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We use a product from GM/ACDelco with a part number of X-66A to clean carbon off the back of valves & throttle plates. We spray it in and load the engine up till it starts running poor. Then shut it off for a little. Then restart and repeat. It will fog the neighborhood... worse if it's really bad! I've never done it on a GDI engine as I've been retired for over 10 years but on GM's 3800 engines... The carbon would cake up the valves to the point of causing misfires. The carbon absorbs the fuel shot causing a tip in hesitation. It comes in a spray can but we use to be able to get it in a liquid can. But I haven't seen that in a long time. I don't even remember the part number on that. Also try CLR... I know guys use it to decarbon their rifle barrels. Eric Cortina, a world class shooter, was one who really showed how well it worked on gun barrels.
That's what I was thinking to do exactly!! I believe WD-40 with some valve cleaner and then brake cleaner following with compressed air will do the job perfectly.
Using 30 zipties tied by one ziptie is the FACTORY recommended way for cleaning AUDI valves. They actually have a technical service bulletin just for that.
Excellent video! You describe the entire process with accuracy, and you provide the different methods used for a job like this. Thank you! It's folks like yourself who make our lives easier when it comes to working on our cars.
After watching your video I pulled the intake manifold off our 2015 2.0l ecoboost Escape with 96k miles to replace a leaking oil separator. Intake valves were carbon coated but like your vehicle, not terrible. The carbon was also soft and moist so I spent about an hour and mechanically scraped them with only pick tools. The hook tool and one that looks like a tiny golf club were the most useful. Used compressed air to clean out the removed carbon and called it a win. They weren’t perfect but definitely much better than before scraping. Like you I doubt I’ll ever need to do it again as the turbo will be toast long before the next 100k service. Thank you for the valuable information.
@@bigdaddymak1439 yes , but due to emmision laws engine have to run way more egr in common rail diesels which blocks up manifolds and dpf's ... Direct injection on petrol, valves don't get cleaned by petrol unless the run duel system. All to save the planet
Thank you. This video is not only very informative, but I also love the honesty of the content creator. This actually helps me in making the correct decision. Thanks again.
I just bought a 2015 with 114k on it from the Ford dealer I work at. I did order a can, just because, it definitely can't hurt! I believe the do a better job than the oe separator, as it pulls moisture out of the system as well as excess oil residue. Even in the shot you showed of the factory separator, oil was making it through the separator body. I am going to do the cleaning just for piece of mind. It runs just fine, but I own vehicles for the long haul and plus I want the experience. Being in the parts dept for over 20 years at a Ford dealer, we have never offered this as a service, and have never had a Ecoboost in for misfires caused by it. I am kind of surprised, as the more I research this, it does happen. Great videos, just found you today and now subbed to your channel. Thanks for the info!!
This is by far the most honest and unbiased information presented on the subject of GDI carbon build-up that I've seen. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.
I always get excited when I see you have a new video, because I know I am going to learn something! My favorite part was when the job was done and you and your wife drove the car; both of you could not notice any difference! This type of information is priceless!!!!
Great video and very good explanation of the “GDI problem”. And this confirms what I always thought about using the spray cleaners vs a mechanical cleaning. And zip ties, that’s a great idea.
Indeed the misting/"spray-in" of cleaner products does absolutely nothing. The only people that believe in "mechanic in a can" solutions are those ppl that have never turned a wrench or had an intake off to see just how tough it is to get GDI carbon deposits off valves in *reality* . If you can *soak* these valves in said cleaner for 8-24hrs, scrub them like hell with brushes, drill attachments, etc. and still not get them fully cleaned, it's absolutely unfathomable to think just "spraying in" a cleaner from an aerosol can, which will deposit only a light mist on valves, will actually clean anything. Been telling people this for years and years yet there are still the intarweb clowns that *insist* "mechanic in a can" not only works, but "works great" just because that's what's in their [delusional], zero-experience heads. I'm pretty sure these are also the same people that have never done a day of hard work in their lives, either.
Yep, for the past decade people have tried to say the chemicals alone work, but they don’t. Everyone on VW/Audi and BMW forums who have tried it and showed pics saw the same thing you did. Only mechanical or combination works.
It's laughable to think that just spraying something into the manifold would do anything. And you wouldn't want it to. If it did work and all that stuff came off the valves at once it'd destroy the engine or at least the cat
@@Wouldyoulookatthat2 It's a POS Hyundai engine, there could be any number of reasons it helps. It is not cleaning the valves much. I would personally sell that car before it throws a rod.
Great video! I just did the CRC GDI cleaning on a 2013 Hyundai Sonata with 90k on it, that was running rough and threw a p1326 code a few times. The Hyundai engines are notoriously bad and replaced frequently with a now extended lifetime warranty for bearing issues. I thought I would do the cleaning so when the dealer inspected the engine they won't claim failure to maintain. Well when I took it out for the half hour of highway driving as instructed on the can I thought it was self destructing with all the rattling and clunking noise coming from the engine. Turns out it was just all the carbon getting blown out and now has more power, accelerates and runs smooth as can be. It has only been a week and It will probably still blow up from the bearing issues but for now its fine and if I took it to the dealer they would probably say "its fine, no problem found" that'ul be $132.50 please
I think for products like the CRC to be somewhat effective would for you to use it as an ongoing preventative maintenance starting when the car is new. Once there is heavy build up as depicted in this video a product like CRC is largely ineffective.
A big thanks to you, very articulate, valuable presentation for car owners and DIY mechanics. Obviously your Escape had not reached the critical point, it looked gross but was still fully functional. That instills hope for me because up to now I have watched many videos on the subject and for the most part they approach this problem as going to be a disabling issue with very low mileage, I think a lot of it is just hype and misinformation. I came to the same conclusion about oil catch cans, to me they just cannot effectively treat the volume of circulating crankcase gases, just not large enough and the design not adequate, so they seem to me to be just a band aid, a feel good add on. It was good to hear that the later GDI designs have moved to lessen this problem. I suspect that most of the problems come from the usual suspects, allowing long intervals between oil changes and general lack of maintenance and it is important to note that factory recommended oil change intervals are too long.
Good video I own a 2013 with 125000 km (bought in October 2012 ) and have not had any issues with misfiring, my biggest issue was rear brake disc rust so bad that lining was deposited onto the disc , ford warranted one set and we purchased and installed a premium set of discs at about 60 thousand km . We drive in mountains and notice that the discs will warp during long down hill travel but once they cool the discs will stop vibration . We have used the S mode to hold back on down long down hill runs with mixed results. Thanks for the great video .
I'm running a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Limited. First year for GDI for this 2.0 engine. Aside from replacing the PCV valve early, due to a recall , the only thing I have done is 4-5k oil changes, use only top-tier gas and when I'm driving it I try to be aggressive on the throttle since I am a very low mileage driver. IT starts and runs absolutely perfect!! Just turned 40k miles.
@@eezing140 Top Tier gas has more detergents in it than the usual stuff. You get it at Chevron, Shell and ARCO? and Costco gas stations. The label TOP TIER will be on the gas pump. It is a green label..Google Top Tier label
@@eezing140top tier is a designation in the US for gasoline that meets certain criteria (detergents/additives). Look at the top tier website for a list of what brands sell top tier fuel. Texaco, Chevron, QuikTrip, and Shell are a few of them. Racetrac, Kroger, and BP aren’t. I always use it because I know it’s quality gas and the fact it keeps your intake valves cleaner (in a port injection engine).
