My Chrysler dealer told me my 2002 Dodge Caravan with 33,000 miles on it has a very dirty intake manifold and they wanted to clean it. Is this a necessary or advisable repair option? Can I do the same job by using products like Sea Foam cleaner poured down the carb? The car is running fine, no lack of acceleration, and no stumble at idle.
Sherwin D.
Seafoam will work fine to clean everything after the MAF sensor -- throttle body, intake, etc. You will have to find a way to have it enter after the MAF sensor or you will ruin it-- through a port maybe.
Known as a wallet flush... It's not part of the factory recommended maintenance.
You could attempt this yourself, but it will be right back like it is now after a few hours running.
I'm sure the intake IS dirty- it gets that way because the PCV and EGR systems dump "stuff" into it that tends to condense out in the (relatively) cool intake manifold. But I don't tend to do anything about this unless you develop stalling or stumbling at idle. Then, the proper procedure is to wipe down the throttle bodies and throttle blades (you don't have a "carb" on a 2002 Caravan) with a rag soaked in solvent such as carburetor or fuel injection cleaner. Dumping spoo like "sea foam" down the air intake is a good way to do a lot more harm than good.
For what its worth, if you ever remove a very dirty intake plenum and get down to the heads, you'll find that the fuel injectors and the area they spray (including the intake valves) are perfectly clean because the fuel spray keeps it washed down. The only area where the "dirt" can cause a problem is around the throttle valves, which is why they get WIPED clean with a rag, not blasted with a spray that will move dirt all around the intake system. If you're not having problems, leave it alone.
Will using ether in the air box to start an engine that's been sitting for a long time damage the MAF? (I have a friend who recently did this in a fuel injected '83 Porsche 944)
--Art
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