Getting rid of carbon buildup in engine

Apparently my engine has carbon buildup inside it.

The repairer poured a glass of water in the carby while the engine was running to clean some of it out.

He said I could do it properly by pouring a cup of "Brake fluid cleaner" down the carby while the engine ran until stalling. Then waiting 15 minutes. Then revving it to clean out all the carbon.

Has anyone heard of these techniques before? Does it work? Is it safe? And what is "Brake fluid cleaner" anyway?

Thanks John

Reply to
John Smyth
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John,

I've heard of spraying water inside a carb just before you change out your spark plugs to help remove carbon.

Reply to
RG

It's not brake fluid cleaner - but brake cleaner - a solvent that evaporates with no residue for cleaning brake components. Maybe he meant brake cleaner fluid - but I've most often seen it in an aerosol spray. Before I ever put solvent into the intake - though many old time mechanics like the cup of water poured slowly method (I wouldn't be doing that either), take the time to _read_ the technical data section on Redline's complete fuel system cleaner page - the part about cleaning carbon off the valve faces and cylinder head - takes around

10,000 miles, but the cost is low, it works safely, and generally improves (and maintains) performance and economy overall.

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idea of pouring water _slowly_ through the intake on a fully warmedengine is that the water turns to steam inside the combustion chamber -steam cleans the inside under pressure - like when mechanics have founda head gasket slow coolant leak and the area nearby is all shiny clean- but if I'm reading your post correctly - this has already been done. If you put a strong solvent - like brake cleaner or Chemtool into the engine you're also stripping away lubricants that protect the running engine components. Brake cleaner is designed for brakes, and Chemtool is designed for cleaning carburetors or fuel system components with the engine off. They talk about pouring some in the oil and running for a few minutes then draining, but that could dislodge bits and chunks that do additional damage. If you're really interested about removing carbon from the ring lands and oil seals, check Auto-rx.com. They have a cleaner that works over

500 miles or so and has had good results.

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Reply to
nospampls2002

I use TechRon from Chevron. Not a quick fix; will take 3000 miles or more, but it is specifcally made for what you're talking about with the added benefit of cleaning the injectors or carb too. Not cheap, $7-8 per bottle, but certainly safer than anything discussed so far.

Reply to
hachiroku

Do you remember where you bought the redline. I went to 2 auto stores and they had both never heard of it. BTW, I'm in Sydney Australia.

Thanks John

Reply to
John Smyth

Do not spray brake cleaner in your manifold. You kept saying 'carby' did you mean Intake Manifold? Is your car fuel injected? The thing is you have this little device called an O2 sensor, and brake fluid will probably F it up, its not meant for to use that way. Water indeed can clean off carbon from the engine, the best results from using water though is to use it regularly on a water injection system. You probably don't need to go that far, though.

What I would do is pick up a can of 'seafoam' Find a vacuum tube on your manifold and let it suck some out of the bottom half of a Styrofoam cup. Let it suck just a few seconds until the car starts to stall, then let it go. Beware that this stuff causes a *massive* amount of smoke to pour out your exhaust for a good 10 minutes, remember...*massive* If you can't find a vacuum hose or don't want to do it that way, simply take off your intake hose and spray the seafoam directly into the manifold.

One other thing to consider is this. If your car has a catalytic converter and your engine has a real bad carbon build up, there is the possible chance your converter is close to being useless or already is. The seafoam will clear all that junk out and may end up causing converter problems, some people have actually seen the carbon build up shoot out the exhaust tips.

The best advice is to keep your car regularly maintained by spraying a bit of seafoam or water into the manifold every oil change, just a bit should help. Do the seafoam at your own risk! If you want more info just Google it you will probably find a ton, also do NOT use seafoam on a rotary engine.

--Josh

Reply to
Josh

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