@@eezing140 means Shell, BP, Exxon, Costco, Sunoco, Texaco, or all the brands of gas that you will probably see as a sponsor at a Nascar race. Also includes regular 87 octane gas from these brands.
I learned my lesson to use this from the get-go with my previous gasoline direct injection vehicle. I’ve been doing this every oil change, and my borescope shows my valves clean as a whistle (thank goodness) I also tend to use top-tier gas along with Chevron Techron complete fuel system cleaner since Honda has problems with their injectors. 😅 team Amsoil full synthetic oil here ✋
Great idea! I had clogged egr ports on my Ford 2000 vintage 4.6 L. The actual ports on the upper intake are surprisingly small. I used a combination of intake cleaner and apiece if 1/8 inch cable chucked in a drill. I spun the cable so it unwound and was able to clean and burnish those passages. No CEL for 4 months now!
@gtzgreatride my kids tease me about driving such an "old" car. I just hit 299 000 miles and it runs just fine. I'm keeping it. I don't need a $100,000 dollar truck! My knees are more vintage than the truck!
Yep, had a 98 Expeditions with a 4.6 and starting at about 150k miles it would ping under light load with 87 octane. Pulled the throttle body and the ERG ports were plugged solid with carbon. 10 min with a screw driver had them clean and the ping was gone. Started to come back again at 300k miles and yep, plugged again. Sold the vehicle at 350k miles.
My 1995 Towncar had the same issue with the egr passages. It took pulling the 90 degree horn off the intake, and scraping the passages out with a wire coat hanger.
Just found this video via a youtube search. Some great Info in there, so thanks. I'm going to have to do this to a 1999 Mitsubishi Galant Wagon I just bought that has the 2.4L 150 HP GDI engine and 254.000 KM on the clock (so roughly 158.000 miles), since the engine is running really rough and the previous owner didn't have any records of the intake valves ever getting cleaned, so I know it's going to be messy in there. Though I am going to install a Catchcan on it simply because Mitsubishi didn't add an Oil seperator on the PCV system of these early GDI engines, they basically have the exact same PCV setup as their port injected engines of that time.
Ironically, I just did a DIY intake cleaning on mh hyundai Elantra 2012 (1st gen GDI engine) I used Amsoil cleaner and bottled with hose assembly through the vacuum. I noticed a lot of white smoke initially, and the engine was making tapping noises as i depressed the gas pedal (in higher gears) Eventually, everything settled down, and it began to drive normally. I don't have the skills or tools to actually take apart the intake. I'm going to test and see if my MPG got any better. Thanks for the video man.
Even vehicles with oil/air separators still benefit from catch cans. Something that has worked for the GDI / TGDI engines in our family it using a catch can with steel wool type media in the can and then piping it's output into a spin-on filter adapter using a standard cellulose oil filter, then from there piping it back into the intake plenum. The addition of the steel wool in the catch can increase the surface area for oil in the vapour to condense. Following up with it going into a spin-on oil filter adapter and into a traditional cellulose (paper) style oil filter media helps to further "dry" the air of the oil vapour. Change the oil filter every oil change and empty the catch can as needed. Make sure the catch can is in the warm engine bay area so the vapour doesn't freeze in the winter. The filter portion can be anywhere and actually benefits if it's in a cooler section to help condense any remaining vapour.
I tried the zip tie method just recently and ya it does something but I found an old toothbrush works even better. Basically whatever you can fit in there and scrub with. Plus lots of parts cleaner and scraping with picks
Thanks for your advice. I had concerns about when my new Mazda will eventually need valve cleaning but I'm hoping it will be over 100,000 miles before it is an issue.
I've been watching your videos for quite a while, I just usually don't comment. Your videos are always top notch and IMO straight to the point and accurate. There's always going to be "experts" who know better, but not really if you know what I mean. To me everything you mention should be common sense, but then again... Keep up the great videos and you'll be on your way to being the next project farm 👍 I wonder if methanol injection or even water injection would help to remedy this issue. If you've ever removed a cylinder head from an engine with a blown head gasket, that particular top of the piston and and bottom of the cylinder head is always spotless due to steam that occurs inside the cylinder from the coolant / water. Old time mechanics including myself would spray a metered amount of water into the intake manifold to accomplish this same thing. Either this or possibly setting up a reservoir with a cleaner that could be slowly sucked into the intake over 100 miles or so. Back in the day MMO made such a device. It was a reservoir you mounted under the hood, filled it with MMO, ran a vacuum line to the intake and it was metered to allow it to empty over hundreds of miles. I'm not sure what to make of MMO, but it was something that was sold. Nowadays it would probably wreak havock on catalytic converters.
I know exactly what you're taking about. They were big on boosted mustangs back in the day. WOT would trigger the pump to turn on and lower IATs to keep detonation away until the tank went dry. The cheapest Snow Performance kit I saw was $350 without the juice. Some kits were over $1000. To me it's the same as the catch can argument just save the money and know you're going to need a cleaning in the future.
The best thing is a catch can after cleaning. I cleaned a 2017 2.0 ecoboost then added a catch can, its amazing how much oil gets into the intake via the PCV system.
Great video. I already bought an oil separator. Some people are complaining that the GDI had to be cleaned every 20k miles. I think it would still be worth it just to extend the maintenance in that case. For me, I am doing it for the first time at 110k miles. I'm going to try a drill bit with a cleaning brush on the end. These are less than $10 on Amazon and designed for cleaning grout and things around the house. It's not letting me post a link, but you can just search for them generically. I will update after the next week or 2 when I do the job.
Any update? Was looking at this vs zip ties.. Curious how the cleaning brush held up or how well it worked.. Assuming a plastic brush.. Not steel wire correct?
@@iareburgman The cleaning brush did its job just fine. I ended up using CRS Intake Valve Cleaner also. You need a compressor for this job because you will be blowing out the valves several times. I did about 4 rounds. 1 every 15 minutes. On my intake, a couple of clips actually slide off as opposed to being removed...nobody talked about this.
Seeing the zip tie method made me think of alternatives to zip ties, and the top choice in my head was string trimmer line. Like zip ties it is cheap and plastic. But string trimmer line is usually a stiffer plastic and comes in a variety of diameters and line shapes to try to make it more aggressive at weed trimming. Maybe that would allow it to clean the valves more thoroughly, or at least more quickly. Regardless, thanks for the good video on this topic.
I've used the zip tie method in the past in addition to walnut blasting, and just using a pick. It usually takes a combination of methods to be honest. I'm going to try your idea instead of zip ties. I think us mechanics use zip ties because that's what we have at the shop. I'm going to get back to you with my results. Great idea man.
I wonder if using the zip ties and throw in a little walnut blasting media in there would work? The ties would have to stir up the media to some extent helping to clean a little better.
I tried the zip tie method and it worked well, but what really got them clean was my Chinese friend with chopsticks. She’s also great at polishing my knob.
@@craigquann doesn't really work since the wire core of the brush kind of becomes the tip and that's where you need most of the scraping action. Also, zip ties coil up on themselves too if you go wild with them. If you're doing it at home just get a pick set from harbor freight and a shop vac to suck all the crumbs out. You can get them pretty dang clean with picks.
Aerosol spray cleaners are for preventative maintenance. Using a cleaner every service does reduce long term carbon build up. It won’t clean valves that are already excessively built up. Essentially aerosols will increase the mileage at which the intake needs to be removed to do a mechanical clean.
