Just did water decarbonization on Mazda 3

[Craig in Canada]

One of the biggest issues is getting water mist into all of your cylinders equally.

I kind of doubt that fast idling your car in the driveway with a spray bottle at the throttle body is going to have enough intake tract velocity to accomplish this. It's probably next to impossible on a lot of cars to find a single existing vacuum system tap that will get water to everywhere. The vacuum system isn't designed that way. Multiple taps may need to be used.

I would suspect that the driving method where you can actually put the engine under load would be better. Of course, under load there's less vacuum so less water draw, but once it gets into the intake system there's substantial velocity present to keep the water suspended instead of just making puddles in your intake manifold. You'd probably need to drive around varying engine load to trade off good suction (off throttle) with good water mist charge (high velocity).

I don't question one bit whether water mist can decarbon combustion chambers. The problem is effective execution on modern engines.

 

[slickrick]

I bought a "water injection" system from the JC Whitney catalog back in the early 80's for my pick-up but never got around to installing. Wonder if they still sell 'em. Got it because their selling point was reminding you how your car ran smoother during high humidity(raining or immediately after)conditions. Who else vouch for that happening?

 

[demarpaint]

I had an old Ford carb engine that ran better in high humidity and rain. Flip side Dogde slant 6, absolute garbage in rain, hard starting ran like C--Rap!!!!!!!! At least mine did, I hated that thing!

 

[Vikas]

Originally Posted By: Greggy_D
WOW!!!!!

My 2007 Mazda 3i has 42,000 miles on it. I have owned the car 3 years next month. The car has seen a steady diet of FP60, Regane, Lucas UCL, and MMO (obviously not all at once). I decided to do a water decarb to see if there was any difference in the car.

Took her out for a short 15 minute spin first to heat the engine. Hooked up 8 feet of 3/8 inch fuel line to the brake booster nipple. Sat in the drivers seat with a gallon jug of distilled water and ran the open end of the hose to my location.

Started the engine and dipped the tip of the hose into the water. Kept the RPMs at 3000. Got into a rhythm....dip the hose for a split second...raise it for half a second or so.....dip it back up.....raise it instantly back up.

I went through about half a gallon of water in 3 or 4 minutes. I could see smoke out the pipe when I first started but near the tail end of the run I couldn't see anything.

Turned the car off and disconnected the negative post for a few minutes to reset the ECU. Reattached the brake booster line. Went for a drive to dry her off and WOW!!!!

Man she is unbelievably responsive now, just like the day I drove her off the lot. I always wondered where in the heck my power went as the years went by. At idle, you cannot hear or feel that the car is on. It's just crazy.

After a 20 minute highway drive I pulled back home. Looked at the oil filler cap and saw just a small amount of milkiness on the inside of the cap. I figure it's just some condensation. The oil on the dipstick is still good looking. I'm going to change the oil out tomorrow morning just to be safe.

I highly recommend this IF YOU GO SLOW. You COULD possibly hydrolock your engine if you suck in too much water too quickly.


It has been almost a week since your procedure. Any further comments?

Thanks,
- Vikas

 

[Greggy_D]

Well.....I have 460 miles on her since the procedure. Still feels like a new car. Idle is undetectable at a stop light. Really wants to take off from a standstill. Absolutely loving it. The most detectable symptom which disappeared is the slight hesitation I had leaving from a dead stop. It's completely gone. BTW....the small amount of milkiness under the cap evaporated away.

I was thinking of doing this procedure every oil change, but that is probably overkill. Once every 6 months will be about right.

I'm going to do the Taurus tomorrow. She has 107,000 miles on her so the smoke show is bound to be bigger.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

So is there a safe way for someone who doesn't even know what/where his booster line is to do this without hydrolocking the engine?

 

[Ndx]

+1 what Is booster line

 

[axjohn]

Question: Would the vacuum line from the pcv valve to the throttle body be a candidate for this procedure? I could poke a small hole in the line, put the football needle in there, and rev the engine.

Would I use gravity feed, or have the water below the intake level?

Afterward, I could just cut of a small piece of the hose after the pin [censored].

1995 Saab 900S with 243,000 miles on it, all but .8 miles driven by me (except of course, any test drives by mechanics after servicing).

 

[Colt45ws]

The booster line connects to the power brake booster, located behind the brake master cylinder.

 

[Kestas]

I'm not so sure the brake booster (or any random vacuum line) is the best place to introduce water into the intake manifold. What if the port is next to one of the cylinders, and not at the throttle body? You'd end up decarbonizing only one cylinder!

Make sure the water is introduced as close as possible to the butterfly valve on the vacuum side.

Axjohn, don't worry about gravity. The engine vacuum does a good job of moving the water along.

 

[Colt45ws]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
I'm not so sure the brake booster (or any random vacuum line) is the best place to introduce water into the intake manifold. What if the port is next to one of the cylinders, and not at the throttle body? You'd end up decarbonizing only one cylinder!

Make sure the water is introduced as close as possible to the butterfly valve on the vacuum side.

Axjohn, don't worry about gravity. The engine vacuum does a good job of moving the water along.

Yes, I didnt think of that. On mine its on the intake plenium before it separates to the individual cylinders. Like you said it needs to be as close to the throttle body as possible.

 

[Greggy_D]

On the 3, the BB line is immediately after the throttle body.

 

[stockrex]

hmm, just make sure you check and clean your EGR after de-carboning,
I remember running chemtool and it clogging my EGR after a few tanks.

 

[unDummy]

I drive fast on a rainy day. It'll clean anything downstream from where ever the water/steam goes. You'll still need an FI cleaner to clean the injector.

Now, should've maybe did a battery disconnect a while ago. Probably didn't even need the 'water'.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I've always wondered about using Hydrogen peroxide in this procedure - wondering if the extra oxygen would help or hurt - also wondering if mixing in a bit of ethanol ( 20%) with the dionised h2o? I can get 36% h2o2 at work.

 

[morris]

if you would have used marvel mystery oil all a long it would keep the engine, pumps, injectors ect clean, with out running your engine without lube in the upper side. AND risking getting water into the crankcase. all you did was take out the carbon, mmo will do the same thing.

 

[severach]

I don't think the oxygen will matter. All that is happening is that the pressure weakens the carbon by forcing the water and steam in and out.

MMO does not clean combustion chamber carbon though it may help keep it from forming in the first place. A PEA additive is needed to remove the carbon.

Techron vs. MMO

 

[mig360m]

I try about 4oz of water on my 96 Protege the car Idle great now.

 

[jhenle]

Here's the device I'm using:

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7733/56129087.jpg

Basically a needle for inflating basketballs (for flow control) inserted into the flared end of a 1-ft copper 1/4in tube and brazed into place, attached to a 6-ft 3/8in vinyl tube. I can insert it at different depths and at various angles into the intake manifold through the brake booster port, and I reposition it to hit every cylinder in turn. Works great.

 

[mig360m]

yes jhenle that line will work. I use the vaccum line by the Throttle Body.