see what they look like when I pull them off. Also, when I tear this back down, should I take the lower intake OFF the IMRC's and leave them on to take off the actuator? We had a big issue taking it all off, and now I can probably do it faster. We also shifted the lower intake around a little bit to get all the screws in. I'm thinking it shifted a gasket, but they were seated nice from what I could see.

Thanks guys.

 

[98fourvalve]

check these areas out. I don't think you will have to pull it all off to replace a gasket. I'm going to go ahead and say that it's not going to be a gasket issue as it's not a 5.0 and the crossover is not in the intake.

The tube from the back of the water pump in the middle of block valley. can cause a leak. Did you mess with it or the coolant hoses on firewall/back of heads?

Could also be the lower o ring of the crossover. < seriously look at this. Could seriously just have gotten hot and is spitting coolant into the valley.