Looking to clean my air intake system 7.3 TD - Diesel Forum

dons7.3diesel · 12-11-2012, 03:36 PM

I got another newbie question for you guys. I got my 97 Turbo diesel with some minor mods: intercooler, cold air intake, beams stage 1 injectors and of course the much needed 3" into 5" down pipe. the guy I got the truck from had a single stage high performance chip in it which was rated over 160+ hp. It black smokes if I punch it and I was wondering how or if its necessary to run some type of cleaner through the air intake because of the thick black smoke? let me know what you know about this, thanks.

**Justin@DP-Tuner** · 12-11-2012, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dons7.3diesel

I got another newbie question for you guys. I got my 97 Turbo diesel with some minor mods: intercooler, cold air intake, beams stage 1 injectors and of course the much needed 3" into 5" down pipe. the guy I got the truck from had a single stage high performance chip in it which was rated over 160+ hp. It black smokes if I punch it and I was wondering how or if its necessary to run some type of cleaner through the air intake because of the thick black smoke? let me know what you know about this, thanks.

The smoke is not stemming from a dirty air filter. It is probably smoking because of that single stage chip. Also, it is impossible to get 160hp from a chip on a stock OBS truck.

It sounds like you could benefit from some custom tunes. That single stage chip is probably doing you more harm than good.

If you are interested in tunes, let me know. I will get you setup.

AaronSEIA · 12-11-2012, 05:40 PM

He did say he's got stage 1's too. Just going to be a smokey truck set up the way it is. Custom tunes and maybe a different turbo. Certainly a better tuner setup.
AaronSEIA

ford_doctor · 12-11-2012, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dons7.3diesel

I got another newbie question for you guys. I got my 97 Turbo diesel with some minor mods: intercooler, cold air intake, beams stage 1 injectors and of course the much needed 3" into 5" down pipe. the guy I got the truck from had a single stage high performance chip in it which was rated over 160+ hp. It black smokes if I punch it and I was wondering how or if its necessary to run some type of cleaner through the air intake because of the thick black smoke? let me know what you know about this, thanks.

So far everybody has completely missed you question entirely. Since your 7.3L is a non-EGR engine the exhaust smoke has no effect on your intake system whatsoever as far as maintenance is concerned... so no cleaning is needed. On these engines oil contamination can be a concern if the turbo fails but the normal oil carryover from the crankcase vent should not considered a problem. Through the years of production, 7.3L Engines had several different air cleaner configurations. The early ones were prone to poor sealing from the first trucks and progressively got better. In my experience many aftermarket filter systems also fell short of achieving adequate filtration and often allowed dirt to enter the the intake system due to poorly executed installations. The result has been many dusted turbochargers and engine cylinders.

Unless you suspect that you have a problem or have had a turbo failure I would not give this any more thought. But, in the event of contamination from a failed turbo or excessive oil or dirt ingestion, the recommended cleaning procedure is to remove the charge air cooler and clean it with water and a degreaser such as Simple Green, rinse and air dry. The charge air tubes can be cleaned in a similar manner or rinsed in a parts cleaner and and dried.

Probably more than you wanted to know or asked for but I was on a roll.

AaronSEIA · 12-11-2012, 09:06 PM

I wouldn't say we missed it. I'd say we are all assuming the thing is smoking like some high school kids Dodge when he stands on it. That issue is directly related to a bad tune and the stage 1 injectors. You are correct saying that nothing needs to be done to the air intake to fix the problem, though giving a smoking diesel (due to too much fuel) more air will clean up the fire.
AaronSEIA

dons7.3diesel · 12-12-2012, 08:13 AM

Thanks for the replies, just to be clear my truck runs fine there's no turbo issues or anything. I was asking about cleaning the air intake system because of the black smoke, it doesn't black smoke unless I stomp it or bogg it out though, i drive pretty normal so it doesn't black smoke to often. But the chip in it is tuned hot and it is at the peak hp, ive got a DP tuner chip coming tomorrow. I've heard of a product they use to clean intake systems called "power tune", it's a spray that you spray through the air intake while pushing the accelerator. Not sure if anyone's heard of it or not

Snowtow · 12-12-2012, 10:00 AM

There is no "air intake system". You have an air filter and then tubing that leads directly into the turbo. The black smoke isn't a result of anything dirty in the intake, nor does the black smoke have any affect on the intake. You're barking up the wrong tree.

