Post by Gerr on Nov 30, 2008 21:33:31 GMT -8
In a couple recent conversations I have had carbon build up has been brought up so I figured why not share some information and start a thread so that we can discuss this problem all engines can suffer from.
Carbon build up is exactly that a build up of soot from the combustion process. It causes 3 problems
1: it can block passageways preventing good breathing by the engine
2: it can actually soak up a small about of fuel with every cycle. this doesnt sound to bad but in reality it over time leads to bigger issues with cold starting of the engine and emissions issues.
3: it changes the compression ratio slightly thus it can cause knocking pinging and detonation all of which are really bad for your engine.
There are some simple things you can do to help keep this pesky bugger at bay.
1: keep you engine tuned up
2: use a quality fuel system treatment every oil change or 3000 miles
3: clean your engine internally with products like seafoam, marvels mystery oil and old faithful transmission fluid.
Usually people either tune up their car only when there is a problem, this is usually not a good way to diagnose whats wrong. I recommend that you tune up your car based on your driving habits. A daily driver and a weekend toy have completely different needs. A car driven lets say 40 miles a day gets warmed up enough to help burn off deposits and will probably only need to be tuned up every other year. A car that sits or drives only a few miles a day (1-20) should at a bare minimum have the spark plugs checked every 6 months. The reason for checking them is because the engine will not be running hot enough on those short trip to keep things clean and burn off any oil seepage and gunk that builds up and it will foul your plugs and add to the carbon mess that we are trying to prevent.
With the use of chemical cleaners like seafoam just follow the directions its simple but with ATF what I like to do is before you do a oil change go for a 5 minute ride around the block to warm up the engine, with out turning it off pull over and pour 1 quart in the crank case and then drive it around for 10-15 minutes then go home (or to jiffy lube) and change your oil just like you would regularly. ATF has a high level of detergent and is also a lubricant so it is safe to use short term at lower rpms and it is a really available most everywhere.
Another note on seafoam is if you have never done it before on your high millage engine you should plan on doing it a few times. The smoke coming from the tail pipe is actually the carbon burning. you should plan on doing it at night so you don't scare your neighbors
Marvels mystery oil works pretty well BUT it really is not a fix all like a lot of people profess. It is simply a light oil that has a little bit of a cleaning agent. I like to use it on carborated engines to help keep the float bowl and fuel passages clean and to lubricate any small moving parts like mixture solenoids etc.
Use a good oil and oil filter, a quality oil will not only keep your engine cleaner but it will also lubricate better. A good oil filter traps more junk and keeps your oil as clean as possible for as long as possible.
I like to use synthetic oils in newer engines yes even in lawn mowers they simply perform better than conventional oils and are much less likely to sludge up. BUT this is not the best idea for every engine, it is a simple fact that older engines (mid 90's and prior) can use synthetic oils just fine but they were designed around oils with zinc levels 100+% higher than in newer oils. The best oil to use in your older engines is a diesel blended oil. I have seen this discussed numerous times in numerous places and when I actually used it in our 90 Cherokee the d**n thing ran quieter and consumed less oil.
Yeah I know the oil you use seems kinda like one of those no brainer things but honestly folks using the best oil for your engine will keep it a lot cleaner, running more efficiently, and believe it or not it in the long run is a lot cheaper.
I do not recommend using a fram or other bargan priced oil filter. I do recommend a wix or napa gold filter for use with conventional oils and a extended life filter like a amsoil ea filter for your synthetic oils. It is very important to note that with the longer life synthetic oils you still need to change your filter at the regular interval! just because the oil is still within its life span does not mean the filter should be expected to do the same thing. Most filters are good for 3-5000 miles a extended life filter can be used for up to 25000 miles but that does not give you a excuse to neglect checking your oil regularly.
Carbon build up is exactly that a build up of soot from the combustion process. It causes 3 problems
1: it can block passageways preventing good breathing by the engine
2: it can actually soak up a small about of fuel with every cycle. this doesnt sound to bad but in reality it over time leads to bigger issues with cold starting of the engine and emissions issues.
3: it changes the compression ratio slightly thus it can cause knocking pinging and detonation all of which are really bad for your engine.
There are some simple things you can do to help keep this pesky bugger at bay.
1: keep you engine tuned up
2: use a quality fuel system treatment every oil change or 3000 miles
3: clean your engine internally with products like seafoam, marvels mystery oil and old faithful transmission fluid.
Usually people either tune up their car only when there is a problem, this is usually not a good way to diagnose whats wrong. I recommend that you tune up your car based on your driving habits. A daily driver and a weekend toy have completely different needs. A car driven lets say 40 miles a day gets warmed up enough to help burn off deposits and will probably only need to be tuned up every other year. A car that sits or drives only a few miles a day (1-20) should at a bare minimum have the spark plugs checked every 6 months. The reason for checking them is because the engine will not be running hot enough on those short trip to keep things clean and burn off any oil seepage and gunk that builds up and it will foul your plugs and add to the carbon mess that we are trying to prevent.
With the use of chemical cleaners like seafoam just follow the directions its simple but with ATF what I like to do is before you do a oil change go for a 5 minute ride around the block to warm up the engine, with out turning it off pull over and pour 1 quart in the crank case and then drive it around for 10-15 minutes then go home (or to jiffy lube) and change your oil just like you would regularly. ATF has a high level of detergent and is also a lubricant so it is safe to use short term at lower rpms and it is a really available most everywhere.
Another note on seafoam is if you have never done it before on your high millage engine you should plan on doing it a few times. The smoke coming from the tail pipe is actually the carbon burning. you should plan on doing it at night so you don't scare your neighbors
Marvels mystery oil works pretty well BUT it really is not a fix all like a lot of people profess. It is simply a light oil that has a little bit of a cleaning agent. I like to use it on carborated engines to help keep the float bowl and fuel passages clean and to lubricate any small moving parts like mixture solenoids etc.
Use a good oil and oil filter, a quality oil will not only keep your engine cleaner but it will also lubricate better. A good oil filter traps more junk and keeps your oil as clean as possible for as long as possible.
I like to use synthetic oils in newer engines yes even in lawn mowers they simply perform better than conventional oils and are much less likely to sludge up. BUT this is not the best idea for every engine, it is a simple fact that older engines (mid 90's and prior) can use synthetic oils just fine but they were designed around oils with zinc levels 100+% higher than in newer oils. The best oil to use in your older engines is a diesel blended oil. I have seen this discussed numerous times in numerous places and when I actually used it in our 90 Cherokee the d**n thing ran quieter and consumed less oil.
Yeah I know the oil you use seems kinda like one of those no brainer things but honestly folks using the best oil for your engine will keep it a lot cleaner, running more efficiently, and believe it or not it in the long run is a lot cheaper.
I do not recommend using a fram or other bargan priced oil filter. I do recommend a wix or napa gold filter for use with conventional oils and a extended life filter like a amsoil ea filter for your synthetic oils. It is very important to note that with the longer life synthetic oils you still need to change your filter at the regular interval! just because the oil is still within its life span does not mean the filter should be expected to do the same thing. Most filters are good for 3-5000 miles a extended life filter can be used for up to 25000 miles but that does not give you a excuse to neglect checking your oil regularly.