# Flushing junk out of the intake manifold **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** toyota, pickup\ **Created:** [January 25, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flushing-junk-out-of-the-intake-manifold/43166 "2010-01-25T00:05:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flushing-junk-out-of-the-intake-manifold/43166/1 "2010-01-25T00:05:59Z")
turned further by hand. It’s 3/8 pipe thread, tapered, and has only 4 threads, so it probably isn’t too tight in the original. How can I test it without putting e The temperature sender gauge, a piece of brass that screws into the intake manifold broke. I ended up drilling it out, 1/64" at a time. If I was lucky, and I haven’t been so far, I ground the part that abides inside the manifold into filings; if I was unlucky a larger piece broke off. Then I drilled out the threaded part’s shaft and chased the threads (I hope) with the correct tap. I didn’t have to apply much torque to twist it, but aluminum is soft. How much sense would it make to run the engine with this hole open, flushing the coolant out this hole - hoping that it would flush out the junk? The replacement gauge screws into the hole too loosely for my tastes, but when fully inserted grips and can’t be verything back on and running the engine? Can I dress the threads with something other than teflon tape or pipe dope that will hold better? I’d prefer not to drill a larger hole and insert a helicoil - but I can’t have everything. ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flushing-junk-out-of-the-intake-manifold/43166/2 "2010-01-25T00:12:58Z")
I screwed up my original post. Please ignore it and read this instead. How do I delete a message? ``` The temperature sender gauge, a piece of ``` brass that screws into the intake manifold broke. I ended up drilling it out, 1/64" at a time. If I was lucky, and I haven’t been so far, I ground the part that abides inside the manifold into filings; if I was unlucky a larger piece broke off. Then I drilled out the threaded part’s shaft and chased the threads (I hope) with the correct tap. I didn’t have to apply much torque to twist it, but aluminum is soft. ``` How much sense would it make to ``` run the engine with this hole open, flushing the coolant out this hole - hoping that it would flush out the junk? ---
**Author:** ![Whitey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/whitey/32/24680_2.png) [@Whitey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Whitey)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flushing-junk-out-of-the-intake-manifold/43166/3 "2010-01-25T01:02:56Z")
Are you writing poetry? Why have you formatted your posts with such short lines? Also, your user name doesn’t really inspire people to respond. ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flushing-junk-out-of-the-intake-manifold/43166/4 "2010-01-25T02:55:28Z")
R U Having fun yet?? All of the metal chips / chunks will settle to the bottom of the block or radiator and not cause any problems. Or you could flush the engine by disconnecting the lower radiator hose and attach your garden hose to that nice 3/4" hole you have fashioned…You could play around with the heater hoses too…teflon tape would work BEST except you might not get the required electrical connection…the sender must be grounded… If it were mine…I would use JB-Weld as the thread dope, or Teflon tape…Then, using a stainless hose clamp, I would attach a wire lead to the body of the sender and ground the other end to a nearby nut or bolt. Have you to dared to put a little torque on the sender? Finger tight won’t cut it… ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/flushing-junk-out-of-the-intake-manifold/43166/5 "2010-01-25T05:29:17Z")
Quoth Caddyman: ‘All of the metal chips / chunks will settle to the bottom of the block or radiator and not cause any problems.’ They won’t make it to the fuel pump? Clog some filter? Quoth Caddyman: ‘Or you could flush the engine by disconnecting the lower radiator hose and attach your garden hose to that nice 3/4" hole you have fashioned’ 5/8", I hope. The biggest piece I put through it was the tap. The worst thing I have done is miss the original threads and created a second set. Can I get some flow through the system without turning on the engine? Take off the lower hose stick the garden hose on the sender’s hole, force water through? Quoth Caddyman: ‘teflon tape would work BEST except you might not get the required electrical connection…the sender must be grounded…’ Whoops! Thanks for reminding me. I had already figured this out: it has only 1 lead so must rely on conduction through the manifold to ground. Quoth Caddyman: ‘If it were mine…I would use JB-Weld as the thread dope…’ How about leaving the threads bare and applying JB-Weld to the underside of the bolt-head part, gluing it to the manifold? Quoth Caddyman: ‘Have you to dared to put a little torque on the sender?’ No. Quoth Caddyman: ‘Finger tight won’t cut it.’ I know. I wanted to back off to think about it for a bit. Maybe somebody has a good way to test the threads. I’ve tapped new holes but never chased threads before. It’s no catastrophe if I have to glue it in and provide an alternative path to ground.