Greenback here,
I am cleaning my Plenum for what appears to be the first time. I have a '92 Q45 with 140k miles. I have only owned the car for a year and have just started tinkering with it. The TB was nasty. The Plenum looks even nastier. Right now I am cleaning the inside of the plenum without removal.
My question is about a dime sized divot at the entry of the plenum. It is not the hole immediately at entry but the one behind and to the right. It was caked with brittle black nuggets. I started to chip at it and most of it came off, but the remainder has become stubborn. What am I picking at and should I be concerned with it?
Oh and uh, Is it cool to use carb cleaner in the plenum. Like I am talking about in that sucker. Don't I have to worry about getting some of it down the runners?
And how the hell do you clean your MAF, AAC, EGR? What exactly are yall cleaning? The connectors or what? I dunno. Any input is sweet and greatly appreciated. This is my first time on the boards. I found this site by accident and it has been a blessing so far.
Plenum Q for my Q........
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AZhitman
- Administrator
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Welcome aboard!
Might not be a bad idea to pull the plenum for a thorough cleaning. Makes for a much easier and thorough job, although the plenum removal and replacement is no fun. Don't fret too much about the "divot", just clean it the best you can. Sounds like it's never been cleaned before, and that's an area where deposits form over time. Plenum CAN be cleaned on the car, you just need really skinny arms and some creative "tools' to get the rags in and out of the runners. Definitely pull the TB off, though.
When cleaning the TB, pay special attention to the 2 tiny holes near where the butterfly closes - Those are your idle air openings. Go buy yourself 5 cans of throttle body cleaner (99 cents each!) and a bag-o-rags and start scrubbing. You can remove the MAF, turn it face-up and hose it down good with cleaner as well - Don't touch the insides!
Lastly, spend a few days reading the online mechanic forum - There's a WEALTH of good info here, and don't forget to use the search button above.
Welcome, and enjoy your stay!
Might not be a bad idea to pull the plenum for a thorough cleaning. Makes for a much easier and thorough job, although the plenum removal and replacement is no fun. Don't fret too much about the "divot", just clean it the best you can. Sounds like it's never been cleaned before, and that's an area where deposits form over time. Plenum CAN be cleaned on the car, you just need really skinny arms and some creative "tools' to get the rags in and out of the runners. Definitely pull the TB off, though.
When cleaning the TB, pay special attention to the 2 tiny holes near where the butterfly closes - Those are your idle air openings. Go buy yourself 5 cans of throttle body cleaner (99 cents each!) and a bag-o-rags and start scrubbing. You can remove the MAF, turn it face-up and hose it down good with cleaner as well - Don't touch the insides!
Lastly, spend a few days reading the online mechanic forum - There's a WEALTH of good info here, and don't forget to use the search button above.
Welcome, and enjoy your stay!
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Q451990
- Moderator
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- Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 8:21 am
- Car: 1990 Q45 - 118K, 2022 Toyota 4 Runner, 2004 Frontier M/T - 108K, 2012 Xterra (Mom's), 2023 Rogue (Inlaws)
- Location: Columbia, SC
- Contact:
Sounds like the "dime sized divot" you're talking about is the EGR input. The whole tube back to the EGR is probably caked with carbon. You really need to remove all of this stuff to clean it right. The danger you have right now is that all of those cans of carb. cleaner will fall into the runners and then cook onto the valves and piston crowns. At a mininum, be sure to take it out for a "blow the doors off" drive after it warms up on your first start-up. You want to get as much of that stuff out as possible.
With as much remedial work as you're doing, you really need to have the plenum off anyway. I use brake parts cleaner for this. The best I've ever seen is BG throttle body cleaner - I think it's basically a tripple strength brake parts cleaner, but it's only available at dealerships and shops.
Cleaning out the entire EGR port will really help your engine at cruise. As far as cleaning the AAC and EGR - just remove them and physically clean out the crud with the parts cleaner.
On the MAF, only use BRAKE PARTS CLEANER since it doesn't leave a residue. Remove the MAF and spray a little through the screen and over the cleaner. Do this while it's unpluged.
Welcome to NICO! Where are you located?