This wasn't mentioned in the video, but if you're thinking about removing the injectors themselves and cleaning them, don't. Direct injectors are very unforgiving to work with. The install has to be flawless. If not, you can get a very bad fuel leak under the hood. Once you remove them, you have to put all new bushings on the injectors before you put it back together. Also, the steel fuel lines that go from the fuel pump to the injection system have to be replaced, as well. And check the workshop manual to see if anything else is single use only. If there's an issue during the install, it doesn't always shop up right away. The car may run perfect for a couple hundred miles before you spring a leak. If you have a V motor, you need to be even more careful. Gas gets trapped in the center of the motor, and there's no way to drain it out.
Thanks for your time to perform this test and to be really honest about the results of those magic carbon cleaners... to be honest, there would be just a handful of people who are going to perform this zip tie technique at home due to the complexity of the entire method plus on the side mounted engine it's almost impossible to clean up the right side of the engine (firewall side).. I guess using good quality gasoline top-tier and regular intake cleaning through the throttlebody isn't the perfect solution, but at least it will minimize the build-up of carbon deposits on the valve and intake. The advantages of the fuel economy and efficiency are almost irrelevant when you have to spend a lot of money taking care of the engine on preventive maintenance and a full head cylinder and valve cleaning job $$$ 😢
Good luck on that 2.0L! Hope it goes better for you than our 1.6L faired. Transmission went at 195k and then the block went at 200k (Coolant Intrusion)
If anything youll increase fuel economy by a small bit. Removing carbon allows the valves to conpletely seat as carbon may not allow it to seat all the way.
Thanks for the video! I just bought a 2013 Escape with the 2.0 EcoBoost, so it is perfect for me. Watching you use the zip tie approach, there is one thing that the zip ties could hurt. The clipped end of the one you have tightened around the rest could dig into the hand you were using to steady the bunch of zip ties while the drill is spinning. I don't know if it would hold up or not (I think it would), but I had an idea watching your video. instead of using a zip tie to keep the rest bunched up towards the drill end, a piece of heat shrink tubing would be smoother and safer for your hand. In any case, I'll have to remember this approach when I need to clean the carbon out of my engine.
Excellent video with lots of great information. I would say the price of the walnut blaster is a bit misleading when most people get a portable abrasive blaster from harbor freight ($29 msrp) hooked to their garage compressor, a rubber hose, and a shop vac. Walnut blasting doesn't really need a full dedicated special machine. all that being said, this is a great easy way to get a bunch done with minimal work. Definitely was worth mentioning using a pick set at least, too.
As a point of conversation... GDI also eliminates valve overlap during fueling. On a traditionally fueled gas engine, the exhaust valve is open during at least _some_ amount of the intake cycle and _some_ amount of intake charge goes straight out of the exhaust with fuel mixed in it. With GDI, the fuel is only added once the valves are closed. It's my understanding that change alone is responsible for a large amount of improvement in fuel economy. I know you mentioned this in aggregate by mentioning fuel control, but I think it's a much larger difference than people may give it credit for.
@@RepairGeek No doubt it does. I also seem to remember seeing a comparison of WW2 aircraft, with a German plane that was running GDI as opposed to an allied plane that wasn't. I seem to recall the power _and range_ was like 30% greater on the German plane. The complexity of the German system was immense, but the competitive advantage was boggling. If not for entering the jet age right after the war, we would have probably seen GDI development in aircraft continue at a greater pace and get it far sooner on passenger cars.
I dont doubt it. What's crazy about that stuff that vintage is, guys engineered all that stuff with no computers. Look at a stream locomotive that runs 80mph. Nobody had a computer to figure out the geometry and balance all that stuff. 🤯🤯🤯
@@RepairGeek I've spent a good few years in a career where we do exactly that type of work. I've frequently noted that Lockheed designed the SR-71 with pencils, slide rules, and smuggled materials from our chief adversary in 18 months... and flew one. "We" can't even built a "whatever" in "X" years. 😂 It does help to remember that some of these things from history had what were essentially unlimited budgets. The infinite money glitch does tend to help.
I know what else will work to get that carbon out off the valves is Run the engine when hot and use Rice right out of the Box or sack. It will shatter the carbon build up real fast , makes a heck of a racket sound , but will work. Hell , Grumpy Jenkins use to use a certain kind of dirt clay to run through his racing engines to smooth the intake ports and intake manifolds , because you could not do any porting at all on the heads. Another cleaner you did not try is Top Engine Cleaner from General Motors , that will run circles around the stuff on this video. But Rice will work and won't harm the engine , a Hand full at a time ! I know , I have done that dozens of times!
As the owner of a 2018 Ford Focus ST with the 2.0L EcoBoost, I wish I had seen this video sooner. I installed both a catch can and an aftermarket oil separator, commonly called a PCV Plate, only this one came with a baffle. It's not a cure for the problem, but it's supposed to help mitigate the carbon build-up. Engine's at about 37K right now, I'm probably going to take it to get walnut blasted at around 50K.
i considered placing a nylon screen between that pvc plate and the engine... this would allow only vapours to pass thru,, and less oil..it was just an idea ..
I’m working on an ‘09 VW Tiguan with a 2.0 TSi with direct injection. Keeps kicking out misfire codes on all 4 cylinders, and runs pretty crappy when it’s cold. As soon as it warms up, it runs fine. From what I’ve read, that’s a symptom of carbon buildup on the valves. Guess I’m about to find out. Thanks for the video!
I just did my Hyundai with 60k miles T-GDI engine. The valves weren't too dirty. Used the same method you did and clean them pretty well. It will work another 60k miles and spend under $20 chemical, zip tides, and napkins.
While these methods work to clean the back of the valves, remember you are not able to clean the seat face on the valve or port. You need a chemical solution for that or valve removal (head disassembly) and cleaning.🎉 thanks for the informative videos btw, very cool.
I put a catch can on my Kia . I also put stainless steel “ Brillo” pad wadded up inside to catch more oil and condense inside. Change oil with Mobil one at 4000 miles and clean catch can. So far 82000 miles no problems but I get lots of crap out of catch can.
Yes, I also like the way that you are actually doing a real diagnosis real testing and giving out real results but in the end, there Hass to be a difference between having a dirty Vals and having a clean valve, and the difference would be using more air because the carbon takes up space, so regardless, even if it’s a noticeable in the long run, it is noticeable you just have to measure it bye the amount of time is still better for the engine in your pocketbook in the end so maybe you don’t save a lot but you save something because the engine will I think run smoother with cleaner valves than dirty valves, right?
