One thing people don’t mention is simply doing things to make IM removal easier. Most of this is very much personal preference:
-Removing SAI will keep you from having to disconnect those lines from the SAI valves in the back…everyone who’s done this job knows exactly how much of a pain in the d*ck those things are.
-Doing the JHM coolant bypass for the intake manifold makes for one less thing to remove from the IM. I also replaced the coolant hose that was joined via hose barb, with a single (longer) line to give me a bit more slack and tidy things up behind the motor.
-Running the JHM intake spacers will force you to remove (or modify, but I wouldn’t go through it) the bracket holding the 3rd bolt on the oil separator. You now just have to two that secure it to the IM, and those are much easier to get to.
-Removing the IM flaps/actuators/vac lines means you no longer have to fight to get the IM to just barely clear the radiator support
-I took the lifting rings off the heads vs. removing/installing them every time the IM comes off. In the 5+ years I’ve had the car, I’ve used those rings to pull the motor once. In the grand scheme, I’d rather spend a few minutes reinstalling them for a specific purpose vs. mindlessly reinstalling them because every time because they ‘go there’.
The less time you spend removing the IM, the less your back will hurt by the time you actually start cleaning. (I can have my IM off in <30minutes these days). I used to let the valves soak overnight, but didn’t see much difference between soaking overnight and soaking for 15-20minutes. I just let the valves soak while I’m cleaning the others…get in, get out, be done with it.
CB clean with fuel (cheap) and a couple rounds of cleaning/scraping. The walnut shell solution would be great with the right attachment (like Euro has) as the shells are probably less damaging to the valve stem coating and valve seats at the head, but that’s just my thoughts on it, having never tried it.
