Combustion chamber cleaner

[Patman]

A lot of guys I know on the net with LT1s are big fans of using Seafoam in order to clean out their combustion chamber. They spray it directly into the throttle body and then the car smokes like crazy for a while but these guys report drastic improvements in throttle response afterwards.

I'm wondering if my use of Neutra in the fuel is good for cleaning the combustion chamber of carbon, or do I need to do more drastic methods like these guys do? I'd really rather not spray stuff into the throttle body like that. I'd like to have a product which can clean the combustion chamber by adding it to the fuel.

 

[DABEAR95]

I have been debating if I want to try a cleaner like Seafoam myself. It seems pretty potent and I'm concerned that it could cause problems.

 

[nick778]

The Neutra bottle I have says it disolves carbon deposits but I don't know if that means i.e., the upper rings and/or carbon in and around the valves when added to fuel and burned or in the oil system areas when added to the crankcase. I am currently using 131 about once/week in the fuel as a top end lubricant, fuel injector cleaner and to prevent carbon deposits. I also use a bottle of Techron run through a tank of fuel before each oil change to specifically clean carbon deposits from the combustion chambers. I too would also like to know if 131 would accomplish the entire job.

 

[Eiron]

I've had good luck using BG-44K in the gas tank as a carbon cleaner. It's reputed to be pretty potent, & I've been told to use it only once every 20k miles. I've used it for the past 4 yrs & haven't had any problems. One of the guys on the SaabNet was told he needed a new fuel injector (cyl #3, I think), but instead chose to run a can of 44K thru his next tank of gas. He said drive-ability returned to normal about 1/2 way thru the tank. I think he had over 60k miles on the engine at that time.

 

[wulimaster]

I use to think that just using Chevron gas with techron would be enough to keep the combustion chamber clean of carbon. I figured the Amsoil 10w30 oil would do its part in helping keep the entire engin clean and running young.

My Toyota 4x4 with the 22re 4 cylinder was pinging for the last 5-7 years. (I had advanced the initial timing 2 degrees when it was new and it didn't ping on 87 octane) I just thought the quality of the gas was going downhill. It would ping with 89 octane and 87 octane. I added Amsoil PI gasoline additive about 3 months ago and by the end of the first tankful the detonation had gone away. The idle had smoothed out a little too.

I now add 1 ounce per 10 gallons and havn't heard a ping from it since. I am still using Chevron 87 octane gas.

(NOTE: since I moved out of the Phoenix metro area 7 years ago into another county I havn't had to have my car go through emissions. If I had I probably would have noticed the emmissions going up.)

 

[Shannow]

Back in the bad old days, there was an Oz product called "redex", which you ran the motor until hot, pulled the plugs, injected 50ml of the stuff, turned by hand to distribute, left an hour, put plugs back in and started. Then poured the rest of the bottle through the carb at a very fast idle.

Used it on a few cars, then switched to the same deal with ATF (cheaper), followed by a pint of water.

Even made a little metering valve arrangement from a couple of fish tank air accessories to meter the ATF/water through it.

Dunno if it helped anything, didn't appear to hurt anything.

Not sure if it's catalyst friendy 'though.

 

[Patman]

Also, is it true that full throttle driving reduces carbon buildup? Or at least prevents it from forming? (the old Italian tuneup!)

 

[cryptokid]

im a big fan of using water.
if you can rig up somthing like a 10psi paint sprayer with an air compressor, fill it with water and let it fumeout your intake. it wont to much at all for the intake but the combustion chamber and valves look nice afterwards.
make sure engine is good and hot and running. dont use so much it stalls the engine, but use enough to choke it a bit.

 

[BOBISTHEOILGUY]

SINCE THE QUESTION WAS ABOUT IF 131 COULD BE USED IN THE SAME MANNER AS A THROTTLE BODY CLEANER, I WILL GIVE THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.

YES. The neutra is commonly used in many different ways to battle carbon buildup.

1- in the fuel.

2- sprayed through the carb's

3- injected through a vacuum on fuel injection system

4- applied directly in the oil

When applying ANY liquid directly into a carb or injection system, you DO NOT want to pour or suck it directly in as it could HYDRO LOCK your engine.

You should use a spray bottle to spray it into a carb while the engine is run up on RPM's so not to apply too much fluid into a cyl.

As for fuel injection systems where carbs are not used, you can also use a spray bottle to spray through the intake, but many will disconnect a small vacuum hose and put a hose directly in the bottle, and while the engine is run up on rpm's, will take the hose in the bottle of neutra, and HOLD IT CLOSELY to the open vacuum and allow it to suck the neutra from the bottle at small amounts with some air. YOU DO NOT WANT TO ATTACH THE HOSE DIRECTLY. That would allow it to suck the whole bottle in directly and HYDRO LOCK the engine as possibly do some serious damage.

I hope this answers the original question about neutra.

 

[Patman]

Thanks Bob! If someone suspects their combustion chamber is carboned up, how much Neutra should they run through their fuel system? One full 12oz bottle per tank for two or three tanks in a row? Or will one 12oz treatment do the trick?

 

[BOBISTHEOILGUY]

What I have seen and many others have told me is that if you're really carbon'd up, when you put in the first bottle of neutra directly in the fuel, as it hits the system, usually with in a couple of miles, it will cause the engine to stagger or run like crap. This happened to me the first time I put this into my car. I thought, what did I do when this happened as it didn't want to idle at first when I stopped and such. What I did, was I kept driving it, and it finally cleared up.

