How to remove hard carbon deposits?

After my 1988 4 cyl. 3S-FE Camry is driven for a few minutes the engine loses power. It is losing fuel pressure (have gauge attached). But for the first few minutes it runs fine. Actually, when you open the hood and watch the gauge when it has started malfunctioning, it's "hunting". At idle, it will rise to about 35 psi, and then go all the way down to about 15 psi, and repeats the cycle about once a second. The car will not accelerate when you push the gas pedal. Will just barely keep running. THought it was the fuel pump flaking out, (before seeing that wild fluctuation with fuel gauge attached). So I changed the fuel pump. Still does the same thing. The pump was in a terrible state of corrosion, so it was not wasted effort or $$$. I am sure it must be the fuel press regulator now. I removed it, and the port connecting to the fuel rail was narrowed down to about 1/8 inch, less than half of the unobstructed diameter! Looks like black carbon deposits. That deposit was easy to remove...but I suspect that the valve stem and seat inside probably has as much carbon buildup, and it might be making the valve stick, which will certainly cause a wild oscillation like this. A new press regulator costs $80 and I am kind of out of more $$$ for parts right now. The diaphragm is not ruptured. You can't dissasemble it to clean the valve seat and stem. So is there a product that will dissolve the deposits from 18 years of gas flowing through it?

Reply to
geronimo
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Identifying those deposits better would help a lot:: - only gasoline had been flowing through this port, I am not sure carbon deposits would be your most likely diagnosis...

By-products of the corrosion you found in the fuel pump would seem more likely. And for there to have been extensive corrosion, it would follow that water, or another electrolyte or corrosive fluid, must have been present at some time, or even over a long period of time.

If I could get the part out, and if I had a friend or acquaintance who had access to an ultrasonic cleaner, I might try that first. (Labs, jewelers, universities, etc sometimes have these. Ultrasonic waves knock off the deposits without the use of chemical cleaners.)

If you can get a small piece of the black deposit and heat it in a flame from, say, a propane torch or even an oven range burner, this will tell you something of the chemistry. If it burns completely, it may be carbon or something totally organic. If it does not burn completely, but changes color, melts, etc. that may give you a better clue.

Let us know a little more if possible.

Reply to
<HLS

Daniel suggested a steam cleaning method for valve deposits that caused excessive clearances. An interesting method but haven't tried it or needed it (regular use of a Tier 1 detergent gas). But here is the article:

From: Daniel - view profile Date: Thurs, Apr 13 2006 9:42 am Email: "Daniel" Groups: alt.autos.toyota.camry

Yes, I have a suggestion. Don't pull the heads just yet. If you're showing .036" clearance instead of .012 and couldn't even purchase a large enough shim, I suspect something else is going on. My guess - just a guess, but I'd try this first, is that you have carbon built up on the valve faces from the prior owner perhaps idling excessively or never getting the engine up to high speed for 200,000 miles. Normally I would recommend Red Line complete fuel system cleaner, because it gently and safely and continuously removes carbon - but it takes a long time, like up to 10,000 miles, and you say you're just fixing up the car for a quick sale. So here's my recommendation. There's an old mechanics trick that many people hold in high regard. Actually you have two choices. Seafoam or distilled water. You can find Seafoam on the Internet or at NAPA stores and I think I also saw some at AutoZone. Seafoam was developed to clean outboard two stroke boat engines fouled with carbon and reportedly does a great job. Just follow directions. Something like pour it into the intake on a fully warmed engine at fast idle until the engine dies then let it sit for around 10 minutes. Then restart and ignore the immense cloud of billowing smoke at the exhaust, and drive the car until the smoke clears up. Method two is using plain water, which people have said works equally well without the smoke. Seafoam's MSDS sheets show light oil and naptha and despite their claims wasn't entirely persuaded this is completely safe for the O2 sensor, whereas with plain water, no contamination concern. Same idea, with the engine hot at fast idle slowly pour water into the intake, keeping the engine from stalling, probably a little less than one quart. If you have a lot of carbon build up, be careful about overheating the catalytic converter. Some have said it can glow orange or red from being overloaded with the exiting carbon - but they're designed to operate at high temperature, so should be no harm, just let it cool a while afterwards. Others have said they found a small pile of carbon below the tail pipe afterward. Caution: Note well --- do_not_ pour water too quickly because there is a risk of "hydrolocking" the engine if you flood it with water filling the cylinders with an incompressible liquid you can do engine damage -- so just trickle the water in slowly and there is no risk of hydrolock. You are essentially steam cleaning the engine, and supposedly you are cleaning it chemically as well it is said the carbon in the engine combines easily with the oxygen in the water. So by either method you should wind up with combustion chambers that are "squeaky" clean. I found the easy way to inject water into the throttle body, was to use a garden sprayer I had in the garage. Had a translucent plastic two gallon bottle with a pump to pressurize and then spray through a nozzle, so I just sprayed a small stream of water into the intake and white steam came out the exhaust. The catalytic converter did not overheat, and I did not find any carbon at the tail pipe, but had already been using Red Line, and valve clearances were in spec.

geronimo wrote:

Reply to
johngdole

Maybe I misunderstood his post. I understood the black deposits to be in the fuel rail or regulator port. This is why I questioned carbon deposits.

