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MENINBLK
07-18-2005, 04:53 PM
Hello All,

I was reading a post that was linked back to our site about Spark Knock/Pre-Ignition (pinging).
I've learned through this thread, that sometimes pinging can be caused by a build up of chemical deposits
in the combustion chamber, either by Additives, Fuel Injector Cleaners, and/or additives to the very fuel we burn.
These deposits can also be Carbon deposits, built up over time due to incomplete combustion.

The deposits can do 2 things...
1 - The actual buildup, becuase it occupies space, increases the compression
of the engine aiding in pinging.
2 - Can retain heat, that also causes pinging.

GM has a product called TOP ENGINE CLEANER that is used for cleaning the combustion chamber.
It is a spray that, when I was a Buick Dealer Parts Manager, we used a lot for cleaning Throtle bodies,
IAC Motors, Intakes, EGR Passageways,and EGR Valves.
To clean the Combustion chamber, we would remove the intake hose from the
Throttle Body,
rev the engine to about 2500 rpm, and spray the entire contents of the bottle into the intake
while the engine was running, until it could no longer run and stalled.
At this point, we let the engine sit for 15 minutes, and then restarted
letting the engine blow out all of the crap that was trapped inside.

The TOP ENGINE CLEANER was also safe for all Catalytic Converters and Oxygen sensors.
I don't know if it was safe for the Technicians... :eek:

Is there anything similar to this that can be used for our engines?
I believe that my 4.6 is in need of cleaning, and I'd like to know what is available to do this.

When I had the Contour, it had a Duratec V6, and because of the Intake Manifold Runner,
I had the Intake Manifold flushed evry 30,000 miles.
This really woke up the performance of the engine.
So you think I should let my dealer do the same thing to my Marauder?

rayjay
07-19-2005, 12:16 AM
Sounds like the procedure for cleaning intakes/carbs using Gumout. No expert here, but I don't see why Gumout spray wouldn't work the same way.

Breadfan
07-19-2005, 05:15 AM
I'm sure others have heard of it, never used it so I hope this link is correct, but there is a product "Seafoam" that does the same thing.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpTechGas.htm

I've also heard you gotta be careful doing this as if it sucks too much fluid in you can risk a hydrolock.

DeadVic
07-20-2005, 12:34 PM
I've used seafoam for years. I usually dump 3/4 of the bottle in about 10 gallons of fuel and the other 1/4 in the crankcase the week before an oil change. I have NEVER done this with the MM though since I'm running a tune and Mobil 1 - I didn't want to risk any damage.

I'd like to see what others have done to the motor itself to clean up deposits with these motors.


I did the seamfoam directly into the intake on an old beater GM once and it smoked like I had blown a head gasket for about 45 seconds at mid throttle. After that it ran much smoother for about a year with no indications of any kind of damage.

hdirish50
07-20-2005, 12:58 PM
I know exactly what you are talking about. When I was a “lube tech” at a Mobile Lube Express, about 10 years ago, in Florida, we used the same product. However, it did not stall the car out. Instead, while the car was still running, the exhaust would come out thick white. We used the product in all makes and models of cars. But unfortunately I do not remember the name of the product we used. If you can locate a Mobil Lube Express, they may still carry the product.