Decarboning your engine....

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takza
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Decarboning your engine....

Post by takza »

Seems the Tercel 1.5L engine might be senstive to pinging and dieseling due to the fact that it runs lean by design...or what?

At any rate, the engine tends to build up carbon deposits and/or the EGR tends to stick causing poor running and dieseling and so forth.

If your engine uses oil to any degree...decarboning it could help it a good bit.

I've heard of several methods to decarbon the engine (besides taking it apart), all involving putting liquids of various kinds into the intake as the engine runs.


The method I use to decarbon the top end:

1) Find a plastic dish soap container that will hold 1 pint or more...use a marker to mark the 1 pint level by filling the clean container with 1 pint of water and marking this level...this is the fill line.

2) Dump about 1/8th of the water out and add some Marvel Mystery Oil or AutoTransFluid back to the fill line. Use about a 1 to 8 ratio of oil to water. Then add around 2-3 drops of dish detergent. Put the cap on and shake the bottle to partially emulsify the mix.

* the oil puts out a lot of smoke and is probably not needed anyway...so I don't use it anymore

3) Remove the top of the air cleaner and remove the filter; then start the engine. With the choke open (engine warm) & the engine reving at around 2000 RPM start squeezing this mix into the left carb barrel (passenger side) thru the SMALL NOZZLE on the container. Shake occasionally.

* DO NOT get water into the "air tube" you can see at the top of the primary opening...keep finding out that this tends to plug the carb passages or something...and takes a while to clear up...causes stalling, etc

4) Do this until you use up the full pint....being sure to keep the engine from stalling...you might need to stop the flow at times to keep it running. Don't over rev it!

5) When done, take the car out for a spin to clear out the carbon, oil, & water.

Cost....around $.25.

Other methods involve basically the same thing, only using ALL MMOil, ATF, SeaFoam, Rislone, etc. These are all high detergent lightweight oils? Best used in winter when the water/oil mix might freeze.

Using ALL oil will cause great clouds of smoke to pour out and might upset your neighbors. If you don't like your neighbors...go for it? :blink: The water / oil mix doesn't put out so much smoke.


Other things to do:

Now that the carbon is out, you could take advantage of this to advance your timing some for a little more power.

Also...might be best to do the decarboning before an oil change. Also it's possible that a plug might foul from the carbon being thrown around...remove & clean.

Would be reasonable to do this decarboning maybe 2Xs per year.


A method to clean the oil passages, etc:


1) Right before an oil change...drive the car till hot...then park and shut it off.

2) Add about 1 pint of kerosene or diesel fuel to the oil and idle the car at around 1200-1400 RPM for maybe 15 minutes.

3) Drain the oil for around 10-15 minutes.

4) Install new oil & filter as usual.

The engine might idle a bit high...since I think the kerosene is being circulated by the PCV system and enriching the mixture.

Results....the oil/kero mix comes out very dark...meaning you are loosing some carbon/varnish etc. Oil pressure does not drop significantly. Cost is around $.25.

"Gunk 5 minute flush is 100% diesel fuel. Valvoline's competing product is kerosene, which is a chemical cousin to diesel. From experience I know that Marvel Mystery Oil also cures lifter ticks when used long-term (days, not minutes). Score one for the old-school remedies! Evidently Grandpa knew more than we give him credit for..."

NOTE: I now do both the top end water flush and then the 15 mins kerosene oil flush at every oil change


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Last edited by takza on Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:16 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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tercel4wdrules
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Post by tercel4wdrules »

I've never tried your decarboning method yet, but doesn't pouring those neet-o fuel additives do the same work for you? Just asking, but your method might get more out.
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takza
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Post by takza »

Some people have used straight water...some have used Coke (as in Cola).

Water with a little oil causes much less smoke and you have some lube in the mix to protect the rings. It also doesn't cost $3 to $5.

Since I haven't decarboned and then taken an engine apart to see the effects, I only go by anectdotal tales of cleanliness...whatever those are.

In other words...other people have decarboned and say it works...and I believed them.
Give a boy a gun-give a biatch a cell phone-and pretty soon you almost got yourself a police state.

Orwell said: War is peace! Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength...

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Typrus
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Post by Typrus »

Try a quart of Automatic Tranny Fluid in your crank for 60-100 miles. My dad accidently put a quart of ATF in our Geo once then headed down to Denver where he needed to go. The Jiffylube across the street was open so he had them change the oil. Before he left it was just a little dirty oil, semi-tranparent and all. Jiffylube tried to sell my dad a TON of stuff to clear out the stuff that was coming out in the form of BLACK GOOEY oil. No transparency. Nasty stuff.
I used Marvel before I emissions tested my Grey Baby. Oil came out nasty black after 40 miles of driving.
I'm curious.... If you squeeze too fast, is there possibility of damaging the head with the water in the mix?
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed

1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
takza
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Post by takza »

Typrus wrote: I'm curious.... If you squeeze too fast, is there possibility of damaging the head with the water in the mix?
YES...it is called hydrolocking the engine. Liquids don't compress too well...unlike air...so you can bend a rod. NOT a good thing. :( :( :(
Give a boy a gun-give a biatch a cell phone-and pretty soon you almost got yourself a police state.

Orwell said: War is peace! Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength...

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Typrus
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Post by Typrus »

Bump.
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed

1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
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