Easy Way to Blow Out the Carbon

[Shacknasty]

If yer planning to tear down a running motor or ya know that ya have a lot of carbon in yer combustion chambers, here's an old trick that I've used a lot. With today's ethanol fuels carbon builds up rather quickly.

Go for a ride and get up to temp. Pull the airbox or filters off the carbs, all ya need is a little bit of room. Start the motor and bring the rpms up to around 2000.

Now, using an ordinary household spray bottle, give a good squirt of plain old water right into the carb intake. Repeat three or four times on each cylinder and you will have a sparkling clean motor (on the inside only!).

Do NOT do this in front of yer pink Cadillac. Chunks of nasty black crap will shoot out of yer tailpipe.

This is not theory. It works. Life is short, ride hard mofos!

[natemoen]

Or you could shoot it into the sync ports. Less disassembly.

[sparks]

I use a similar method.. Only I add a bit of ATF.. Shake up the bottle between squirts. The atf helps loosen the carbon.. The water doesnt compress too well so it helps break the carbon up but its job is easier if you can loosen it up first.

Lee
(sparks)

[Shacknasty]

Or you could shoot it into the sync ports. Less disassembly.

Damn! That's a real good idea. Why didn't I think of that...

I use a similar method.. Only I add a bit of ATF.. Shake up the bottle between squirts. The atf helps loosen the carbon.. The water doesnt compress too well so it helps break the carbon up but its job is easier if you can loosen it up first.

Lee
(sparks)

Has nuthin' to do with the compression factor of h2o. The water turns to steam as soon as it hits the hot combustion chamber. The steam softens and loosens the carbon. I know guys that use Seafoam, but I'm super cheap...

[James England]

How does it actually do it then? How does it get the carbon off???

[BA80]

The steam breaks up the carbon and allows it to be expelled through the exhaust.

It's an old trick and it works well.

[WSL91]

On the Ford tractor motors that I'm familiar with a leaking head gasket ALWAYS equals a clean shiny combustion chamber

[ViperRon]

I actually think that several manufacturers actually use water vapor induction for their engines and it was both for cleaning but also increased compresssion reduced heat and increased horsepower when used with supercharger and turbochargers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_injection_(engines)

[sparks]

The way it was explained to me was that the water is not in the combustion chamber long enough to convert to steam. What you have is very small balls of water, sort of like ball bearings, that break up the carbon. The ATF, which is a high detergent oil, helps soften it up and lets the water do its job. We used mostly ATF and a small amount of water and poured the mix down the throat of the carb(s)/. Of course this was with cars and trucks with down draft carbs... Side drafts you would have to squirt the stuff in..

[sparks]

I actually think that several manufacturers actually use water vapor induction for their engines and it was both for cleaning but also increased compresssion reduced heat and increased horsepower when used with supercharger and turbochargers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_injection_(engines)

Water injection has been around for decades. It can be somewhat affective but there have been a few problems. The gains werent all that great compared to the potential problems.

[James England]

That's a great tip. I like it!

Re water injection... I think it's the H2O thing... two molecules of hydrogen and one of oxygen.... a combustible pair and an oxidising one...they make for good combustion if split but I believe it takes steam to get anywhere near that.

BTW.... has anyone looked at hydrogen cells which generate hydrogen from water by passing an electrical current through it and sending the hydrogen into the manifolds? It's worth a look on youtube...

[BA80]

LOL James.......we're not splitting atoms here. We're working on old bikes.


I'm sure it's interesting though.

[sparks]

LOL James.......we're not splitting atoms here. We're working on old bikes.


I'm sure it's interesting though.

Perhaps not.. but we do manage to split a hair or two..

[James England]

LOL James.......we're not splitting atoms here. We're working on old bikes.


I'm sure it's interesting though.

Yes, I digress somewhat.... so you're saying a glass bottle of water, with a copper coil in it attached to the bike battery, fizzing and producing hydrogen which is directed into the inlet manifolds wouldn't look cool, then? Damn! Back to the drawing board....

[MPittma100]

Carbon Removal

Straight ATF introduced into the cylinders while running will remove the carbon also. ATF, compared to other lubricants, will actually burn and not foul the plugs. Works well. Have done it many times on many different engines.

MP