Clean EGR Valve Decarbonize Turbo DPF MPG Limp Mode Mr Muscle VW 1.9TDI Sharan Galaxy Alhambra

I used Oven Cleaner Foam in My Air Intake With Engine Running, to clean out carbon fuel deposits from EGR Valve, Cooler, Inlet Manifold, Actuator Gate Valve, Catalytic Converter, without taking my VW Sharan 1.9 TDI to bits.
The Product I used is Mr Muscle, which cost £1.89. It consists of Sodium Hydroxide, which is very effective at removing baked on carbon and unburned fuel exhaust deposits that block up the EGR valve and prevent adequate air intake. I was confident to do this when I saw it being used to clean a turbocharger and waste gate valve, so I took it to the next level by spraying it directly into the Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve through the air intake pipe.
Seafoam contains potassium hydroxide and is sprayed directly into a running engine through the air inlet. It reacts with aluminium just like MR Muscle Oven cleaner, which contains sodium hydroxide does.

Our car has an intermittent problem with going into limp mode and although it has improved greatly, it still goes into limp mode and the engine management light comes on.

After this treatment, there has been a huge improvement in performance and economy over 800 miles of motorway driving. We were getting around 32-36 miles per gallon. Now we are getting 44.5 miles per gallon, although significantly less than this around town.

[SamuelCharlesworth]

@Andrew K Fletcher I have just done your method and I can confirm NO MORE OVERBOOST LIMP MODE. I tweaked your method slightly. I sprayed into the air intake just after the MAF. Tried both Smart straw up and down - I preferred it down for the spray pattern. I also then had a garden sprayer (same as the Revive Turbo cleaner) which I removed the internal straw and sprayed 750ml of tap water inverted to "rinse" it through. Went for a 20 mile drive and it now feels more eager and boosting correctly throughout the RPM range. Before I did this method I put the car up on the ramps to confirm that infact the boost actuator for the turbo vanes was very stiff. For reference this was on a 2006 Skoda Octavia 140PD BKD engine code with 153k miles. Thank you again.

[Adrian]

As a mechanic of over 20 years I can confirm this is brilliant way to fuck up your engine

[franciscofernandezfelix]

I used in several cars Mercedes and Volvo, Liqui Moly 5168 pro line 400 ml, (only for Diesel engines), with very good cleaning results and great performance. It Cleans all the intake system without disassembly Turbo, EGR valve, Flaps, etc. The spray is a mix of cetone and thinner. It is applied just after MAF sensor.
The turbo, EGR and the engine performs much better after Liqui Moly 5168

[hassanprado]

I did it on a citroen C5 2.0 hdi. 362, 000 km. the car is younger and very cheerful. thank.

[davidbrown]

I used the water method in an old 1.9tdi Passat AFN. Cured limp and went on to cover 287, 000 miles over the years before I sold it. I removed the egr also and cleaned it with Mr muscle. Decarb with water has been carried out successfully for a long time.

[amabeza]

Oven cleaner actually cleared my dpf on a 2008 VW PASSAT.

[Professorclown]

Great tip for clearing out the EGR valve - saves a 'dockyard job' of replacing it. Thanks for taking the time and effort to film and upload this.

[bullenharben]

I have a 2008 seat altea xl & have changed the brake master cylinder. While doing that, I thought I'd clean the egr & asv while I'm about it as they had to come off to gain access to the brake master cylinder. I cleaned them with brake cleaner & a small brass brush & a toothbrush. Everything went back on with no problems until after about 15 miles when the emission service center warning flashed up. Plugged in my scan tool, & sure enough the P0401 egr flow insufficient code reared its ugly head. Off with the asv, & egr again & re installed using hi temp gasket sealant & back out. Same thing.I did a fault code reset both times. I reckon I must have dislodged some shite that ended up down the intake manifold when I took it apart the first time. I used your method but only as far as step one. Mine is a 1.9 tdi, so no need to go behind the maf sensor as the hose to the asv/egr /intake is on the left hand side. I used the smart straw with some pfte tape wound around so I could slide 800 mm of 3mm inside diameter clear pipe over the top. I marked on the hose with permanent marker where the far corner of the intake was, & fed the pipe in. Good shake of the can, slide the straw into the tube, proceed to foam the intake, slowly withdrawing the tube as I sprayed, as to completely get all 4 ports. Once the tube was pulled all the way out past the anti shudder valve, you could see the filth in the foam right away. I left it to work its magic for 1hour & 45 minutes, then I wiped the inlet stubb of the asv and replaced the duct. I have the clips on mine that you just pull out a small amount with a screwdriver or pliers. Put the bonnet down, said a little prayer as I have read the negative comments as well as the positives, then turned the key,



