Decarbonizing Your Engine With Water

[EricTheCarGuy]

I get the feeling this video might be a little controversial. I also get the feeling that I’m going to hear quite a bit about, “you’ll blow your engine up!”. However, if you use this technique in moderation you should be just fine doing this. Alright, fire away.

Topic

[David Nichols]

There was one consequence, it ungapped 1 spark plug. I could hear it was off when I carefully listened to each cylinder via the intake runners. As always, when doing spark plugs or gaps, just because one cylinder sounds off, doesn’t mean that cylinder has the problem. No. 2 cylinder sounded slow, but no. 3 was just too tightly gapped reflecting on what No. 2 sounded like as an effect and not the cause.

So, I know our forum is usually more about questions, then answers, but the results were so good, that I had to share!

[Its me]

Interesting post… Eric and I had a private discussion about the effects of this on a fuel injected engine….

Please keep us posted in the next few days how everything is going after this treatment…

-Karl

[EricTheCarGuy]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Keep us updated if things change.

[David Nichols]

I wasn’t sure if there would be much interest so I didn’t post much, but I have much more to say.

After the treatment, with less water than I could even notice. It still appeared to be about the same height over the max line of 21 oz as it was before. I spent 10-15 minutes giving the engine as much water as it could take with only struggling a little and then keeping the throttle up to maybe 1,500 until it “cleared it’s throat” again. (I of course had the engine at normal operating temperature first.)

I did have one other consequence. I needed an oil change. My oil right before the test looked used but still had some clean/clear oil to it. Typical of my full synthetic Mobile 1 with extended performance oil filter at 4,500 to 4,700 miles since the last oil change.

I normally change the oil at about 5,500 miles since that’s a turning point that I can feel in performance and how clean the oil looks, but after the decarbonization it was time to change the oil immediately. It no longer looked clear at all and looked just like fully synthetic Mobile 1 that wasn’t the extended forumla at 4,500 miles.

So, I needed an early oil change, so what, it’s all clean now.

Within a couple weeks some leaks developed on the outside of my new fuel injectors ruining them, causing misfires. Some fighting with that later and everything working again, I thought misfires can’t be good for cylinder cleanliness and went to using a water spray bottle again. No difference. No dirty oil. No loss in spark plug gap and spark sounded even across the engine.

So, I think it takes a lot of driving to need to do it again. I’m sure it made some small indiscernible difference. If only I had a bore scope. 🙂

Not having the oil get dirty again may or may not be a determining factor. My oil was already getting close to the time to change it and it may not have needeed much to go over the edge, though visually it seemed like a big deal.

The new oil filter may have been more able to handle any cleaning that happened on the 2nd go. No scientific way to say one way or the other.

[David Nichols]

[quote=”wysetech” post=107656]I have done the water thing before but not much since leaded fuel. The guy who showed me how to do it used to rev the snot outta the engine while dumping the water into the engine quickly. I think I was 18 at the time so what did I know.

My feeling is that water can remove hard carbon that can possibly score cylinder walls where as a petroleum based cleaner will soften the carbon that will not do damage.

The only thing I have ever used that I have proven to work is combustion chamber cleaner such as G.M. Cleens. ( I think they call it upper engine cleaner now) It was explained to me years ago that carbon builds in layers and that combustion chamber cleaner softens the substance that binds the layers together.

Might be a load of crap too.

I have had several G. M. 2.4 quad engines that have failed Nox emissions. I remove the plugs and spray combustion chamber cleaner into the plug holes and let it set over night. In the morning I crank the engine to pump out the excess cleaner, install the plugs, start the engine end empty the rest of the can into the throttle body with the engine at a fast idle. After a smokey road test they pass Nox emissions 99% of the time.

I figure there must be something to it.

It’s also great for removing rust on the cylinder walls of an engine that has seized from sitting idle for a extended period of time. Good penetrating oil for softening rust on fasteners as well.[/quote]

I really enjoyed this post! Thank you. If you could check on the current name of the product, I tried looking it up to read the MSDS like I have on a ton of cleaners lately.

[Barry]

Seeing as I drive mostly short distances, having retired a few years ago, I think my 2010 Infiniti G37xS would be a great candidate for this procedure. In the video you did this on a carburated car. From what I understand it’s a bit trickier on a fuel injected car. Mine has dual air intakes with dual air filters on the ends of flexible ducts that lead to what I assume is the intake manifold. I believe I would have to disconnect the ducting at the manifolds and spray the water into the manifolds, probably ideally at the same time and in equal amounts. Is this correct? Also, I had read somewhere that I may get a warning light coming on after I do this (something to do with a sensor in the ducting). How would I clear the warning light?

By the way Eric, great videos! I’m thoroughly enjoying them & finding them very enlightening. Keep ’em coming!

[Author]

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