I'm curious about using a catch can in conjunction with a crank case evacuation fitting in the exhaust pre-cat. Still burning the extra crank case vapors that the catchcan doesn't catch, but you'll be burning them in the cat, keeping the crankcase vapors out of the intake.
diy/normy here. Just got my '16 forte5 (na) gdi serviced at the dealership. the service basically ran the cleaner from at the fuel filter into the engine for about a 30-40 minute interval from what I could tell but I am not sure on the time. this is the 2nd time I have gotten the service. the first was at the maserati dealership for a different product line for gdi. both times I have noticed a pretty big difference (subjectively of course). I also did some highway driving after both. after the maserati service I did get some smokey blowout. after the kia, none. I did step into the garage during the end of the kia service. the exhaust smelled like plactic death mixed with acetone . lol. also a light amount of white grey smoke. that should have been around the 25-30 minute mark. never did the diy approach bc I wasn't comfortable taking the intake manifold off. spent 250 at kia for 'fuel system service' and 350 at maserati for same
These Ford engines are excellent when it comes to "controlling" the carbon buildup on the valves. Now I'm sure many ppl will talk about all the pitfalls of these Ecoboost engines, and those complaints may be well valid; but, when it comes to carbon buildup in particular that looks pretty amazing after that many miles. If you went this far on any of the older VAG 2.0T engines you'd not only have *completely* caked ports and valves, you'd probably have run into cold-start misfires already too. I'm actually surprised by just how clean the ports on this Ford engine stay. Yeah the valves have carbon but those ports look great. The VAG EA113s and Gen 1 & 2 EA888s *well maintained* will look worse...far worse, after only 30-40k miles of typical use.
design is better,, the erg " system in on the block below the head and the injectors.. and the egr ' box ' has internal baffles to catch a lot of the blow by gases that cause this problem. gravity plays a little part in this also,,, as the gases in the ford system have to go up into the intake manifold a short distance.. .. bmw. audi vw mbz.. those car take the erg on the valve cover and dump the gases directly into the intake manifold ..ford just had a better idea on this..i have seen bmw and vw/audi intake valves massively carboned up at 50000 mile.. does not help thuo when the german manufactures say 800 mile per quart of oil is normal oil consumption.. on my 2014 2.0 ford fusion vep engine.. i can go 6000 miles before oil changes and only use 1/2 wuart of oil
@@randellgribben9772 Indeed there's no denying the design and end result with the Ford is obviously way better. However just as some notes there's no EGR to speak of on VAG 2.0T engines. Also I have two vehicles with VAG 2.0Ts, one EA113 and one EA888, both 10+ years old, and neither burns any huge or problematic amount of oil. Maybe top up half litre within an (5k mi) oil change interval, if that. Also an immediate family member has another EA888 vehicle and same thing there. The carbon on the valves though...yeah it's definitely a different story lol. It should be pointed out though every engine , from whatever manufacturer, has its own "problem areas". Of which those Ford Ecoboost 4cyls definitely have their own share of other things you have to be careful of. E.g. VAG 4cyl turbos, head gasket issues are basically unheard of/never happen; Ecoboost...ehhh not so much lol.
As someone who has a duel injection vehicle, I do hope more auto-makers will move that direction. I've seen 2GR-FKS engines torn down at 200,000 miles with no carbon build up on the backs of the valves, and I'm sure some of the 3.5L Eco-Boost engines that run duel injection are probably the same way. Not a fan of only direct injection though.
The amount of build-up you had was not enough yet to be detrimental to the engine, but it is the base that enough will build up on to eventually become a problem. Better to knock it down now than when it is an excessive amount. I've got 160,000 miles on my 2012 Ford Focus (manual transmission) that I have maintained well its entire life. It still runs like new. I DID use CRC GDI cleaner at about 110,000 miles. When starting the engine after an hour I did hear "sounds" that were concerning, such as possible pieces of carbon getting crunched as they worked their way through leaving the engine. I heard this noise for about 3 or 4 seconds while accelerating away to get to the highway, and never again. I don't know that I noticed any difference in how the engine ran, but my engine has ALWAYS run like new. I also replaced my spark plugs at 71,000 miles and will be doing them again, as soon as the weather warms up a little. The manufacturer interval is 100,000 miles, but I just like to do some things before they become an issue.
Same happened to me. Knocked a piece of carbon loose and most likely scored my cylinder walls and god knows what else on my highway run. Also it barely made it past the cat. I’m afraid to use it again. What are your thoughts on continued use knowing the damage that could be done to the engine and catalytic converter?
Great video! I happen to have the exact same vehicle except it's a 2014 with about 65k miles. And being aware that the Ford Escapes had the GDI feature, it was some sort of a concern on how much of an issue this could be on the 2.0L Ecoboost engines. But watching your video has somewhat reassured me since just like you, I do my own maintenances on my vehicles and I am a firm believer on following the manufacturers recommendations. So basically, in the end, I wont be concern as much unless there really is a driveability issue. I plan to keep this vehicle at least for 5-7 years and by that time it will be way past the 220-230k miles. So I guess we'll see by then. I test drove a few Ford Escapes with close to 200k miles and were really running like new and the way they looked they didn't really look like they had religous maintenance. So what are your thoughts?
i am taking a car to pick and pull,, there a few fusions there with gdi.. my plan take off the intake manifold... spray it in.. go home and come back a few days later.. sponge the liquid out, and look inside the intake
Oven cleaner usually has lye in it. What that will do to valve seals and Turbo bearings I do not know. Ford has stated that some intake valve cleaners are damaging turbos.
@@NoName-ml5yk I didn't mean to just spray it into the intake while running. I was thinking of removing the intake manifold and spraying and let soak then wash out and blow out what remains but then there will likely be one cylinder with open valves so I'd skip that one and do it after rotating the engine to get those valves to close.
I'm curious if there would be any difference at all if you were to put a 45 degree cut at the end of each zip tie, then run them in both directions. Maybe the sharper edge would help with cutting/knocking more of the carbon off.
Hey man, question for you. I have a Subaru, with the 2.4t engine. My dealership tells me I need to do a fuel induction cleaning every 30,000 miles. You say to keep up on the maintenance. Do you mean to include the 30k fuel induction maintenance they tell me is needed? Otherwise, I do keep with the 5k oil changes, and 5k tire rotation. I also follow any recommendations the Subaru tech gives me…but do I need to, or should I, do their fuel induction service! Otherwise, on my older cars, I have done the sea foam treatment, but those are all port injection. Thanks so much for your time and effort on things!
I didn't do the whole hog. Only butyl rubber on 2 front doors and the boot area (under bought the quantities). The results were still noticeable. Reductions are mostly in the upper frequency noise, gives a calmer interior. I'll have to get around to the rear doors and hatch.
I have 2016 focus st with the turbo, at 52k miles. Wondering if introducing more air/fuel makes a difference one way or another? BTW, enjoyed your video. Very informative. Subbed!
There's another culprit in GDI carbon buildup. It's called internal gas recovery that is present in engines that run Atkinson combustion cycles where the intake valve opens early so parts of the waste gas gets pushed into the intake manifold to be re-used during the following intake cycle. Even if you have a perfect PCV separation system, you won't get rid of that stuff.
my honda fit is gonna hit 100k soon so i’m looking into doing this. do you guys think a wok brush would work better? they’re built to clean metal pans without scratching the surface. they’re only like $5-10. they’re pretty big but you could cut it to fit a drill chuck. if there’s any wood dust it’s probably safer for the engine.
I was thinking about looking into cleaning my 3 cyl ecoboost and have a catchcan ive not fitted yet - also think about keeping this thing clean and in winter the liquid can freeze and block it - and when filled up the engine could hydrolock from it in worst cases. My inlet manifold is at the firewall and pretty annoying to get to - and i saw it coming that carbon cleaning through the map hole would do nothing - annoying to hear some youtb mechanics still say its doing smth..
Brake clean all the way! I use it to clean everything. If it doesn't work, just apply more, and scrub with something. Then even more brake clean to rinse off the dirt. I buy 4 cans for 14$.
Absolutely. Drag racers have been using vaccum pumps to create vaccum in the crankcase to help with ring seal to improve HP. So let's put on a catch can, increase crankcase pressure, reduce ring seal, reduce HP, reduce MPG, and not completely fix the issue we were tying to solve. I'm with ya man...
There's an easier way to check if carbon buildup is causing an actual problem without taking anything apart. Do a power balance test and a relative compression test. If carbon build up is causing real problem, it will show up in the test results. Also, some manufacturers solve the carbon build up problem by installing 2 fuel injection systems. One port and one direct. The port injection system cleans the valves. Ford started doing this on the 3rd gen 307's (5.0).