If it is carbon (as is often seen in the plenum area, etc), then please ignore my questions.

Reply to
<HLS

If not carbon, then what other impurities can precipitate out of gasoline? The hard black deposits (which must have been impurities in the fuel) that were narrowing the port that connects directly to the fuel rail I was easily able to remove with a scribe. Now the controller port is clear again. But its * inside* the assembly--- where the valve actuator stem and valve seat are---that I cannot get to! I can pour Berrymans carb cleaner down into this port and it doesn't leak out, I guess with no vacuum on the presure controller, the valve is closed. I see there is another Berrymans product specifically for cleaning deposits from fuel injectors. I can imagine undiluted injector cleaner would be pretty potent! Maybe if I let it sit in a jar of this stuff for a day or two, the deposits on the internal valve stem and seat will dissolve?

Reply to
geronimo

There is a better method than just a simple pour-and-go for things like Seafoam, Marvel Mystery Oil, and such. My method for Seafoam is rather extensive. Ready for it?

Go and buy 4 cans of SeaFoam. Best price I've seen is at Advance Auto Parts. This is a driveway method. With your tank around 6 gallons (typically about half in most cars) pour a full can into the tank. Drive the car about 1 mile, then allow to idle for a few minutes, then kill it. Take the other can, and find the best place to pour the liquid. The throttle body or carb is typically best, but anything that flows evenly to all cylinders will do. After about 15 minutes of cooling, fire it up again. Begin SLOWLY pouring in the SeaFoam. The engine will stumble, but do not let it die just yet. If you need to, manipulate the throttle a bit to keep it alive. When about 1/4-1/2 of the can (depending on engine size. More for big 454 V-8's, less for 1.5L I-4s) is in the engine, pour enough to kill it. Allow it to sit for about 1/2-1 hour. After it has, fire it up. It will likely be flooded, so do what you must, BUT DO NOT REV IT JUST YET. Allow to idle for 20-30 seconds, then floor it. Rev it from idle to

4 or 5,000 RPM. After a few bounces, maintain 2500RPM for 15 seconds. You will be visited by a dark greyish cloud that ranges from annoying to the firetrucks showing up. Drive the car around for a mile or 2. Idle for a few minutes, then shut fown for 15. Repeat for the last half of the can of Sea- Foam. After this is done, drive the car to as low as you dare, then pour in a can of Seafoam and top it off. Save the last can for your next tank. This method will blow away dang near any carbon that can be removed without a wire brush. The water method typically involves closer to 2 quarts of water, but it is very important to do it slowly. With this method, try to keep the car running. After you've done as much water as you want to (a pint will help, but 2 quarts will blow away) drive the car until all steam stops. Otherwise you'll have water in your oil rusting your block inside and water in the exhaust rusting it out.

Catalytic converters are designed to run hot, but not too hot. Overheat a catalytic converter and the element inside begins to melt, blocking flow, and if hot enough, will cause a fire.

Reply to
Typrus

If you have had corrosion in the gas tank and gas pump, then impurities, not necessarily soluble in gasoline, can form. The particle size can be so small that they can actually penetrate filters and precipitate on down the line. These particles are called 'colloidal' and are extremely small.

Some possibilties include: Iron oxide (magnetite)...a black iron oxide compound, from the gas tank Tin oxide .........................from attack of the terneplate gastank by alcohol or water Lead oxide.......................same as terneplate Rubber particles.............from decomposition of elastomers, packings, rubber parts

There are a lot of possibilities.. Carbon would possibly be an easier answer than some of the others.

Reply to
<HLS

Actually, I was referring to his "valve stem" part of the message. But if its in the fuel rail, I wonder if the fuel filter should have gotten it. Unless it's the part of fuel hose after the fuel filter disintegrating from the inside to give black carbon like deposits.

Reply to
johngdole

Have you checked the exhaust is clear, specially the cat converter?

Reply to
jg

Black deposits in the fuel line are varnish not carbon. But even with the restriction I will bet that you get enough gas to run, more than enough. You can measure output into a can. But your description of running fine cold is a description of a secondary electric issue such as a bad coil not fuel. Idleing fine but not getting power or bogging is exactly what a shorting coil did for me for 3 years, it started, ran till motor reached full temp then it would not move when stopped, it would even rev up, but under the load needed to ignite enough gas to move the car it would even stall the motor. A bad plug wire will do this to a cilinder, 2 bad wires to 2 cilinders and bad coil to all 4. The camrys of many years in that era are now experiancing this, shorting coils, a common issue. Since the coil is covered you cant see it short. Im not sure your real issue is fuel related at all, a coil is cheap and easy to replace compared to what you are doing with the fuel system. I would not say it is electrical if it had not been my same issue undiagnosed for years and the same ive seen as a common Camry issue that a new coil fixed. Remember its fine cold, even 15lb should accelerate the car hot, maybe not fully-full throttle, but not making it undriveable. I still bet your issue is electrical, a mechanic with a scope would prove this instead of you guessing and parts changing everything.

Reply to
m Ransley

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