August 12 2023

Have you cleaned carbon in car? The most complete method for cleaning engine from carbon deposits, comparing its advantages and disadvantages

We all know that carbon deposits are unavoidable when running an engine, and minor deposits are generally not to be taken too seriously. However, when carbon deposits are severe, if carbon deposits are not removed in time, it will cause problems such as insufficient engine power, increased fuel consumption, and excessive emissions.

At present, there are many ways to remove carbon deposits from an engine, including no-dismant cleaning and dismantling-cleaning, as well as both physical cleaning and chemical cleaning. Below are common decarbonizing methods on market, along with their advantages and disadvantages, which car owners and friends can choose from.

1. Fuel additives remove carbon deposits

As name suggests, it is addition of carbon-cleaning additives to a vehicle's fuel tank. When engine is running, these fuel additives enter intake manifold (except for engines with direct injection), intake valves, fuel injectors and combustion chambers through oil pipeline along with fuel, dissolve and clean surface of parts through contact with these components Nagar, sludge, colloid and others pollution.

Advantages: Time and labor saving, easy to use, carbon deposits can be removed by way while car is moving, and there is no need to spend special time on cleaning operation.

Disadvantages: There are many fuel additives on market and it is difficult to find safe products with a good cleaning effect; Clean rear of intake valve where carbon deposits are most likely to occur in direct injection engines; it belongs to category of chemical cleaning and most of products attack rubber parts.

Comments. Fuel additives are similar to health products, with little effect and great psychological comfort.

Add fuel additives to fuel tank

2. Dry ice to remove carbon deposits

Using high-pressure gas to deliver dry ice size of rice grains (solid carbon dioxide at minus 70 degrees) to some of carbon deposits, and using dry ice at extremely low temperatures to cool and reduce carbon deposits, and gasification and expansion of dry ice (carbon dioxide from solid to gaseous state), volume has increased 800 times), causing carbon deposits to fall off surface of component.

Benefits: Carbon deposits are removed thoroughly and quickly.

Disadvantages: more noticeable effect on metal and rubber parts. With a sharp drop in temperature, surface of metal parts becomes brittle, and rubber seals become hard and brittle at low temperatures.

Comments: The method of removing carbon deposits is too harsh. Although carbon removal effect is very good, it is not widely used at present.

Dry ice calciner

3. Decarbonization of micromolecular hydrogen and oxygen

Use a hydrogen and oxygen generator to electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen, then send hydrogen and oxygen into a cylinder to mix with fuel, and use high temperature (up to 2800 degrees Celsius) generated by burning hydrogen to burn carbon deposits. .

Benefits: unknown

Disadvantages: The combustion temperature of hydrogen is much higher than maximum temperature in cylinder (about 1800 degrees Celsius) during normal engine operation. dangerous gas, and improper operation can easily lead to serious consequences such as explosion.

Comment: Use with care, use with care!

Hydrogen and oxygen generator

4. “Working with a bottle” for cleaning carbon deposits

Introduce carbon cleaner into fuel system in form of a hanging bottle to remove carbon deposits from fuel system, air intake (excluding direct injection engines), fuel injectors, spark plugs, etc. of combustion chamber. Its principle is similar to that of fuel additives, but "bottle cleaning" refers to centralized cleaning, and fuel additives refers to on-car cleaning of thin water and long flow.

Benefits: The cleaning effect of carbon deposits is usually more obvious than effect of using fuel additives.

Disadvantages: cleaning once takes a long time, usually around 1 hour; most cleaning fluids corrode rubber seals.

Comments: Although effect is better than fuel additives, most products significantly reduce cleaning effect to ensure safety.

Give engine a "bottle"

5. Decarbonizer removes carbon deposits

This cleaning method is developed on basis of "bottle game", mainly to solve problem of unstable pressure in "bottle game". The cleaning principle is basically same as in "hanging bottle game". The main function of cleaning machine is to adjust or maintain pressure of cleaning agent entering engine according to needs, so that engine runs more smoothly during entire cleaning process.