How can I tell that any discrepancies identified by the PB and RCT are actually caused by carbon build up and not other issues (ignition or injector for example)? FordTechMakuloco has a video showing that the combo Port/DI engines still have carbon build up. DI only was horrible of course, combo PI/DI had maybe 40% of the carbon of the DI only, and PO was incredibly clean. All the motors had around 100K.
what's the point cleaning that side of the valve? the buildup inside the combustion chamber is what causes the problems in the engine such as higher compression
I just replaced spark plugs in my car 2018 gmc canyon and combustion chamber has a lot of carbon buildup on piston top in all 6 cylinders how should i remove that ? I tried using bunch of fuel system cleaners in gas tank that didn’t seem to help. Any advice?
are u running the carbon gunk leavins back into the cylinder with that valves open (or did i skip over sum in ur basics explanations?). Personally i recommend making sure the valves are in their closed position when doing any sort of cleaning, & def not telling anyone otherwise... ohhh, got u, i spoke too soon. respect. only thing id add at this point is brake cleaner works just as well & walnut shell media blasting is ideal.. but i see, u made sort of a make shift needle scaler; interesting
ya.. thats what happens when u (i) comment before the vids over.. check out, harbor freight now has 2 different size actual media blasters (not talkin the cheapy $15 gun); they have 2 different sizes, one for like $89 and a large one for $150. for this job, the $89 (20lb version) is more than sufficient.. id like to hear more about that lift u have in ur garage. great entry level educational vid (and i dont mean that condescending)
just wanna add, this is only rlly sum that should be done if the intakes coming off anyway; such as if you're replacing injectors or cleaning them without access to the fuel rail on direct injection vehicles the intake needs to be removed anyway
Links to the products featured in this video:
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Cordless Drill: amzn.to/47ewTiX
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We use a product from GM/ACDelco with a part number of X-66A to clean carbon off the back of valves & throttle plates.
We spray it in and load the engine up till it starts running poor. Then shut it off for a little. Then restart and repeat. It will fog the neighborhood... worse if it's really bad!
I've never done it on a GDI engine as I've been retired for over 10 years but on GM's 3800 engines... The carbon would cake up the valves to the point of causing misfires. The carbon absorbs the fuel shot causing a tip in hesitation.
It comes in a spray can but we use to be able to get it in a liquid can. But I haven't seen that in a long time. I don't even remember the part number on that.
Also try CLR... I know guys use it to decarbon their rifle barrels. Eric Cortina, a world class shooter, was one who really showed how well it worked on gun barrels.
Ps... we also used that X-66A as a rust penetrate as well. But I have switched to Kroil since then.
Better solution is: get rid of the darn thing and go electric...
@@ABa-os6wm 🤣🤣🤣
crc is very weak and cannot dissolve shit. waste of your money. it is also very oily.
This dude is waaay underrated on YT! Great content and a plus since I have a 2014 Escape myself … PTU & RDU VIDEOS were awesome too. Thx bro!
Bunched up zip ties and makita drill saved me several hours and cleaned a 5.3 gmc gdi, thank you! compressed air, Crc, wd40, and brake-clean.
That's what I was thinking to do exactly!! I believe WD-40 with some valve cleaner and then brake cleaner following with compressed air will do the job perfectly.
Cheaper than a shop and knowing you did it yourself and actually saw the work being done and weren’t being ripped off is priceless
Using 30 zipties tied by one ziptie is the FACTORY recommended way for cleaning AUDI valves. They actually have a technical service bulletin just for that.
Can you give me the TSB number for that procedure, so that I could look it up?
Excellent video! You describe the entire process with accuracy, and you provide the different methods used for a job like this. Thank you! It's folks like yourself who make our lives easier when it comes to working on our cars.
Thank you for your honesty. I wish more people were like you!👍👍 God bless!
After watching your video I pulled the intake manifold off our 2015 2.0l ecoboost Escape with 96k miles to replace a leaking oil separator. Intake valves were carbon coated but like your vehicle, not terrible. The carbon was also soft and moist so I spent about an hour and mechanically scraped them with only pick tools. The hook tool and one that looks like a tiny golf club were the most useful. Used compressed air to clean out the removed carbon and called it a win. They weren’t perfect but definitely much better than before scraping. Like you I doubt I’ll ever need to do it again as the turbo will be toast long before the next 100k service. Thank you for the valuable information.
GDI stands for Guaranteed Dealer Income
They've served me well in 2 newer Edge AWD SUVs w/over 150k mis & run great. 5k mi OCI w/Pennzoil Platinum oil & top tier fuels.
All cars require maintenance no matter so no system is maintenance free. Govt made standards that require this
@@bigdaddymak1439 yes , but due to emmision laws engine have to run way more egr in common rail diesels which blocks up manifolds and dpf's ... Direct injection on petrol, valves don't get cleaned by petrol unless the run duel system. All to save the planet
LOL
🎯
Thank you. This video is not only very informative, but I also love the honesty of the content creator. This actually helps me in making the correct decision. Thanks again.
I just bought a 2015 with 114k on it from the Ford dealer I work at. I did order a can, just because, it definitely can't hurt! I believe the do a better job than the oe separator, as it pulls moisture out of the system as well as excess oil residue. Even in the shot you showed of the factory separator, oil was making it through the separator body. I am going to do the cleaning just for piece of mind. It runs just fine, but I own vehicles for the long haul and plus I want the experience. Being in the parts dept for over 20 years at a Ford dealer, we have never offered this as a service, and have never had a Ecoboost in for misfires caused by it. I am kind of surprised, as the more I research this, it does happen. Great videos, just found you today and now subbed to your channel. Thanks for the info!!
best description of why carbon builds up on the internet. You did a great job!!!!
This is by far the most honest and unbiased information presented on the subject of GDI carbon build-up that I've seen. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.
Best explanation on gdi out there. I appreciate the time you took on this subject.
I always get excited when I see you have a new video, because I know I am going to learn something! My favorite part was when the job was done and you and your wife drove the car; both of you could not notice any difference! This type of information is priceless!!!!
What's so priceless about it? You either have enough carbon buildup to cause a problem, or you don't.
Great video and very good explanation of the “GDI problem”. And this confirms what I always thought about using the spray cleaners vs a mechanical cleaning. And zip ties, that’s a great idea.
Indeed the misting/"spray-in" of cleaner products does absolutely nothing. The only people that believe in "mechanic in a can" solutions are those ppl that have never turned a wrench or had an intake off to see just how tough it is to get GDI carbon deposits off valves in *reality* . If you can *soak* these valves in said cleaner for 8-24hrs, scrub them like hell with brushes, drill attachments, etc. and still not get them fully cleaned, it's absolutely unfathomable to think just "spraying in" a cleaner from an aerosol can, which will deposit only a light mist on valves, will actually clean anything. Been telling people this for years and years yet there are still the intarweb clowns that *insist* "mechanic in a can" not only works, but "works great" just because that's what's in their [delusional], zero-experience heads. I'm pretty sure these are also the same people that have never done a day of hard work in their lives, either.
Yep, for the past decade people have tried to say the chemicals alone work, but they don’t. Everyone on VW/Audi and BMW forums who have tried it and showed pics saw the same thing you did. Only mechanical or combination works.
