Best way to decarbon an engine?

[DiverRay]

Yeah, a stint at Arizona Automotive Institute will teach you little things like that! I also had my dad AND grandfather who were mechanics. Grew up using B12 or water to clean up engines.

[petejw]

hi mike,
in a previous post i stated the only real way was to
pull the engine down and clean the carbon off manually,
theres no trouble in connecting up a cpl of hoses and sticking
it in some water, was more out of curiosity than any thing else,
it was something i had done many years ago on cars i had when
i was younger, personnaly i think it might clean up the top of the pistons/combustion chambers and exhaust ports, but wouldnt get into the lower part of the piston where the oil rings are and where carbon can build up.

hi ray,
water injection has been around for many years so
not to sure about doing it once every 10,000k's and ive never
heard of it burning pistons or heads, not saying that it isnt posible
just never heard of it before.

[fredintoon]

C'mon guys,
you are only doing half of the job by spraying water or patented jollop into the carbs.
No matter how well it takes the crud away it can't re-lap the valve seats, eh?

[DiverRay]

Had one local when I was young who thought if a little is good, a LOT would be better! His car ran really well for a little while, and then lost all it's power. He had put holes in the top of two pistons! Saw the engine apart with my own eyes, and I saw his homemade water injection system. he went through about a gallon of water for a tank of gas!
Even in WW2, they had water injection on some of the fighters. They could only use for a SHORT period of time. More than two minutes would kill the engine.

[cywelchjr]

They use water injection on B52 bombers on takeoff. With the weight added over the years what with new equipment and stuff added, they now reportedly need 110% power on all 8 engines PLUS water injection to get off the ground with a full load. (generally only military craft even have a 110% setting, which is considered only usable for short periods). Used to watch them do touch and goes at Ramey air force base in Puerto Rico when I was a kid. Was pretty impressive, most planes fly into the air when they leave the ground, the B52 or Buff looks like it's pounding it way into the air. It's amazing that those things are older than I am for the most part (they were still making them in the early 60's though so it's not true of all of them) and they STILL have not been able to design a strategic bomber that can do the job better than they do.

Last I saw, they are slated to continue in service till at LEAST 2032, and most of the parts for them have not been made since the late 60's. Just goes to show that if you build it right, they just keep on going and going, kinda like these bikes.

[xs11lover]

Please forgive me I'm a little thick. I should take off my air filters and shoot seafoam or water into my carbs????

[petejw]

xs11lover,
u could use either, i havent used seafoam
i dont think we get over here, ray posted earlier what to do with the sea foam,
if u wanna use the water squirt it from a spray bottle.


ray,
problem with home made water injection is its usually put on wrong,
connected to a vac port, where most of the water would
be sucked in during decelleration, instead of having a sufficient
pump that squirts it in during acceleration where it is needed most.