While doing engine maintenance, you will find the intake manifold is probably pretty nasty. Those old pieces of gasket must come off, as even the smallest bit of debris can cause a problem between the water jackets and oil ports. Here are a few tips to clean your intake manifold.

1. Scrape

Use a straight edge to scrape as much of the old gasket off of it as you can.

2. Soak

You can soak the intake manifold in a bucket of mineral spirits to get even more of the carbon and built-up gunk off of it. Leave it to soak for an hour or two or use a wire brush to scrub it. The mineral spirits need to be properly disposed of when you are done.

3. Oven Cleaner

You can also use an oven cleaner. Just spray it on the intake manifold, getting it into all the cracks and crevices. Wait for an hour and use a pressure washer to rinse it off. When you use the oven cleaner you do not actually need to soak it in mineral spirits as the oven cleaner works pretty well by itself.