It's laughable to think that just spraying something into the manifold would do anything. And you wouldn't want it to. If it did work and all that stuff came off the valves at once it'd destroy the engine or at least the cat
Install a catch can
@@ericbruck7958 more work than carbon cleaning
@@Wouldyoulookatthat2 It's a POS Hyundai engine, there could be any number of reasons it helps. It is not cleaning the valves much. I would personally sell that car before it throws a rod.
@@Wouldyoulookatthat2 those engines are trash and your anecdote is not evidence
great lecture on carbon buildup.... and totally agreed with catch can necessity. especially when an EGR is also an accomplice for cruddy intake valves
Your videos are among the best. Straightforward and easy to understand. Plus your personality and presentation is perfect. Thank You!!
Great video! I just did the CRC GDI cleaning on a 2013 Hyundai Sonata with 90k on it, that was running rough and threw a p1326 code a few times. The Hyundai engines are notoriously bad and replaced frequently with a now extended lifetime warranty for bearing issues. I thought I would do the cleaning so when the dealer inspected the engine they won't claim failure to maintain. Well when I took it out for the half hour of highway driving as instructed on the can I thought it was self destructing with all the rattling and clunking noise coming from the engine. Turns out it was just all the carbon getting blown out and now has more power, accelerates and runs smooth as can be. It has only been a week and It will probably still blow up from the bearing issues but for now its fine and if I took it to the dealer they would probably say "its fine, no problem found" that'ul be $132.50 please
I think for products like the CRC to be somewhat effective would for you to use it as an ongoing preventative maintenance starting when the car is new. Once there is heavy build up as depicted in this video a product like CRC is largely ineffective.
A big thanks to you, very articulate, valuable presentation for car owners and DIY mechanics. Obviously your Escape had not reached the critical point, it looked gross but was still fully functional. That instills hope for me because up to now I have watched many videos on the subject and for the most part they approach this problem as going to be a disabling issue with very low mileage, I think a lot of it is just hype and misinformation. I came to the same conclusion about oil catch cans, to me they just cannot effectively treat the volume of circulating crankcase gases, just not large enough and the design not adequate, so they seem to me to be just a band aid, a feel good add on. It was good to hear that the later GDI designs have moved to lessen this problem. I suspect that most of the problems come from the usual suspects, allowing long intervals between oil changes and general lack of maintenance and it is important to note that factory recommended oil change intervals are too long.
Good video I own a 2013 with 125000 km (bought in October 2012 ) and have not had any issues with misfiring, my biggest issue was rear brake disc rust so bad that lining was deposited onto the disc , ford warranted one set and we purchased and installed a premium set of discs at about 60 thousand km .
We drive in mountains and notice that the discs will warp during long down hill travel but once they cool the discs will stop vibration . We have used the S mode to hold back on down long down hill runs with mixed results. Thanks for the great video .
I'm running a 2018 Subaru Crosstrek Limited. First year for GDI for this 2.0 engine. Aside from replacing the PCV valve early, due to a recall , the only thing I have done is 4-5k oil changes, use only top-tier gas and when I'm driving it I try to be aggressive on the throttle since I am a very low mileage driver. IT starts and runs absolutely perfect!! Just turned 40k miles.
What does top tier gas mean? Brand and/or octane?
@@eezing140 Top Tier gas has more detergents in it than the usual stuff. You get it at Chevron, Shell and ARCO? and Costco gas stations. The label TOP TIER will be on the gas pump.
It is a green label..Google Top Tier label
@@eezing140top tier is a designation in the US for gasoline that meets certain criteria (detergents/additives). Look at the top tier website for a list of what brands sell top tier fuel. Texaco, Chevron, QuikTrip, and Shell are a few of them. Racetrac, Kroger, and BP aren’t. I always use it because I know it’s quality gas and the fact it keeps your intake valves cleaner (in a port injection engine).
@@eezing140 means Shell, BP, Exxon, Costco, Sunoco, Texaco, or all the brands of gas that you will probably see as a sponsor at a Nascar race. Also includes regular 87 octane gas from these brands.
I have enjoyed your videos. Clear and HONEST. I have subscribed and I will look forward to more unbiased discussions.
I learned my lesson to use this from the get-go with my previous gasoline direct injection vehicle. I’ve been doing this every oil change, and my borescope shows my valves clean as a whistle (thank goodness) I also tend to use top-tier gas along with Chevron Techron complete fuel system cleaner since Honda has problems with their injectors. 😅 team Amsoil full synthetic oil here ✋
Great idea! I had clogged egr ports on my Ford 2000 vintage 4.6 L. The actual ports on the upper intake are surprisingly small. I used a combination of intake cleaner and apiece if 1/8 inch cable chucked in a drill. I spun the cable so it unwound and was able to clean and burnish those passages. No CEL for 4 months now!
@gtzgreatride my kids tease me about driving such an "old" car. I just hit 299 000 miles and it runs just fine. I'm keeping it. I don't need a $100,000 dollar truck! My knees are more vintage than the truck!
Yep, had a 98 Expeditions with a 4.6 and starting at about 150k miles it would ping under light load with 87 octane. Pulled the throttle body and the ERG ports were plugged solid with carbon. 10 min with a screw driver had them clean and the ping was gone. Started to come back again at 300k miles and yep, plugged again. Sold the vehicle at 350k miles.
My 1995 Towncar had the same issue with the egr passages. It took pulling the 90 degree horn off the intake, and scraping the passages out with a wire coat hanger.
I remember doing this on 4.6L that were older, wait a minute, how old am I?🥴🤨🥹🫠
@MrChadt13 My 2000 is not the oldest in the fleet...we have a 99 Camry too. I'm getting old myself. 😁
Just found this video via a youtube search. Some great Info in there, so thanks. I'm going to have to do this to a 1999 Mitsubishi Galant Wagon I just bought that has the 2.4L 150 HP GDI engine and 254.000 KM on the clock (so roughly 158.000 miles), since the engine is running really rough and the previous owner didn't have any records of the intake valves ever getting cleaned, so I know it's going to be messy in there. Though I am going to install a Catchcan on it simply because Mitsubishi didn't add an Oil seperator on the PCV system of these early GDI engines, they basically have the exact same PCV setup as their port injected engines of that time.
Ironically, I just did a DIY intake cleaning on mh hyundai Elantra 2012 (1st gen GDI engine)
I used Amsoil cleaner and bottled with hose assembly through the vacuum.
I noticed a lot of white smoke initially, and the engine was making tapping noises as i depressed the gas pedal (in higher gears)
Eventually, everything settled down, and it began to drive normally.
I don't have the skills or tools to actually take apart the intake.
I'm going to test and see if my MPG got any better.
Thanks for the video man.
Even vehicles with oil/air separators still benefit from catch cans. Something that has worked for the GDI / TGDI engines in our family it using a catch can with steel wool type media in the can and then piping it's output into a spin-on filter adapter using a standard cellulose oil filter, then from there piping it back into the intake plenum. The addition of the steel wool in the catch can increase the surface area for oil in the vapour to condense. Following up with it going into a spin-on oil filter adapter and into a traditional cellulose (paper) style oil filter media helps to further "dry" the air of the oil vapour. Change the oil filter every oil change and empty the catch can as needed. Make sure the catch can is in the warm engine bay area so the vapour doesn't freeze in the winter. The filter portion can be anywhere and actually benefits if it's in a cooler section to help condense any remaining vapour.
As most of the stuff is only condense water... It will freeze overnight. No one uses them in Europe..... Its a US scam.
