I read somewhere to remove carbon deposits, run your motor at a fast idle and pour some water down the carburetor? The water turns to steam and quickly removes carbon buildup. Seemed logical but I sure would like to get an experienced opinion before attempting. Thanks...Tommy C.
Yup,had a buddy chevy truck with bad engine knock .Took it to the best guy in town to find out what was wrong ,he listen and did the water trick .Seens that motor had a piece of carbon stuck to top of piston.Like anything else under the right set of cirsomestances can be miracale cure.
Yes,it works.I would make sure the engine was warmed up first. And realize that there is the potential risk a chunk of Carbon could get stuck on a valve seat, making it run worse instead of better. Unleaded fuel doesn't seem to build up carbon in combustion chamber like the old Leaded fuel used to.
This does work but I would use a Rubbing alchohol mix with the water. How much carbon do you think is in there...? Because I wouldn't think that it would be necessary with Most gasolines today. Gasoline usually contains some additives and it is refined much better than in the old days. How ever if your engine is carboned up..., it would indicate to me that there is an underlying problem.., such as a gummie carburator, bad plug wires, points etc.... Instead of getting rid of a symptom..., get rid of the problem with a good tune-up and a gas additive...!
It takes more than a fast idle and you need to dribble the water in to keep from stalling the engine. If you pour water in at a fast idle it'll just die. Grab the throttle with one hand and pour with the other hand keeping it running.
Wingnutz - good questions, the car/engine (full pressure 53 235) was dorment for many years before I got a hold of it. I did replace all the electrics with new (plugs, cap, wires, points, coil, condesor, etc..). Haven't rebuilt the carb yet, will soon though, but the motor does run pretty smooth and sounds healthy. I do get quite a bit of crappy burnt carbon smell/smoke out of the exaust though, hoping it was just years of build up that needed to be cleaned out. What ratio of rubbing alcohol to water? Why the mixture? Just curious, Thanks...Tommy C.
12 oz. to a gallon and then I throttle the engine up to about 1,500 rpm or 2 and a half times the idle speed..., let it warm up and start dribbleing it into the carburator! Not so much that it stops the engine but enough to hear a significant change in its performance.
It should be noted that this kicks out tons of smoke. It's not just steam, it's thick stinky engine puke, so don't do it unless you can do it with proper ventillation and away from nosey neighbors.
Update...I gave it a try..."thick stinky engine puke" is exactly what came out! It seemed to work great, blew lots of crap smoke out and the engine just seemed to say "Thank You"! Funny but, best way I can describe it. I will probably do it again just to make sure I got what I can out of there. Any other advice is more than welcome...Thanks ...Tommy C.
ive heard that too never tried it but kinda skeptical on it a prefer a shot of moonshine i figure if it burns my insides itll burn up some carbon
I use a spray bottle and mist the water into the carb. That way It's easier to control the amount of water ingested into the engine. Water does not compress and too much can hydrolic the engine and bend a rod. Chuck Fish
An old timer showed me the trick many years ago and I use it regularly. Here's how I do it: Park the car so the gook coming outa the exhaust won't cause a mess. I wouldn't do this while parked on your brand new white driveway. Bring the engine to operating temp. I fill a basic 2 LB coffee can with COLD water and squeeze the can to create a pointy end to pour from. I bring the hot engine to about 2500 rpm and start POURING [not dribbling] the water right dowm the venturies while opening the throttle. It takes a few seconds to get a "feel" for keeping the engine running but I open the throttle all the way while adjusting the RPM with water volume. It doesn't take more than about 20-30 seconds to run the whole coffee can of water through and the cold water hitting against the hot carbon dislodges it. It comes flying out the tailpipes in a wet, messy, black mess. The carbon knocks will disappear and the engine usually runs better too. It works for me!
yep, it works but I would be real careful about how much water and how fast you pour it. I've been an avid off-roader for years and have seen more than my share of what too much water too fast will do to an engine. I've had good luck using windsheild wiper fluid.
I'm with everyone above. Gm makes a chemical way of doing this: Top Engine cleaner there is also something called "seafoam" supposedly the same as the above stuff. Water is a lot cheaper though.
Yes, and if you do get carried away and happen to stall the engine out, pull the plugs and turn it over, to remove any liquid, so you don't hydrolic it and bend a rod. As Rocky said, keep the rpms up a little and pour water or a gallon of winshield washer fluid through it, fast enough to here a slight difference in rpm. Wifey's car needs this a couple time a year. My cars don't get carboned up.
I've seen plenty of boats with hydraulic'd engines..., but that happened by sumerging the exhaust while launching their boats without flapper valves... !!! First time they hit the starter and the engine goes "Thunk"...!!! Boaters are funny..., because they keep hitting the starter until it cooks the starter to a crisp...!!!
Well thanks again, it really did work great. I was pretty reserved with the water, maybe to reserved, only put about 2cups thru very slowly but better safe I guess. On a side note, I drove the car for the first time today, after a year of getting the motor running, rebuilding the suspesion and completely replacing the brake system it was a pretty damn good feeling to make a quick run down the road. The car sat for about 15+ years before I got her. ...Tommy C.
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