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Decarbonizing Piston heads
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Jahmel Ibday
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Jun 21, 2015, 2:17 AM
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Decarbonizing Piston heads
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This may sound silly but, can you decarbonize piston heads with a long metal brush that goes down through the spark plug holes?
I have watched many vids online about people who decarbonise their engine. They use all kinds of chemicals which they add in their fuel or vacuum lines and they drop down a wire camera which showes the the before and after of the piston heads. I was wondering instead of a snake cam why not just scrub the carbon off with a long brush?
May sound stupid but im tryna grasp a concept haha
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Hammer Time
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Jun 21, 2015, 3:54 AM
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No, don't even attempt that. First off you could never reach the whole piston and none of the valves. Second. You would scratch the piston which could lead to a hot spot on the piston and burn it.
CHEMICALS ONLY!
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Tom Greenleaf
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Jun 21, 2015, 4:33 AM
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NO. I this even had carbon build up there's another problem to address. You didn't say or I missed it but getting carbon build up out of heads almost ended with the flathead type engines when it was routine maintenance and probably not close to that old.
Yes there are chemicals as HT mentioned but again if you have a real problem and know it's carbon fix the problem first,
T
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Hammer Time
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Jun 21, 2015, 5:47 AM
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Re: Decarbonizing Piston heads
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No, upper engine cleaning is a common and necessary service these days. However, cleaning the pistons isn't the main priority in doing this and that is why doing it through a vacuum line is pretty useless. The main benefit to doing this is the clean the throttle body, IAC, runner flaps and shafts, valves and valve stems. That is why the application should be through a mist introduced through the throttle plates and not a vacuum line that bypasses most of those things.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
(This post was edited by Hammer Time on Jun 21, 2015, 5:48 AM)
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Discretesignals
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Jun 21, 2015, 5:57 AM
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That wouldn't be a good idea anyway, because all those chunks of carbon you break off are going to end up in the catalyst which will plug it up. The chemical breaks it down into smaller pieces. If the cylinders are really chunked up, probably would be a good idea to remove the cat during the process. Honestly I don't think I've had to decarbonize a customer's engine for a drive-ability issue in a long time. Probably cause the ethanol does a good job of keeping the valves clean. Haven't gotten any GDI engines yet with carboned up valves, but those need decarbonizing maintenance unless you like pulling the head(s) off.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Jun 21, 2015, 5:59 AM)
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Jahmel Ibday
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Jun 21, 2015, 11:00 PM
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Re: Decarbonizing Piston heads
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Ok, duelly noted and thank-you for your replies. I wont attempt it at all haha I think i was only trying to grasp a concept.
For general knowledge sake however: is this true that you can really scratch the piston heads? I have seen mechanics use one of those little scrunchy metal balls that you get from your local store, people use them to scrub rubbish off of their kitchen benches and so forth... So you can't use any soft metal on the piston heads even after removing the pistons from the engine?
On that note how small is the spark plug holes that they sometimes fit their snake cams down? (which i mentioned earlier in my initial post to this thread) - again only for building knowledge sake.
Btw my mistake the vehicle in conversation is a: Honda accord Euro 2007 2.4ltr manual transmissiom purchased in Australia, fuel type used 98RON with 25% of a full tank used for spirited driving.
(This post was edited by Jahmel Ibday on Jun 21, 2015, 11:49 PM)
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Tom Greenleaf
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Jun 22, 2015, 3:04 AM
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Re: Decarbonizing Piston heads
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! From the top. Don't believe everything you can muster up on YouTube or other things like it.
What makes you believe you have a carbon build up at all? It's almost history and should be for a 98 Honda anything unless somehow an additive or incorrect fuel was used for some time.
Search out REAL carbon build up problems. It was from now quite old engines where a much higher % of fuel didn't get burned or very long periods of time of slow RPM use. Cure was frequently just drive an engine with symptoms that just showed up for a fast hard run and it would blow itself clean just from that.
Another build up was the use of lead (PB) or Tetraethyl Lead used to boost low octane rated fuel to behave as higher octane fuel now long gone so unless somehow put in this couldn't be there.
Carbon build up would show on spark plugs themselves as a crust. When or if that built up inside the compression of the engine went up and it would "knock" or detonate the fuel before it was sparked by the plug or make noise in worse cases of piston actually making a slight collision with the head sounding like a real engine problem.
Already said that in current (this is current as old as it is) you would just use chemicals, usually just spray down throttle body would do if a problem at all.
I said though already that if you have the problem fix the cause as it wouldn't do this especially with your "spirited" driving as you put it.
No telling what damage you could do with trying to mechanically brush this stuff off with engine intact. If you dinged up, scratched up a cylinder wall that engine will be in the dump in no time. If you really cleaned out something fast you risk blowing it on down the line probably clogging up a catalytic converter first in line.
Don't do anything. Change plugs if fouled and the fuel used if it's causing a problem.
If you want a vehicle to beat the crap out of if that's what you mean by "spirited" driving beyond it's design you can expect serious problems of assorted types up to destroying the engine. If that's what you want to do just factor in new engines or serious work.
People do. Those who do it for a reason usually have an entire whole engine ready to go when the other blows up. I really can't think of a Honda product used for such recreation but could be wrong,
T
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Jahmel Ibday
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Jun 22, 2015, 9:05 AM
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Re: Decarbonizing Piston heads
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Thank-you Tom, your write up makes sense. Another poster said the new fuel types burn off any carbon build up. I sortof believe this because the fellas at ozhonda forums believe 98RON fuel running vtec at 6-7300 revs burns any build up possible. This makes some sense because after a ruitine thrashing, the throttle response and engine smoothness increases quiet dramatically for a long period of time. I could be wrong but honda engines are built to run hot and fast.
Not to hijack this thread with silly conversation, but;
Funny you said that about the spirited driving though, it was only last night I took on a wrx 2005-6 non bug-eye edition, going toe to toe on a long straight (designated environment). His turbo horsepower died young around 6000 revs and my horsepower only just started from 4-7300 redline - this is when i pushed in front. With 140kw stock standard (140kw @ 6000 revs) weighing 1,300kgs with me and another passanger with full tank of fuel. I think its quiet remarkable. The subaru pulled up beside me and questioned whether I had turbo or boltons, a simple "vtec" comment had him laughing haha - this particular vehicle in manual is faster than a mazda 3 mps 60kphr to 100kphr
The car is on 99,500 k's due for its next service and runs like a dream
(This post was edited by Jahmel Ibday on Jun 22, 2015, 9:22 AM)
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Hammer Time
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Jun 22, 2015, 1:48 PM
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Like I said before. You do need to do upper intake cleaning but not for carbon in the combustion chamber. You need to clean the oily sludge that builds up in the intake and the back of the throttle plate. It also cleans the IAC and any runner controls so they don't stick. Cleaning up the pistons is just a side benefit.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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