How to clean the cylinder head on a Peugeot EB2 1.2 VTi PureTech engine and on any engine

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  • OVERALL DIFFICULTY INDEX: 4/10
  • IF YOU HAVE NO TOOLS YOU SPEND $175 TO GET THEM FOR THIS JOB
  • IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE YOU SPEND 3 HOURS TO CARRY OUT THIS JOB
  • RISK OF IRRITATION FROM CONTACT WITH DUST AND USED MOTOR OIL. RISK OF INJURY FROM ROTATING BRUSHES MOUNTED ON A POWER TOOL.
BEFORE YOU START
  • Make sure to wear gloves at all time when working on dirty mechanical parts
  • Work in a well ventilated area and wear masks not to breathe dust and particles from clutch.
  • Be very careful when handling a power drill fitted with a metal brush.
DISCLAIMER:
Our pictorials are of informative nature and do illustrate works carried out by ourselves at our own premises for our own use and satisfaction.
Readers who envisage to carry out similar works inspired by the below method shall do this at their own risks and liability.

Removing the cylinder head and dismantling camshafts and valves

The below pictorial does not show how to remove the camshafts, cylinder head and valves on the Peugeot 1.2 VTi PureTech engine.
Click on the below buttons for visiting the related pages. The works on this PSA engine are very similar if not identical on almost any engine.

Cleaning the cylinder head with metal and hard wire brushes
(shown on Peugeot 208 1.2 VTi)

Fit a cup brush to a power drill or angle grinder and start by brushing the combustion chamber and valve seats.
Any metal brush does the job but it is always preferred to use hard brass brushes.
Cleaning the carbonized oil behind the valves requires smaller brushes.
The use of a mini power tool and its complete kit as shown in the left picture is practical in this case although the brushes in such kits are usually of low quality. They still do the job or part of it.
Select the right brush size by trying it with your hand prior to fitting it to the brushing tool.
Brush well the intake and exhaust channels behind the cylinder head valves and vary the spinning speed of the brush until you find which one is the most efficient. Wear the right protective respiratory mask since black carbon particles will be freed in the air when brushing the exhaust side (see second picture from left). Brush well the valves seats.
Control your work with a light to see how efficient was the cylinder head brushing.
This picture shows how the intake channels are almost clean while thick and hard carbon deposits are still present on the exhaust ones.
A new hard brass cup brush is fitted to the mini-drill. 
The brush with brass wires gives a better result on ultra hard deposits.
​See the result in the right picture, now the cylinder head channels behind the valves are perfectly clean.
The next step now consists of using long reach brushes to clean up the cylinder head channels all along their length from the space behind the valves up to where the intake and exhaust manifolds are connected.
Brushes for gun cleaning are suitable indeed but you can also use other brushes for professional or even kitchen use as shown further below.
The exhaust channels in particular will need a second pass of a power tool brush.
The mini-drill kit includes a flexible head tat is very practical for scrubbing the exhaust channels of the cylinder head.
Fit a hard brass brush to the flexible drill extension and have it go through the exhaust channels as far as it can go.
Extra long hard plastic wire brush can complete the job to a perfect result as shown here below.
These brushes are hard enough yet flexible enough to go through the cylinder head channels all the way out from the other side.
Use a cylindrical brush of 12-14 mm diameter to clean the thread of the spark plugs: 

Cleaning the cylinder head with solvent

After brushing the cylinder head, you can use a solvent to clean it.
No need to buy specific solvents, white spirit and kerosene can be used.
Use a soft cloth to wipe off the cylinder head surfaces and channels. 
Do not use a brush anymore as this sends solvent droplets to the surroundings and to your eyes.
Use a soft cloth rolled around a large flat screwdriver to clean well the spark plugs wells and injectors seats.
Put a little solvent on the cloth.
Once done, make sure of the final result with a portable lamp.
This cylinder head has now been cleaned using widely available DIY and home-use brushes.

See also...