**Justin@DP-Tuner** · 12-12-2012, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dons7.3diesel

Thanks for the replies, just to be clear my truck runs fine there's no turbo issues or anything. I was asking about cleaning the air intake system because of the black smoke, it doesn't black smoke unless I stomp it or bogg it out though, i drive pretty normal so it doesn't black smoke to often. But the chip in it is tuned hot and it is at the peak hp, ive got a DP tuner chip coming tomorrow. I've heard of a product they use to clean intake systems called "power tune", it's a spray that you spray through the air intake while pushing the accelerator. Not sure if anyone's heard of it or not

I hope you enjoy your new tunes. If you have any questions about them, feel free to contact me whenever.

That product you are describing to clean your intake is for naturally aspirated engines I am sure. Do not worry about cleaning the intake on your truck. Once you have better tunes, your problem will disappear.

AaronSEIA · 12-12-2012, 12:36 PM

Hope this doesn't come across as insulting, but I'll try to explain why your truck smokes when you stand on it. The stage 1 injectors are being told by that high hp chip to dump massive (compared to stock) amounts of fuel into the cylinder in order to make the power your right foot is asking for. Until the turbo catches up (called lag time) stuffing air in the intake you will have black smoke. Think of that over fueled cylinder as a tire fire. Awful smokey. Now, add some forced air under the tire fire and the smoke goes away. Same thing is happening in your engine. As others have said, there is nothing you can put in your intake that is going to take care of the problem unless you want to get into nitrous or propane injection. The chip you have coming will fix the problem. Maybe see some haze on a hard acceleration, but nothing bad.
AaronSEIA

dons7.3diesel · 12-13-2012, 08:12 AM

I will explain my question a bit more next time, seems some are missing what I was asking. I know where the black smoke comes from, and yes theres an "air in take system" its a breather tube going into the turbo etc etc it may not be refered to as an air intake system but thats what I called it. And I also know that the black smoke doesn't effect the actuall air intake and I know what causes black smoke. The black smoke does go through the turbo and does coat the entire exhaust piping from there back. I was asking if there is a cleaner you can spray into your air intake that will push out all excess carbon build up from there back. I see alot of trucks now adays (most rich teenagers without a clue) black smoking like crazy cause its "cool", and I've heard of turbos going out as well, not sure if it's related but I would think that the turbo would be effected over time with eccess black smoking.......
Is there a cleaner out there that you can spray through your air intake to clean out any carbo build up? I've been told "power tune" works and recommened to use right before an oil change as this product breaks down the oil.............sounds like Justin knows his stuff lets hear what you think.......

Snowtow · 12-13-2012, 09:41 AM

No there isn't something you spray in the intake. There are fuel additives that will remove carbon build up though.

The best thing to do is get a multiposition chip programmed correctly that won't create a smokescreen. I know that isn't what you want to hear, but it's the truth.

AaronSEIA · 12-13-2012, 03:27 PM

I think I get it. You are talking about the crankcase vent. Goes from the drivers side valve cover up to the intake tube, right? There are some guys that have done a CCV mod and routed the hose down under the truck. As for burning off carbon, it really isn't a problem. Now, the lot of smoke/turbo blows thing has some truth to it. Not from carbon build up, but from making more boost over time than the turbo was designed for. Stock our trucks make around 17-18 lbs, maybe up to 20 lbs of boost. If you put in big fuel and a chip to match it, you can make up to 35 or 40 lbs of boost or more (with smoke to match). Our turbo's cannot take that over time. The same for any diesel engine turbo, only the exact numbers will be different. If I'm still not right, take a picture of what yo are refering to as an air intake system so we can all get on the same page. We're all here to help.
AaronSEIA