Engine: Removing rust from the inside of an Intake Manifold.

[SuperHawk Jr]

Hello,

We have an intake manifold that was left outside a little longer than it should have been, and now the inside "waffle pattern" has surface rust on it. Before putting this on a car and having those rust deposits go through the engine, I would like to remove the rust as best as I can.

Does anyone know of a solvent or other cleaner that I can apply to the rust surface of the inside of this intake manifold to help aide me in removing the rust? I would prefer to find a miracle product that I could just pour in, or spray on and wipe / rinse the rust away with. Does such a product exist?

Please advise


Thank you,


-Superhawk, Jr.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Nope.
Beadblast the snot out of it.
Do inside the heat crossover passage, too.
Clean it up, and re-paint it.
You will feel better about your intake manifold, and your self esteem.
HTIH
Jeff

[PackardV8]

Bead blasting is for delicate. This is rusty iron. Suggest a coarser blasting medium, such as nickel slag.

Remove the carb studs and plug the holes with used cap screws. Immediately after blasting, blow it out with high pressure air, chase the carb pad holes and reinstall the studs and spray paint the outside to prevent flash rusting. I've had no problem painting the inside of the manifold also, but your results may vary. When the paint is dry. use a flat file to check the flatness of the intake port mounting surfaces. A few strokes will show if they are flat or need some Indiana machining.

jack vines

[jnormanh]

You can get Naval Jelly in a liquid spray bottle. It will remove the rust in a few minutes.

[sweetolbob]

You could also soak it in vinegar for a few of days. Relatively gentle and pretty effective for surface rust, also pretty cheap.

Bob

[Deaf Mute]

... and what vinegar you don't use on the manifold... makes a good Thanksgiving salad dressing!
That said...
Whenever I blast anything... I cannot get all of the media out of it and thusly am very careful about blasting any part that goes on the suction side of my engine!

[bsrosell]

I have had some success with Evaporust. Sounds like more what you described in your original post. I got it at AutoZone here in Minnesota, but here is the website if you are interested.

http://www.evaporust.com

[DEEPNHOCK]

Well, you could use electrolysis, beet juice, cider, Naval Jelly, and on and on.
(BTDT)
My comment was based on having done a couple hundred intakes, and having tried about a dozen methods with various results.
For the best results, with the least effort and expense.. Sandblast/bead blast the snot out of it.
Sure, you have to clean it afterwords. And clean yourself, too (wear a respirator!)
If you get sand down inside your engine, something wasn't cleaned.
I think the salad dressing might be a bit gritty...
Jeff

... and what vinegar you don't use on the manifold... makes a good Thanksgiving salad dressing!
That said...
Whenever I blast anything... I cannot get all of the media out of it and thusly am very careful about blasting any part that goes on the suction side of my engine!

[PackardV8]

Well, you could use electrolysis, beet juice, cider, Naval Jelly, and on and on.
(BTDT)

Like Jeff, I've tried all the chemical treatments. They do work, but not as quickly or as thoroughly as blasting. At the machine shop, any part to be blasted goes through the parts washer first and air blasted dry. Any moisture, grease or oil will trap the blast medium. After blasting, the part is washed again, air-blasted dry and immediately painted.

jack vines

[hank63]

Quick, efficient but a bit messy - use "brickies acid" (hydrocloric acid). Will make cast iron look like fresh from the foundry.
Warning, do not use on aluminum or alloys.
It's cheap and easy, but handle with care. It's rather aggressive.
/H

[Pat Dilling]

Saw this stuff at the SEMA show. Demos were impressive on everything from sheet metal to engine blocks. Cost is about $15 for a gallon or $80 for a 5 gallon bucket.



Good news is it is completely non-toxic and biodegradable. The end solution is rich in iron and can even be used to fertilize your lawn.

http://www.metalrescue.com/home.aspx

[jclary]

I have a suggestion but it is a little far-fetched for most of us. However, if you have a friend or know of someone with access to a vibratory finishing machine, that would be an excellent prospect for cleaning an intake manifold. It would have to be loaded with a ceramic media that would resist packing and binding in the inner passages but could do a thorough job of cleaning the inside and outside of a manifold.

Problem is, I have never seen one outside of an industrial setting or machine tool trade show.

[tluz]

Eastwood makes a rust dissolver that is very similar to the evaporust product pictured above. It works very well, although heavy rust takes a couple of days of soaking to go away.

[sbca96]

although heavy rust takes a couple of days of soaking to go away.

Wow, dont spill any on your Studebaker then!

Tom

[TXmark]

electrolysis is my vote removes ONLY the oxidized metal works very well on a manifold, simple efective and nota lot of work