Decarbonizing an Engine with Water: Myth or Fact?

  • Context: Automotive 
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of using water injection to clean carbon deposits from car engines. Participants explore the validity of claims made in various videos and anecdotal evidence regarding the effectiveness of this method, as well as its historical context and applications in different types of engines.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express skepticism about the effectiveness of using water to clean carbon deposits, likening it to urban legends.
  • Others mention that water injection has been used in aircraft engines, suggesting it may have historical precedence.
  • A participant notes that while water injection is cited as a technique to achieve certain goals, it is unclear if it specifically leads to cleaner engines.
  • Another participant argues that water injection was primarily used to prevent detonation in high RPM scenarios, with a side effect of cleaner combustion chambers.
  • Some participants share personal experiences with water injection, noting improvements in engine performance after using distilled water.
  • Concerns are raised about potential downstream effects, such as carbon buildup in catalytic converters.
  • A participant speculates on the chemical reactions that might occur when steam interacts with carbon in the engine.
  • Historical references are made to past practices, including a 1970s steam injection craze in the UK and the use of water injection in older turbocharged engines.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the effectiveness or safety of using water for decarbonizing engines. Multiple competing views and anecdotal evidence are presented, leaving the discussion unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various assumptions about engine types, conditions, and the potential risks associated with water injection, but these factors remain unresolved within the discussion.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in automotive maintenance, engine performance, and historical practices in engine technology may find this discussion relevant.

  • #61
In a running engine surface temperature change (and especially bulk temperature) isn't that great. From what I know it's the mechanics of steam expansion that does the trick.
 
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  • #62
We are starting to see engine damage from carbon breaking loose and sticking in the ring lands.
Can scuff cylinder walls.
There are some good chemicals out there to dissolve the carbon gradually instead of blasting it off.
 
  • #63
If the engine is disassembled so you can clean up the mess afterwards, Carbon tetraChloride, also called Tetrachloromethane, (CCl4) is a solvent for Carbon. The big problem is that CCl4 causes Cancer.
 
  • #64
Tom.G said:
If the engine is disassembled so you can clean up the mess afterwards, Carbon tetraChloride, also called Tetrachloromethane, (CCl4) is a solvent for Carbon. The big problem is that CCl4 causes Cancer.
Yeah, I'm not sure we should suggest that for anybody who isn't a chemist with access to an exhaust fume hood...
 
  • #65
The Internet can sure sound evil. This thread made me curious as to whether carbon tet was still sold. I searched and the first hit at the top of the page was "Black Friday Specials on Carbon Tetrachloride" o_O
 
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  • #66
At toyota, a recall campaign has us reading the tops of the pistons for numbers to determine if they are part of the lot of "bad pistons" put into camry 4 cylinder engines.

We use a BG product that smells identical to the product I pictured earlier in the thread.

The problem is that almost nobody at the dealerships understands basic physics and they end up having trouble getting the pistons clean enough.

I'm sure some cars are being damaged as well.
 
  • #67
Derek said:
We are starting to see engine damage from carbon breaking loose and sticking in the ring lands.
Can scuff cylinder walls.
There are some good chemicals out there to dissolve the carbon gradually instead of blasting it off.
Ive recently lost two weed whacker engines for just that reason. In both cases there was a bit of carbon "missing" and a score line down the bore just below it. Fortunately they weren't expensive machines.
 
  • #68
CWatters said:
Ive recently lost two weed whacker engines for just that reason.
Interesting observation.

Do you use regular pump gas with ethanol or ethanol free? E10 gas will absorb minor amounts of moisture , and will eventually separate into two or three distinct layers - water , alcohol and gasoline... That can be problematic if fuel is stored more than a very few months.

https://ethanolrfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Evaluation-of-Water-Uptake-by-Ethanol-RFA-09-16.pdf

old jim
 
  • #69
I try and buy ethanol free but it's not available locally so it takes planning to get some. I think I just didn't realize how much carbon was building up. Now I know I'll keep an eye on it.
 
  • #70
So I’d just like to let everyone know .. my car had a lot of flat spots and sometimes wouldn’t Rev over 3k rpm , it was starting to annoy me so I started changing all sorts of parts and nothing worked... till I tried the water into the air intake ... I got a spray bottle boiled the kettle let it cool down to normal temp again to make sure all bad deposits were gone , then I got my wife to hold the revs at 2.5-3k rpm , I sprayed the water little by little as when the engine revs wanted to drop I stopped let it pick back up and repeated this over and over , I left the car running on idle while I went and filled the spray bottle back up for another 5l to go in.. so 10l of water bit by bit for over half an hour let the engine run idle for 5 mins after I had done it, took her out for a spin and what a difference it had made ! No more flat spots no more lag just like it was because the problems start , so am wondering if carbon had built up around the swirl flaps or intake manifold itself and the water has got rid of it , 100% worked thought I would share my experience
 
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