Away she went! Just be ready to feed in a few revs as soon as it fires up & hold it at a steady 2000rpm for at least 20 seconds or so to make sure you don't stall the engine. You want to make sure you burn up all that liquified sheiser in the combustion chambers. I let it idle for a few minutes and then took it out for a 20 mile run on the dual carriageway. This will help to poop out any unwanted shit in the egr system. Got home and no more fault codes. This method DOES WORK! I saw no need to use water, as a good run will burn & blow all the crud anyway. I see no evidence of aluminum being eaten or seals or anything like that. You would need to soak it in a vat of the stuff for a year to do any lasting damage. As for seals? Your rubber gloves would melt would they not? Just use some common sense & save yourself some money. If you are worried about your aluminum being eaten in front of your very eyes, then you can neutralize the sodium hydroxide with vinegar. Just spray a fine mist down to intake as you would with the water technique. I saw no reason to do this myself, as I used 1/4 of a can, if that. The foam is flammable anyway, & is just going to be burned up by the engine itself. My car is a work hack with 163000 miles on it, so I thought I'd roll the dice, having never tried this technique before. I tweaked the method to suit my application & it worked very well. If my turbo gives me any aggravation, then it will get the same treatment as the egr system now I am confident that it works. Most of the negative comments are coming from people who have never tried this technique, as well as thinking that sodium hydroxide is an acid. It is alkaline in fact, so do a bit of research before slagging off someone for trying to help out others.

[jemmace]

I find hydroblast does the trick perfectly. It's a fuel additive that works very well. It's not cheap but is easy to use.
Straight in the fuel tank. Cleans fuel lines, fuel pump and injector's which are the main cause of causing our diesel engines to clog up and slow with all of the dirt present in diesel fuel.

[SW-mkcz]

There is a product from Liqui Moly especially for that purpose! I used it 2times, on a 2.0TFSI 200hp and on a 2.0TDi 140Hp with success.

[guywilloughby]

Mr Muscle oven cleaner is very good for cleaning the EGR valve but only off the vehicle!!

[tomasvymazal]

I did it last summer, twice. My engine works fine, 20000 miles since then, do it carefully, it will work. Do it before oil changing. VW 2006 1.9TDi BXE. Not too much water at once - remember the water lock.

[laszlokatona]

And the legend says the car got so addicted to mr muscle the man had to do this everyday ...

[avrock]

I messed up.I used WD40 on my oven and it burst into flames!!

[jurgendorries]

...thanks for your advice Andrew. I have used your method twice over the last 2 years and it works like a treat. What i did, I 3D printed a plug with a tight fit hole to suit WD40 straw. There is no more over spill. I usually let it sit for two hours than start engine and spray intake with water. - Engine runs freely without any hesitation. I realize that this is not a permanent fix but it solves the problem for quite while cheap and cheerful. If you need such a plug feel free to contact me. - free of charge for you. Thanks again

[LAW-Automotive]

Mr muscle also cleans wheels with the worst brake dust staining you can imagine! Spray on and leave for 15 mins, then get a scotch brite pad and it will lift off with some gentle rubbing and rinsing. Without mr muscle I would have scrubbed for 3 hrs to get it done.

[bigjoe]

Did this on both of my vw diesels each over 150k on the clock. Really shifted the muck off the egr and intake. REALLY DO WEAR GLOVES —I HAD CHEMICAL BURNS FROM THE MR MUSCLE (I should have known better.) the water spray really shifted soot. Big pile so don’t do it on a nice driveway!

[crpth]

Oven cleaner and hair spray are part of my tool kit for more than 20 years. :-)
For the EGR/ manifold and the such whenever possible I prefer to remove and clean on the side. But definitely oven cleaner is the major player.

BTW in case anyone wondering, the hair spray is to assemble tires. Perfect rim sealer and when fresh/wet serves as lubrication. :-)

[craigunwin]

Serious dude water and oven cleaner
That's next level

[lennycook]

The only time I marry oven foam cleaner and a car is to clean alloy wheels that have years of brake dust. I'd not necessarily do it to a new car but it worked a treat on a 15 year old golf. Also cleaned the callipers up a treat. So much so that I cleaned the brakes and wheels on my Daf Lf45 and after being marked as an "advisory" on the previous MOT, this last one it didn't flag up. I only do a few 100 miles a year so they over corrode. There is no way in hell I'd spray it anywhere under the bonnet though, F that!