I tried the zip tie method just recently and ya it does something but I found an old toothbrush works even better. Basically whatever you can fit in there and scrub with. Plus lots of parts cleaner and scraping with picks
Thanks for your advice. I had concerns about when my new Mazda will eventually need valve cleaning but I'm hoping it will be over 100,000 miles before it is an issue.
I've been watching your videos for quite a while, I just usually don't comment. Your videos are always top notch and IMO straight to the point and accurate. There's always going to be "experts" who know better, but not really if you know what I mean. To me everything you mention should be common sense, but then again... Keep up the great videos and you'll be on your way to being the next project farm 👍
I wonder if methanol injection or even water injection would help to remedy this issue. If you've ever removed a cylinder head from an engine with a blown head gasket, that particular top of the piston and and bottom of the cylinder head is always spotless due to steam that occurs inside the cylinder from the coolant / water. Old time mechanics including myself would spray a metered amount of water into the intake manifold to accomplish this same thing. Either this or possibly setting up a reservoir with a cleaner that could be slowly sucked into the intake over 100 miles or so. Back in the day MMO made such a device. It was a reservoir you mounted under the hood, filled it with MMO, ran a vacuum line to the intake and it was metered to allow it to empty over hundreds of miles. I'm not sure what to make of MMO, but it was something that was sold. Nowadays it would probably wreak havock on catalytic converters.
I know exactly what you're taking about. They were big on boosted mustangs back in the day. WOT would trigger the pump to turn on and lower IATs to keep detonation away until the tank went dry.
The cheapest Snow Performance kit I saw was $350 without the juice. Some kits were over $1000. To me it's the same as the catch can argument just save the money and know you're going to need a cleaning in the future.
Great video! I'm guessing I'll never have to do this on my Maverick since I doubt I will keep it beyond 150k miles or so.
The best thing is a catch can after cleaning. I cleaned a 2017 2.0 ecoboost then added a catch can, its amazing how much oil gets into the intake via the PCV system.
Great video. I already bought an oil separator. Some people are complaining that the GDI had to be cleaned every 20k miles. I think it would still be worth it just to extend the maintenance in that case. For me, I am doing it for the first time at 110k miles. I'm going to try a drill bit with a cleaning brush on the end. These are less than $10 on Amazon and designed for cleaning grout and things around the house. It's not letting me post a link, but you can just search for them generically. I will update after the next week or 2 when I do the job.
Any update? Was looking at this vs zip ties.. Curious how the cleaning brush held up or how well it worked.. Assuming a plastic brush.. Not steel wire correct?
@@iareburgman The cleaning brush did its job just fine. I ended up using CRS Intake Valve Cleaner also. You need a compressor for this job because you will be blowing out the valves several times. I did about 4 rounds. 1 every 15 minutes. On my intake, a couple of clips actually slide off as opposed to being removed...nobody talked about this.
Seeing the zip tie method made me think of alternatives to zip ties, and the top choice in my head was string trimmer line. Like zip ties it is cheap and plastic. But string trimmer line is usually a stiffer plastic and comes in a variety of diameters and line shapes to try to make it more aggressive at weed trimming. Maybe that would allow it to clean the valves more thoroughly, or at least more quickly. Regardless, thanks for the good video on this topic.
I've used the zip tie method in the past in addition to walnut blasting, and just using a pick. It usually takes a combination of methods to be honest. I'm going to try your idea instead of zip ties. I think us mechanics use zip ties because that's what we have at the shop. I'm going to get back to you with my results. Great idea man.
Think the trimmer line would just coil up on its self. My plan is to use nylon bottle brushes on a drill.
I wonder if using the zip ties and throw in a little walnut blasting media in there would work? The ties would have to stir up the media to some extent helping to clean a little better.
I tried the zip tie method and it worked well, but what really got them clean was my Chinese friend with chopsticks. She’s also great at polishing my knob.
@@craigquann doesn't really work since the wire core of the brush kind of becomes the tip and that's where you need most of the scraping action. Also, zip ties coil up on themselves too if you go wild with them. If you're doing it at home just get a pick set from harbor freight and a shop vac to suck all the crumbs out. You can get them pretty dang clean with picks.
Aerosol spray cleaners are for preventative maintenance. Using a cleaner every service does reduce long term carbon build up. It won’t clean valves that are already excessively built up. Essentially aerosols will increase the mileage at which the intake needs to be removed to do a mechanical clean.
I used the “engine brush kit” from harbor freight (only the plastic brushes) and put it on my drill and it works very well 👍
This wasn't mentioned in the video, but if you're thinking about removing the injectors themselves and cleaning them, don't. Direct injectors are very unforgiving to work with. The install has to be flawless. If not, you can get a very bad fuel leak under the hood. Once you remove them, you have to put all new bushings on the injectors before you put it back together. Also, the steel fuel lines that go from the fuel pump to the injection system have to be replaced, as well. And check the workshop manual to see if anything else is single use only.
If there's an issue during the install, it doesn't always shop up right away. The car may run perfect for a couple hundred miles before you spring a leak. If you have a V motor, you need to be even more careful. Gas gets trapped in the center of the motor, and there's no way to drain it out.
Thank you for stating this. So, don’t reuse orings on direct injectors. I imagine that the 2.3 is just as sensitive?
this is a great video. you just saved me money and wasted time.
thank you so much.
Thanks for your time to perform this test and to be really honest about the results of those magic carbon cleaners... to be honest, there would be just a handful of people who are going to perform this zip tie technique at home due to the complexity of the entire method plus on the side mounted engine it's almost impossible to clean up the right side of the engine (firewall side)..
I guess using good quality gasoline top-tier and regular intake cleaning through the throttlebody isn't the perfect solution, but at least it will minimize the build-up of carbon deposits on the valve and intake. The advantages of the fuel economy and efficiency are almost irrelevant when you have to spend a lot of money taking care of the engine on preventive maintenance and a full head cylinder and valve cleaning job $$$ 😢
Good luck on that 2.0L! Hope it goes better for you than our 1.6L faired. Transmission went at 195k and then the block went at 200k (Coolant Intrusion)
Time will tell...
How frequently was your transmission fluid serviced?
talk about the Toyota D4 hybrid system much combines Port + Direct fuel injection depending on the load and conditions on the engine.
BMW owner here... excellent video sir!
Thanks for your honest opinion. Most helpful information.
If anything youll increase fuel economy by a small bit. Removing carbon allows the valves to conpletely seat as carbon may not allow it to seat all the way.
Excellent advice! Well done, practical knowledge
Thanks for the video! I just bought a 2013 Escape with the 2.0 EcoBoost, so it is perfect for me.
Watching you use the zip tie approach, there is one thing that the zip ties could hurt. The clipped end of the one you have tightened around the rest could dig into the hand you were using to steady the bunch of zip ties while the drill is spinning. I don't know if it would hold up or not (I think it would), but I had an idea watching your video. instead of using a zip tie to keep the rest bunched up towards the drill end, a piece of heat shrink tubing would be smoother and safer for your hand.
In any case, I'll have to remember this approach when I need to clean the carbon out of my engine.
Excellent video with lots of great information.
I would say the price of the walnut blaster is a bit misleading when most people get a portable abrasive blaster from harbor freight ($29 msrp) hooked to their garage compressor, a rubber hose, and a shop vac.
Walnut blasting doesn't really need a full dedicated special machine.
all that being said, this is a great easy way to get a bunch done with minimal work.
Definitely was worth mentioning using a pick set at least, too.
