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beetleman217 Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2011 Posts: 515 Location: Canada
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:32 am Post subject: Losing my mind over a clogged heat riser pipe! |
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I've tried everything I could think of but am unable to unplug my heat riser pipe. Here's the culprit:
I've tried the steel wire and drill trick
Spring steel cable with a super pointy end
Compressed air
I even filled it with oven cleaner and left overnight, then tried paint thinner and left overnight... But nothing! I'm so frustrated. Are there any other methods? Please help.
Thanks _________________ If all else fails, stop using all else
1977 Westfalia
1961 Beetle |
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SgtSamy Samba Member
Joined: July 10, 2010 Posts: 734 Location: Miami, Florida
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:45 am Post subject: |
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Link
_________________ At the moment owner of:
1968 Mex Beetle |
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BWD Samba Mailman
Joined: August 23, 2002 Posts: 2154 Location: In bed.
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:00 am Post subject: |
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Oxy acetylene torch, BAM! _________________ BWD
JHC
member #2850
1966 Beetle
_____________________________ |
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uglyvw Samba Member
Joined: February 14, 2007 Posts: 173 Location: Arkansas
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:57 am Post subject: |
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I've done them with the steel wire trick. I used an old clutch cable, and cut 3 different lengths. Fray the end of out a little like a wire brush. Start with the short one so it won't flex too much, once that one will go all the way in, switch to the next length and so forth. Still takes a bit of time, but it does work. |
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drscope Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007 Posts: 15273 Location: Baltimore, Maryland USA
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 8:35 am Post subject: |
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BWD wrote: |
Oxy acetylene torch, BAM! |
X2. This works and is very easy. _________________ Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch! |
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pav266 Samba Member
Joined: November 22, 2006 Posts: 89 Location: Mechanicsburg, PA
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 9:00 am Post subject: |
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Take a old throttle control from a lawnmower (the kind with the spiral metal outer jacket and single inner wire).
Bent the inner wire in a short hook where it sticks out of the outer jacket, put the other end of the assembly in a drill and the hook will drill right through the carbon. It is flexible enough to go around the bends in the pipe. _________________ Paul
1963 1200 Anthracite
1969 Citroen DS21 Pallas BVH
1974 Citroen SM 2.7L 5 speed injection electronique |
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beetleman217 Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2011 Posts: 515 Location: Canada
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 10:10 am Post subject: |
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BWD wrote: |
Oxy acetylene torch, BAM! |
How do I do that? Heat from outside? Blow the heat inside? Isn't there a chance of melting the cast that holds the pipes together?
Thanks _________________ If all else fails, stop using all else
1977 Westfalia
1961 Beetle |
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79SuperVert Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2002 Posts: 9758 Location: Elizabeth, NJ & La Isla Del Encanto
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 10:10 am Post subject: |
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My mechanic has cleared out two of them for me by drilling holes at the bends and welding them shut after the carbon is cleaned out. The patching up is not visible since it is facing the front of the car. _________________ Central Jersey VW Society
Wanted: Art Collins VW (Savannah, Georgia) items - license plate surrounds and other items. Also ivory "AM", "FM" and "SW" buttons for a US Blaupunkt Frankfurt. |
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74 Thing Samba Member
Joined: September 02, 2004 Posts: 7369
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crvc Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2004 Posts: 1308
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:47 am Post subject: |
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I put mine in the vise and tried with a drill and frayed cable. That didn't work so I poured hydrochloric acid in both holes. Then the next morning I used the cable and drill and was able to blast through the plug. But the acid splashed onto my coveralls and shoes, eating big holes in both.
crvc |
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drscope Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007 Posts: 15273 Location: Baltimore, Maryland USA
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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79SuperVert wrote: |
My mechanic has cleared out two of them for me by drilling holes at the bends and welding them shut after the carbon is cleaned out. The patching up is not visible since it is facing the front of the car. |
The problem with this is that you have no idea of what the inside looks like after you weld it back up. A lot of times you get a knarly restriction that cloggs up again in a much shorter period of time. _________________ Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch! |
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jzjames Samba Member
Joined: September 27, 2007 Posts: 1921 Location: Windy Point, WA
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:17 pm Post subject: |
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uglyvw wrote: |
I've done them with the steel wire trick. I used an old clutch cable, and cut 3 different lengths. Fray the end of out a little like a wire brush. Start with the short one so it won't flex too much, once that one will go all the way in, switch to the next length and so forth. Still takes a bit of time, but it does work. |
I did mine exactly like this, different lengths of cable starting with the short ones. I bought my cables by the foot at Leowes, I think it was 3/8 or something, maybe 5/16.