Heath
With as much remedial work as you're doing, you really need to have the plenum off anyway. I use brake parts cleaner for this. The best I've ever seen is BG throttle body cleaner - I think it's basically a tripple strength brake parts cleaner, but it's only available at dealerships and shops.
Cleaning out the entire EGR port will really help your engine at cruise. As far as cleaning the AAC and EGR - just remove them and physically clean out the crud with the parts cleaner.
On the MAF, only use BRAKE PARTS CLEANER since it doesn't leave a residue. Remove the MAF and spray a little through the screen and over the cleaner. Do this while it's unpluged.
Welcome to NICO! Where are you located?
Heath
Yeah I really do need to do the full plenum job, it definetly has never been done before, so it will be a first for both of us. I have cleaned the TB but I did not need all that much parts cleaner. The two holes yall spoke of, on the TB, I just blasted with an air compressor and that seemed to do the trick.
Now with the sensors...I took off the MAF, it doesn't look dirty at all. The EGR will have to be cleaned. I didn't realize what my dime sized divot was leading to, now I know. It is completely clogged. The AAC is getting a spray down as well.
Oh and I am stationed in atlanta. Have been for my whole life, all 24 years of them.
thanks yall. Ben
Now with the sensors...I took off the MAF, it doesn't look dirty at all. The EGR will have to be cleaned. I didn't realize what my dime sized divot was leading to, now I know. It is completely clogged. The AAC is getting a spray down as well.
Oh and I am stationed in atlanta. Have been for my whole life, all 24 years of them.
thanks yall. Ben
T-3? Uhhh... The Movie? But seriously, what/where is this "T-3" you speak of?
also, I pulled off one of the hoses that connects to the "air flow tube" and it has this wire thing inside. It moves around a little, but would have to be forced out. Any ideas on what this is. From what I can see it looks like the end of a wire brush. It is one of the larger diameter hoses that has a brass coupling to connect with. The air flow is virtually restricted in that hose.
Anyways, back to cleaning...
also, I pulled off one of the hoses that connects to the "air flow tube" and it has this wire thing inside. It moves around a little, but would have to be forced out. Any ideas on what this is. From what I can see it looks like the end of a wire brush. It is one of the larger diameter hoses that has a brass coupling to connect with. The air flow is virtually restricted in that hose.
Anyways, back to cleaning...
T3 Automotive Atlanta (South Cobb Drive location and there is another too).
They are in the yellow pages, I think.
Generally considered the very best place to take an early Q, east of the Missisippi, perhaps the country.
Members often drive 100's of miles just to have work done there ( I did many times, an almost 900 miles round trip).
Fred...
They are in the yellow pages, I think.
Generally considered the very best place to take an early Q, east of the Missisippi, perhaps the country.
Members often drive 100's of miles just to have work done there ( I did many times, an almost 900 miles round trip).
Fred...
Just did a "brush" search and someone else had an obstruction in one of their TB hoses. He called it a "bottle brush". From what I can see and picture, his description is on par with mine. Wonder if it was always in there. And if so, wouldn't that be something Infiniti would recall. Weird huh?
edit: Thanks Palmer. I will check them out for sure.
edit: Thanks Palmer. I will check them out for sure.
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VenCountyQ
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 8:44 am
O.K. yall. I am blind.
I found the EGR and started cleaning it. Gunked to the max. It is the AAC that has escaped me. Is it under the plenum? What are some distinguishing characteristics that I should look for? I have run some searches but have been unable to find the missing link. any suggestions?
Also I found a loose ground wire. It runs from the battery cable harness area and it ends right around where the dip stick is. There seems to be no where to ground it? I am stumped.
I found the EGR and started cleaning it. Gunked to the max. It is the AAC that has escaped me. Is it under the plenum? What are some distinguishing characteristics that I should look for? I have run some searches but have been unable to find the missing link. any suggestions?
Also I found a loose ground wire. It runs from the battery cable harness area and it ends right around where the dip stick is. There seems to be no where to ground it? I am stumped.
Thanks Daedalus. MY92Q, I beleive we were victims of sabotage. It doesn't seem right at all and would cause more problems than it solves. If there was supposed to be a filter there, then it is my thinking that another expensive part would be doing the job not some fifty cent wire brush. It is just so shady and I feel much better now that it is out.