This has been consistant with many others, the toyota guy says that happens to him all the time when he puts it in a car he's working on. He'll drive the car about 2 miles, it staggers, he gets on it, and blows it out and it comes back running great.

I advised a friend of mine that is flying a 172 and was experienceing carbon on his valves all the time so we put in a bottle into each tank, he taxied it and it too staggered and sputter'd a few seconds, then cleared right up and hasn't done it since.

Does this happen to everyones? No, not everyone, but it does it more times than not. Not everyone has enough carbon build up in cyl's to cause the engine to stagger, but if so, the nuetra will clear it out.

 

[Steve S]

All of the above with an emphasis placed on the Italian tune up. It helps keep the piston rings free. ....plus it is fun!

 

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by Steve S:
All of the above with an emphasis placed on the Italian tune up. It helps keep the piston rings free. ....plus it is fun!

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Hehe, no kidding! There are a few spots in my daily commute where I will always go full throttle, as long as the roads are dry. Unfortunately this winter has been so bad that I haven't had much opportunity for that. Yesterday was nice though, and the next few days too, so I will exercise my throttle foot a lot!

"officer, I'm just cleaning out the combustion chamber!"

 

[Oldswagon]

Since all of my vehicles have carbs, carbon is more of an issue with my engines than FI units. I have had good luck with GM engine top cleaner to clean out the intake and heads from carbon deposits. I ran the stuff through my Olds wagon, and when I had the intake off shortly afterward for a bad intake gasket, it was very free of carbon, especially considering the miles.

GM also sells a combustion camber cleaner that comes in an aerosol can. I seem to recall that there was a TSB for GM Vortec (LS1 family) engines regarding carbon deposits on the cylinder rings and pistons. The TSB stated to remove the plugs and spray this stuff in the cylinders to remove deposits. I don't recall how long it was required to sit.
problems.

 

[rob-the-oil-nut]

I'm a fan of RedLine and convinced that it saved me bigtime money, but am open to the notion that something is better than their fuel additive. I don't know what some of these products are, (BG-44K, 131) I'll learn with time, maybe they are hard to come by in Canada.
Does anyone have any "proof" or even a story like I was using RedLine, then did a 'maximum safe dose' of another product and there was a noticable change?
When the bypass filter was being installed, the return line was too close to the breather and PCV, blew out "like a skeeter truck" since then I did a bonus dose of RedLine, should I also assume I have bad carbon deposits??
THANKS
Rob

 

[rob-the-oil-nut]

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:

Originally posted by Steve S:
[qb] All of the above with an emphasis placed on the Italian tune up. It helps keep the piston rings free. ....plus it is fun!

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Don't you worry about the engine wear that is associated with WOT (Wide Open Throttle) and the high revs?
And what about driving in a lower gear so that the revs are higher? I used to do that on the last bit of my daily commute (so that the engine is max hot) to clean off any build-up. Also, if you downshift more than brake when approaching a red light, I was thinking that you'd have high rpm's and no hydrocarbons in the cylinder and that would make them cleaner. Sound logical? I'm sure I'm missing *something*
Thanks!
Rob

 

[Patman]

Rob, I do lots of full throttle driving in the summertime, especially with my frequent trips to the dragstrip with my car. But my UOA reports in the past, with Maxlife even (which isn't all that impressive an oil anymore), don't look too bad at all, certainly not alarming.

I'm willing to bet I can go 5000 miles on Schaeffer Supreme 10w30, with a lot of full throttle driving on the street, and quarter mile racing down the track too, and I'll still see single digit wear numbers. That's my goal for my upcoming interval actually.

 

[RobZ71LM7]

quote:

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Originally posted by Oldswagon:


GM also sells a combustion camber cleaner that comes in an aerosol can. I seem to recall that there was a TSB for GM Vortec (LS1 family) engines regarding carbon deposits on the cylinder rings and pistons. The TSB stated to remove the plugs and spray this stuff in the cylinders to remove deposits. I don't recall how long it was required to sit.
problems.

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The GM procedure was a temporary cure for piston slap. You remove all the plugs put a couple ounces of GM TEC in each cylinder and let it sit over night. Start it up in the morning to burn off excess and then change oil.

 

[darrenc]

I’ve used the Seafoam in my Jeep 4.0. I slowly poured it through my brake booster vacuum line. The engine huffed and puffed, but never stalled. Lots and lots of white smoke came out of the tail pipe. Did it work? I have no idea. My Jeep didn’t run any differently after the treatment. I doubt it as carboned up in the first place. I though the idea was pretty cool, and that’s why I tried it. In retrospect, I wonder if doing these types of purges are detrimental to things such as O2 sensors and Cat convertors.

 

[Ken2]

quote:

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Originally posted by RobZ71LM7:

quote:

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Originally posted by Oldswagon:


GM also sells a combustion camber cleaner that comes in an aerosol can. I seem to recall that there was a TSB for GM Vortec (LS1 family) engines regarding carbon deposits on the cylinder rings and pistons. The TSB stated to remove the plugs and spray this stuff in the cylinders to remove deposits. I don't recall how long it was required to sit.
problems.

---

The GM procedure was a temporary cure for piston slap. You remove all the plugs put a couple ounces of GM TEC in each cylinder and let it sit over night. Start it up in the morning to burn off excess and then change oil.

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My understanding is that the rings allow excess oil into the combustion chamber, it burns but leaves the carbon deposit, and the cold engine actually has some noisy contact between the piston crown and the carbon. This sounds something like cold engine piston slap. The combustion chamber cleaner is a temporary fix.


Ken