carbon cleaning... total scam and waste?

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We all know here the endless talk of the warning with direct injection engines and the risks of carbon deposits and the possible maintenance costs associated with cleaning them. To what extend that is true, who knows. BUT, with that said, is the service of carbon cleaning for a port injected, naturally aspirated engine a total and complete waste of money??
 
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Probably not a bad idea to do every 30k miles. Using the CRC or 3M Intake Cleaning system seems effective. Toyota and Subaru even have their own versions of it.
 
No its not a waste. You still get build up in the throttle body, intake, and PCV lines even on non-DI cars.

Now the over priced "kits" or services are just that, over priced. A can of carb cleaner or strong CRC spray cleaner will do the job if done properly.
 
For many cars with port injection its a total waste for others not, eg Cadillac N*. If you don't do it occasionally it will develop a knock that sounds like almost like a rod, there are others but that one is one of the worst I have run into.
Answer, it depends on the engine.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
For many cars with port injection its a total waste for others not, eg Cadillac N*. If you don't do it occasionally it will develop a knock that sounds like almost like a rod, there are others but that one is one of the worst I have run into.
Answer, it depends on the engine.


I agree that it depends on the engine. When I spayed the TB on my Buick 3.1 I would get a lot of black carbon out....the motor ran noticeably smoother afterwards. When I would spray out my Toyota's TB I would get no carbon coming out and no noticeable difference in performance.
 
I disagree, VW had carbon build up in there Sirocco and Golf 4 valve heads starting 20 years ago. They had to be clean out too.
 
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Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Yes.

RooflessVW,
as a former tech and a much experienced (than typical BITOGer) mechanical guy,
can you qualify that?
Also can you comment on the effect of good/quality oils, good gas, and a good/fun owner?

Much appreciated and thank you.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
For many cars with port injection its a total waste for others not, eg Cadillac N*. If you don't do it occasionally it will develop a knock that sounds like almost like a rod, there are others but that one is one of the worst I have run into.
Answer, it depends on the engine.

Trav,
with your permission, do you have suggestions let's say for OP's marque, Hyundai and let's say North American VW?

Thank you and much appreciated.
 
On the 2017 Elantra at most I would run a bottle of Redline SI-1 once a year in the summer months just before an oil change.
Best is short trips so the cleaner sits in the injectors overnight a few times. It will also keep any carbon in check.

For older engines do the same but a plugs out piston soak may be helpful but if there is no increase in pinging you probably don't have to do a piston soak.
Remember a little carbon on the piston heads is not necessarily a bad thing it is a protective layer.
 
It's worth it on some colicky cars. Saturn s-series get a burnt-oil coke that leads to preignition, knock retard, and worse performance. They barely move okay when perfect!
 
A little increase in Compression Ratio (static and dynamic) from evenly deposited carbon in the combustion chamber won't hurt anything and can be a benefit, although a small benefit. Carbon fouling of injectors or plugs is another matter, though, but they do have self-cleaning attributes (fuel is an excellent solvent, and plug heat is also carbon-shedding).

I think every engine is different in the characteristic carbon deposit pattern (which is no surprise ... the heat and fuel atomization patterns are tightly dependent on Combustion Chamber shape, valve and intake / exhaust passage shape and volume, exhaust gas and intake charge velocities, valve and spark timing, piston crown configuration ... even the number and placement of spark plugs).

It would be remarkable if there weren't differences between different engine families.

There is nothing wrong with taking a look before you come to a conclusion, but that doesn't come in a bottle.

Sometimes you can learn something from taking an afternoon and cruising through a junkyard, where an engine without heads or with heads removed can be found from time to time, for examination.
 
Originally Posted By: flinter
How about on my 2017 Elantra? Its port injection NON tubro. But I just have 14,100 miles on it.


No need that soon. Wait til you are at 30-40k miles and do it yourself.
 
Some of the new Honda turbo engines are having this problem. The smaller turbo engine is a direct injection set up. There have been some reports of carbon build up on the intake valves. Now the larger 2.0 turbo setup is a port injection, which pretty much lets fuel flow to the intake valves in the tradition of a carburetor but fuel is directly sprayed in.
 
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