Carbon Deposits In Cars Are Very Harmful. Are Cleaners Really Effective In Cleaning Up Carbon Deposits?
In recent years, I have communicated and discussed with several experienced drivers, and I have discovered that everyone has a common headache and troublesome situation. As the motor vehicle is driven for a long time, the power is much weaker than before. Some irregular vibrations appear when the engine is idling and not working. At the same time, the fuel consumption gradually increases unknowingly. Go to the car repair shop for a careful inspection. The repairman will most likely tell you: "The engine has carbon deposits." Especially the key parts of the engine that allow fuel and air to be fully mixed and burned. Once the degree of carbon deposits is particularly serious, all kinds of troublesome and distressing things will come one after another. Many car owners have heard of the word "carbon deposit", but they are not sure how it is formed, how harmful it is, and whether the methods on the market for removing carbon deposits, especially the cleaning agents that claim to be no-removal, are effective. Today, we will put aside those complicated terms and explain carbon deposits in the engine in the most straightforward way to help you save worry, effort and money.
What exactly is carbon deposits? how come?
Simply put, carbon deposits are the "waste" left behind after incomplete combustion of gasoline. Gasoline itself contains certain colloids and olefinic substances. In a high-temperature and high-pressure environment such as the combustion chamber, if the combustion is not sufficient, these substances will carbonize and form a layer of black and sticky deposits that adhere to the top of the piston, valves, fuel injectors and even spark plugs. It is like scale in a kettle at home. As time goes by, more and more accumulate and become thicker. So, why is combustion insufficient? There are two main reasons: First, it is the environment in which we use the car. We drive in urban areas most of the time, and traffic jams have become a normal state. The engine is running at low speed or idling for a long time, and the load it bears is low, and the temperature is difficult to rise. As a result, the gasoline is prone to "not burning through". Second, there are some bad driving habits, such as frequent short-distance driving (reaching the destination before the engine is hot), or preferring to drive at low speeds and high gears (i.e. dragging), or adding gasoline and oil of poor quality. These conditions will accelerate the formation of carbon deposits.
How harmful will it be if the carbon deposits are not cleaned?
Don't underestimate these dark things. The harm they bring will be a chain reaction. First of all, the most direct feeling is that the car has lost power, acceleration has become very weak, and overtaking is difficult. This is because carbon deposits occupy the combustion chamber space, which is equivalent to changing the engine compression ratio, thereby affecting the oil and gas mixing and explosion efficiency. Secondly, the idle speed is unstable. You can clearly feel the jitter when the car is stationary, and even stall occasionally. This is often due to the fact that the throttle valve and fuel injection nozzle are blocked by carbon deposits, the air intake volume becomes inaccurate, and the fuel injection volume is also inaccurate. In addition, fuel consumption will increase significantly because the computer will issue instructions to inject more fuel from the injectors in order to compensate for the decrease in combustion efficiency, and money will be burned in vain. If left untreated for a long time, once the carbon deposit becomes serious, it is very likely to cause knocking, which is a cylinder knocking phenomenon, which will cause damage to the piston and cylinder, and may even cause the three-way catalytic converter to become clogged and poisoned. By that time, the maintenance fees required will be quite high.
Are fuel bottles and detergents “IQ taxes”?
This belongs to the category of issues that everyone is most concerned about. Various fuel additives and fuel treasures sold by gas stations and e-commerce platforms claim that just one bottle can remove carbon deposits and increase power, but do they really work? Objectively speaking, in terms of oil circuits such as fuel injectors, as well as the intake system including intake valves and intake manifolds, there are some relatively minor carbon deposits. By burning along with the gasoline, the detergent does have a certain degree of cleaning and suppression effects, and it can be used as an auxiliary means in the daily maintenance process. However, it is basically unrealistic to expect that the stubborn carbon deposits that have formed inside the combustion chamber and on the top of the piston, especially the thick, hard carbon deposits like crusts, can be completely removed by adding detergent from the fuel tank. Its effect is limited, and it is more like a "health medicine" than a "therapeutic medicine". Therefore, if your car has shown obvious symptoms of carbon accumulation, simply adding detergent may not solve the fundamental problem.
Competition among mainstream cleaning methods
When the carbon deposit is in a serious situation, a more direct cleaning method must be used. The following methods currently dominate the market:
1. Special equipment is used to clean the air intake system, and the cleaning agent is inhaled from the intake manifold in a complicated atomized form, thereby exerting a certain effect on the throttle valve, and then performing related treatments on the intake duct, and at the same time cleaning the carbon deposits on the back of the intake valve. This is especially familiar to us. The cleaning method of bottle blowing is a cleaning method adopted by Zhizhi to improve the idling vibration phenomenon that occurs from time to time and improve the efficiency of air intake. The effect it shows is excellent to a certain extent, and the price range involved is generally between 300 yuan and 500 yuan. However, its ability to clean carbon deposits in the combustion chamber is relatively weak, and its ability to clean carbon deposits on the piston top is also relatively weak.
2. Cleaning with walnut sand is currently recognized as the most effective and thorough method for cleaning carbon deposits on the intake valve. It uses high-speed airflow to spray walnut sand particles. The walnut sand particles are a soft natural material, and the carbon deposits are removed by physical impact. , and then use equipment to suck away the removed carbon deposits. After cleaning, it will be visibly clean and will not cause damage to the engine. However, the equipment is highly professional, has high operating requirements, and is relatively expensive. The one-time cost ranges from 800 to 1,500 yuan.
3. For the carbon deposits on the top of the piston and the combustion chamber, the most effective way to soak the combustion chamber is to remove the spark plug, use special equipment to put a foamy cleaning agent into the combustion chamber, soak it for a while to dissolve the carbon deposits, and then use equipment to extract it. This method belongs to "targeted treatment", and its effect can be immediate and can significantly restore motivation. Prices vary depending on the model, ranging from a few hundred yuan to thousands of yuan.
How to prevent carbon deposits? Save money and worry
If you do not choose to take preventive measures based on your daily car use habits, but wait until the carbon deposits become serious and then spend a lot of money to clean them, that is not the most cost-effective way to maintain your car. First of all, the quality of the oil is very important. Try to choose a regular gas station and fill it with gasoline that matches the vehicle label. Secondly, avoid long-term short-distance low-speed driving. If conditions permit, run on the highway or expressway once or twice a month, let the engine run at a higher speed (such as above 3,000 rpm) for a while, and use high temperature and high-speed airflow to wash away part of the carbon deposits. This method is more effective than many additives. First, in the third point, to achieve timely maintenance, the engine oil used must be genuine and meet the specifications, because engine oil with good cleaning properties can also delay the formation of carbon deposits. Second, in the fourth point, don’t be overly superstitious about detergents, but you can use a bottle of reputable big brand products regularly (such as every 5,000-10,000 kilometers) as daily maintenance.
In general, engine carbon deposits are a problem that cannot be completely avoided in modern cars, but they can be effectively dealt with by knowing the causes and taking scientific prevention and cleaning measures. Cleaning agents for cleaning carbon deposits play a certain role in daily maintenance and minor carbon deposits. However, for stubborn carbon deposits that have already formed, more professional physical cleaning methods such as hanging bottles, walnut sand cleaning, or combustion chamber soaking must be selected according to the actual situation. Caring for a flower car is like caring for your body. Three parts depend on management and seven parts on prevention. Cultivate good car usage habits and conduct regular inspections on time. Only then will your car be able to maintain vitality for a long time and accompany you for a longer journey.
