Crystalized / Black Death

Hi, i have recently made the move to do a mobile service in my local area and needed a work VAN to use , My friend has the perfect van for the job Sprinter 2002 with 120,000 original miles that has been setting for 2 years after he inquired it from the original owner, the original owner did all the Maintenance except the critical ones which pulling the valve cover to inspect .

Upon looking at the Bus the obvious was noticeable, Needed a battery, new fuel filter, few door handles were loose, other small glitches. Had the simple stuff sorted out except the electrical gremlin which will cover latter .

Upon starting the bus i couldn't help it but to notice how bad the exhaust smell coming near the Eng bay . Though it was Exhaust leak but that is wrong after i closely inspected the exhaust system,EGR ..Etc.

Well earlier today i pulled the valve cover off to inspect for the notorious leaky injectors that effect those OM612 Eng . This what i have found /....BLACK GOLD , BLACK ROCK BLACK meth


Since its my friend and i am getting the bus for affordable price , he sated he will find what the best route to sort this issue or he will take it back . I feel its a good solid BUS specially with the low milage , the price we agreed on , how big the space is and over all the value of it but now i am facing this mess , i started to remove those big chunks but not sure which way to go about it beyond that

I own several Diesels VW, Ford and do all my work but never seen any thing like that even in the commercial side


Can this stuff be loosen to make sense of the head , clean it and see what i am dealing with , if so what should i use ?
Thanks in advance

Here is a thread I found for you

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71245

Some users have said they used Ether (Easystart) to dissolve the carbon build. I have seen others use Acetone, carb cleaner also

Which product would be the most effective , can I start it without the VC on to warm it up before I apply whatever product to Dissolve this carbon .

I am certain that this issue is causing the hard start issue as maybe the injectors loosing their prime or Air gets in

JoeyB said:

Here is a thread I found for you

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71245

Some users have said they used Ether (Easystart) to dissolve the carbon build. I have seen others use Acetone, carb cleaner also

Click to expand...

Thank you for quick respond...! The other user had it worse . So there is hope

Well my preferred remover is BG carb & throttle body cleaner.
Several passes wills soften the coke and allow you to pick it out, exposing the wiring harness.
From there go easy as not to screw up the harness & sockets spraying as you go releasing the "Coke Clingons". Capt'n Kirk

Fire it up and get the engine warm once most of the coke is removed, then spray with Safeway supermarket oven cleaner. Wash it off with water else you will have a white cylinder head .
All the best
Dennis

So i started the bus to get the head some what warm, Injector #3 is like shooting air mist up ( i believe that is the bad one ) It like a steam train all the compression blown by the injector Seat


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHZEOznlsUc&feature=youtube

The hard part it going to be cleaning up without damaging the harness (new harnesses aren't crazy expensive, but take a while to install). Most folks seem to report that a soak and scrape method works. If you are using a lighter solvent, covering the area with some plastic wrap or tin foil will slow the evaporation, and give the black good more time to soften.

PapiChullo said:

So i started the bus to get the head some what warm, Injector #3 is like shooting air mist up ( i believe that is the bad one ) It like a steam train all the compression blown by the injector Seat

Click to expand...

Well that's good.
Once you have cleaned all the coke from the injector hold downs , run it up and get it hot.
Unscrew each injector hold down bolt in turn a half turn to a full turn (180 to 360) while running hot.
Allow the engine to huff 'n chuff loosening off the injectors in the head.
Again spray the carb cleaner around the injector body (engine stopped )allowing it to penetrate then repeat the loosening off technique until each injector is bouncing up 'n down like sugar plum fairy.
Take into account that the expulsion of gases is eye watering so some goggles helps.

Then while still hot rip out the injectors keeping them in order of removal.
Dennis

Can i drive the Van around with the VC off to get it warmed up to aid in loosing stuff off ?

Is it safe to blast that carbon with Power washer ? The thread was shared in post #2 the user blasted that with Power washer but am not fan specially with the VC is off and don't want to damage any thing there . Any thoughts

In short yes,
but using a power washer might crook the injector harness , and that will add at least $750 to your repair parts list.
So approach that idea with care & caution.
Dennis

lindenengineering said:

In short yes,
but using a power washer might crook the injector harness , and that will add at least $750 to your repair parts list.
So approach that idea with care & caution.
Dennis

Click to expand...

I feel the same way , High pressure water & Eng head not adding up so well with me. The logic stating Big NO but the need is mother of invention. However i don't feel its a brilliant idea

I think i am going to stick to BG carb & throttle body cleaner if i can find it locally

is there any other tricks , solvent , ideas to expedite that process

There have been many reports here of electronics getting messed up by use of power washers in the engine bay. Since you asked... I would not use a power washer.

vic

Tangentially related, but has anyone tried a steam cleaner on the black goo?

Aqua Puttana said:

There have been many reports here of electronics getting messed up by use of power washers in the engine bay. Since you asked... I would not use a power washer.

vic

Click to expand...

Exactly what I was thinking ,it didn’t make any since to m but had to ask .

I have been making slow improvements. Slow and steady win the race

Is it safe to take the van for a drive to warm it up to loosen that gunk and activate the additive i added to that build up ?

As long as the injectors and lines are still secured, you can drive it. Keep your hands clear of the combustion gas leak or any fuel leaks.

There was a post of an owner using a commercial-grade oven decarbonizer to dissolve black death...

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=713563&postcount=1

-dave

Here the video for carbon off says its safe on aluminum, the gel is the tough guy the spray is maintenance, also says to apply cold.
https://rapidswholesale.com/carbon-off-aerosol-19-oz-can.html

i might purchase this just to get the residue left from the injector seal change prior to purchase

Made some great progress yesterday .The tool of a choice is small pick , small screw driver , air gun , shop Vac , EGR cleaner , Carb cleaner , Lots & lots of patience because without it you won’t have fun or make a head way " job goes better with your favorite music , favorite bev or fave earth provide herb or whatever you into " . It’s like digging through rubble / mining to say the least the slower you dig the better .

I was able to see each injector retainer clip , retainer clip bolt , harness is safe ... yay ��

**At this point I am Really considering to warm it up and start the process of pulling the injectors plug the holes so I can have better access to the rest of the head . What’s your input ? Or should I wait and keep cleaning ?

Also going to pull the glow plugs while eng is warm to replace all 5

I have a sonic cleaner that I am considering to fill it with kerosene and run the injectors through it . Any though on that ?


Has any one used a soda Blast gun to clean the head before ?

I would not immersion clean the injectors unless you put an air tight plug on the return and supply lines. Any contamination inside the injector can destroy it. Personally I would clean externally by hand only.

Also, I would not touch the glow plugs at the same time as the injectors. Get the black good cleaned up, and the injectors back in. Once its running and everything seals. Then you can tackle the glow plugs.