Cut the cable to a length that would supply some torque at the tip of it, and started drilling. It's not going to come out easily, and you will have to let the cable spin, chewing away at the carbon, and keep checking for carbon dust that will come out.
It seems once you get the feel of it that will produce carbon dust coming out, then you can eat away at it and accomplish the clean-out. |
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BWD Samba Mailman
Joined: August 23, 2002 Posts: 2154 Location: In bed.
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:47 pm Post subject: |
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beetleman217 wrote: |
BWD wrote: |
Oxy acetylene torch, BAM! |
How do I do that? Heat from outside? Blow the heat inside? Isn't there a chance of melting the cast that holds the pipes together?
Thanks |
Get it good and hot, then turn up the oxy, bam, like a shotgun, make sure the other end is pointed away from anything! _________________ BWD
JHC
member #2850
1966 Beetle
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nlorntson Crazy VW Lady
Joined: March 13, 2004 Posts: 3776 Location: Twin Cities, MN
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Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 5:09 pm Post subject: |
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This works without the acet/oxy. You can just heat the carbon with a propane torch for a few seconds, than blow compressed air across it and it will burn out the carbon Use only 20psi or so from a air blower. Works best if the passage through the pipe is at least open a little bit which most of them are.
Alternatively you can use an oxy/acetylene torch and heat up the carbon directly and when it is red hot, cut the acetylene and increase the oxygen. The carbon lights up and burns it self away inside the tube. There will be a ton of smoke so do in a ventilated area.
Phun with Chemistry! |
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beetleman217 Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2011 Posts: 515 Location: Canada
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 5:01 am Post subject: |
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Thank you all for your input. Let this thread be a warning to anyone attempting to unclog the heater pipe in the manifold - sometimes the situation is much worse than discussed in the above posts!
After trying over and over and hitting a brick (or should I say carbon) wall, I decided it's time for the big guns. While had I not seen the video posted above by SgtSamy I would not have dreamed of drilling the pipe, I realized there's no choice.
The only problem was that drilling a hole in the pipe was the easy part. I soon discovered that the carbon build up inside the pipe was rock hard! I bought a huge 18 inch 10mm drill bit, put the manifold on a vise, and working with my drill on full speed it took me an hour to drill out, using tremendous force and my whole body weight! I had to constantly cool the drill bit with water every few seconds. And let's not talk about how the room looked when I was done!
The drill bit
The hole
Patched up with liquid weld
_________________ If all else fails, stop using all else
1977 Westfalia
1961 Beetle |
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BWD Samba Mailman
Joined: August 23, 2002 Posts: 2154 Location: In bed.
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 7:16 am Post subject: |
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_________________ BWD
JHC
member #2850
1966 Beetle
_____________________________ |
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tkelley Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2006 Posts: 1597 Location: Where Pterodactyls crash and burn...
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 10:12 am Post subject: |
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BWD wrote: |
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x2 _________________ When the sun doesn't rise, we'll replace it
with an H-bomb explosion or a painted jail cell... |
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drscope Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007 Posts: 15273 Location: Baltimore, Maryland USA
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 11:30 am Post subject: |
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All I can say is a torch is way easier! _________________ Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch! |
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johnR Samba Member
Joined: August 25, 2009 Posts: 668 Location: Virginia
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 8:24 am Post subject: |
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I had no problem using several lengths of steel twisted cable (1/4" or 3/8", I can't remember) and a regular drill. Started with maybe 4-5" piece of cable, drill, tap the dust out. Did this til each length cleared everything it could. Stepped up to 6-7" length did the same, etc., etc. Eventually had a 2 foot or so piece running clear through the other end of the hear riser. Took a little while and got pretty dirty from the soot, but cleared it out well. |
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Culito 11010101
Joined: December 07, 2006 Posts: 5863 Location: Columbia Missourah
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:50 am Post subject: |
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Time for a new manifold! _________________ Copyright CJ Industries, Inc.
'64 standard w/2.0L type 4
'62 bug
johnnypan wrote: |
...dont pay no attention to Culito,he's a cornhole.. |
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