Advantages: Cleaning effect is better than bottle blow, suitable for all types of injection engines (including port injection, direct injection engines and mixed injection).

Disadvantages: single cleaning takes a long time, usually more than 1 hour; most cleaning fluids corrode rubber seals.

Comments: mainly used for cleaning carbon deposits in direct injection engines.

Engine cleaning machine without dismantling

6. Walnut sand to remove carbon deposits

The use of walnut sand to remove carbon deposits is a method of removing carbon deposits that has only appeared in last one or two years and is usually applied on a large scale. Use high pressure gas to spray granulated walnut sand (broken walnut shell) into cylinder from inlet valve position and use collision between walnut sand and components to remove carbon deposits on surface. Similar to sandblasting surface of parts, except that walnut particles with a lower hardness are used, which only polish carbon deposits without damaging metal parts.

Benefits: The cleansing effect is good and there are practically no side effects.

Disadvantages: Currently, it is not widely used, mainly for high-end models, and cleaning cost is relatively high.

Comments: The most promising carbon removal method.

Walnut sand decalcifier

7. Disassemble and remove carbon deposits

This cleaning method is easiest to understand. If carbon deposits are present, relevant parts should be disassembled and surface deposits should be cleaned by scraping or soaking with chemicals. Many people are under impression that when it comes to dismantling, it will be a hassle, but it is not. Although there is a lot of carbon deposits on engine, from throttle to intake valve, from fuel injector to spark plug and in combustion chamber, there is more or less carbon deposits, but in general, deposits are more and have a big effect on engine performance. The most obvious effect is also on rear intake valve, especially on direct injection engines. Therefore, in most cases, if dismantling is used to remove carbon deposits, usually intake manifold can be removed to remove carbon deposits on rear of intake valve and fuel injection nozzle. Of course, if you want to remove carbon deposits in combustion chamber by dismantling, this will be relatively troublesome, and you need to remove engine cylinder head.

Benefits. Cleanup works best and is intuitive.

Cons: it takes a long time.

Comment: If carbon deposits in engine are serious, only way is to disassemble and clean it.

Removing and cleaning intake valve, commonly known as "digging coal"

Among above 7 decalcification methods, besides three methods of dry ice, walnut sand and hydrogen oxygen that I have not personally encountered, I have tried other four, and most obvious effect is dismantling and washing. Also, whether it's using fuel additives, "playing bottle" or using a cleaning machine, cleaning agents are used and basic components are similar. Since it is a chemical, as long as it has a cleaning effect on carbon deposits, it will have more or less certain side effects on metal parts and rubber seals, and better cleaning effect, more side effects.

Coating is a chronic engine disease that no engine can avoid. Under normal conditions, carbon deposits of engines with injection into intake port are generally not too serious, and effect on engine operation is mostly in controllable range. It is only necessary to regularly remove and flush throttle valve and idle valve, while rest of parts Carbon formation is generally insignificant. However, direct injection engines that have emerged in recent years are different: since fuel with its own cleaning function does not pass through intake valve, carbon deposits are often easily formed on back of intake valve. Carbon deposits on intake valve make engine intake insufficient, which leads to an over-rich mixture and insufficient combustion in engine cylinder, which further accelerates formation of deposits and forms a vicious circle. Therefore, problem of carbon deposition in direct injection engines is much more serious than in traditional port injection engines. Magotan, which I usually drive, after driving about 130,000 km, engine power has dropped a lot, and start has serious dips. At first, I suspected that transmission was faulty, but starting dip basically disappeared after removing and flushing intake valve. . However, previous old Beverly, which has traveled more than 300,000 kilometers, during maintenance removes and flushes only throttle or idle valve, so that in principle it does not feel effect of soot.

To summarize: for engines with intake port injection (commonly known as "multipoint EFI") throttle and idle valve can be removed and cleaned regularly, and deposits on other parts should generally be ignored; direct injection into cylinder For engine, focus on carbon deposits on reverse side of intake valve. If engine power drops, then carbon deposits are serious and it is recommended to remove them in time.