As a point of conversation... GDI also eliminates valve overlap during fueling. On a traditionally fueled gas engine, the exhaust valve is open during at least _some_ amount of the intake cycle and _some_ amount of intake charge goes straight out of the exhaust with fuel mixed in it. With GDI, the fuel is only added once the valves are closed. It's my understanding that change alone is responsible for a large amount of improvement in fuel economy. I know you mentioned this in aggregate by mentioning fuel control, but I think it's a much larger difference than people may give it credit for.
Very good point. I'm sure that helps with hydrocarbon emissions as well.
@@RepairGeek No doubt it does.
I also seem to remember seeing a comparison of WW2 aircraft, with a German plane that was running GDI as opposed to an allied plane that wasn't. I seem to recall the power _and range_ was like 30% greater on the German plane. The complexity of the German system was immense, but the competitive advantage was boggling. If not for entering the jet age right after the war, we would have probably seen GDI development in aircraft continue at a greater pace and get it far sooner on passenger cars.
I dont doubt it. What's crazy about that stuff that vintage is, guys engineered all that stuff with no computers.
Look at a stream locomotive that runs 80mph. Nobody had a computer to figure out the geometry and balance all that stuff. 🤯🤯🤯
@@RepairGeek I've spent a good few years in a career where we do exactly that type of work. I've frequently noted that Lockheed designed the SR-71 with pencils, slide rules, and smuggled materials from our chief adversary in 18 months... and flew one.
"We" can't even built a "whatever" in "X" years. 😂
It does help to remember that some of these things from history had what were essentially unlimited budgets. The infinite money glitch does tend to help.
GDI cleaning. Cleaning the carbon buildup off the back of the intake valves. Why didn't you just say so 😂? Good video, great information. Subscribed 👍
I know what else will work to get that carbon out off the valves is Run the engine when hot and use Rice right
out of the Box or sack. It will shatter the carbon build up real fast , makes a heck of a racket sound , but will
work. Hell , Grumpy Jenkins use to use a certain kind of dirt clay to run through his racing engines to smooth
the intake ports and intake manifolds , because you could not do any porting at all on the heads.
Another cleaner you did not try is Top Engine Cleaner from General Motors , that will run circles around the
stuff on this video.
But Rice will work and won't harm the engine , a Hand full at a time !
I know , I have done that dozens of times!
As the owner of a 2018 Ford Focus ST with the 2.0L EcoBoost, I wish I had seen this video sooner. I installed both a catch can and an aftermarket oil separator, commonly called a PCV Plate, only this one came with a baffle. It's not a cure for the problem, but it's supposed to help mitigate the carbon build-up. Engine's at about 37K right now, I'm probably going to take it to get walnut blasted at around 50K.
i considered placing a nylon screen between that pvc plate and the engine... this would allow only vapours to pass thru,, and less oil..it was just an idea ..
I’m working on an ‘09 VW Tiguan with a 2.0 TSi with direct injection. Keeps kicking out misfire codes on all 4 cylinders, and runs pretty crappy when it’s cold. As soon as it warms up, it runs fine. From what I’ve read, that’s a symptom of carbon buildup on the valves. Guess I’m about to find out.
Thanks for the video!
I just did my Hyundai with 60k miles T-GDI engine. The valves weren't too dirty. Used the same method you did and clean them pretty well. It will work another 60k miles and spend under $20 chemical, zip tides, and napkins.
Could you use something like Chevron fuel system cleaner?
While these methods work to clean the back of the valves, remember you are not able to clean the seat face on the valve or port. You need a chemical solution for that or valve removal (head disassembly) and cleaning.🎉 thanks for the informative videos btw, very cool.
Excellent! Very well said and done!
What about direct injected EGR to avoid contaminating the intake? Still working on implementation...
I installed a good catch can on my Kia and every oil change; 4000 miles clean it out. It does remove a good amount of crud from the blow by.
Nothing will make up for your first mistake
you just said what I was going to ask, catch cans, would it work on turbo engines, keep exploring for us, really good video, thanks
I put a catch can on my Kia . I also put stainless steel “ Brillo” pad wadded up inside to catch more oil and condense inside. Change oil with Mobil one at 4000 miles and clean catch can. So far 82000 miles no problems but I get lots of crap out of catch can.
Yes, I also like the way that you are actually doing a real diagnosis real testing and giving out real results but in the end, there Hass to be a difference between having a dirty Vals and having a clean valve, and the difference would be using more air because the carbon takes up space, so regardless, even if it’s a noticeable in the long run, it is noticeable you just have to measure it bye the amount of time is still better for the engine in your pocketbook in the end so maybe you don’t save a lot but you save something because the engine will I think run smoother with cleaner valves than dirty valves, right?
Great video! Love your practical approach
I'm curious about using a catch can in conjunction with a crank case evacuation fitting in the exhaust pre-cat. Still burning the extra crank case vapors that the catchcan doesn't catch, but you'll be burning them in the cat, keeping the crankcase vapors out of the intake.
diy/normy here. Just got my '16 forte5 (na) gdi serviced at the dealership. the service basically ran the cleaner from at the fuel filter into the engine for about a 30-40 minute interval from what I could tell but I am not sure on the time. this is the 2nd time I have gotten the service. the first was at the maserati dealership for a different product line for gdi. both times I have noticed a pretty big difference (subjectively of course). I also did some highway driving after both. after the maserati service I did get some smokey blowout. after the kia, none. I did step into the garage during the end of the kia service. the exhaust smelled like plactic death mixed with acetone . lol. also a light amount of white grey smoke. that should have been around the 25-30 minute mark. never did the diy approach bc I wasn't comfortable taking the intake manifold off. spent 250 at kia for 'fuel system service' and 350 at maserati for same
Have you try oven cleaner? I use it on my diesel vw on valves intake and turbo and work great
Excellent video. Love the honest opinions as well.
These Ford engines are excellent when it comes to "controlling" the carbon buildup on the valves. Now I'm sure many ppl will talk about all the pitfalls of these Ecoboost engines, and those complaints may be well valid; but, when it comes to carbon buildup in particular that looks pretty amazing after that many miles. If you went this far on any of the older VAG 2.0T engines you'd not only have *completely* caked ports and valves, you'd probably have run into cold-start misfires already too. I'm actually surprised by just how clean the ports on this Ford engine stay. Yeah the valves have carbon but those ports look great. The VAG EA113s and Gen 1 & 2 EA888s *well maintained* will look worse...far worse, after only 30-40k miles of typical use.
design is better,, the erg " system in on the block below the head and the injectors.. and the egr ' box ' has internal baffles to catch a lot of the blow by gases that cause this problem. gravity plays a little part in this also,,, as the gases in the ford system have to go up into the intake manifold a short distance.. .. bmw. audi vw mbz.. those car take the erg on the valve cover and dump the gases directly into the intake manifold ..ford just had a better idea on this..i have seen bmw and vw/audi intake valves massively carboned up at 50000 mile.. does not help thuo when the german manufactures say 800 mile per quart of oil is normal oil consumption.. on my 2014 2.0 ford fusion vep engine.. i can go 6000 miles before oil changes and only use 1/2 wuart of oil
@@randellgribben9772 Indeed there's no denying the design and end result with the Ford is obviously way better. However just as some notes there's no EGR to speak of on VAG 2.0T engines. Also I have two vehicles with VAG 2.0Ts, one EA113 and one EA888, both 10+ years old, and neither burns any huge or problematic amount of oil. Maybe top up half litre within an (5k mi) oil change interval, if that. Also an immediate family member has another EA888 vehicle and same thing there. The carbon on the valves though...yeah it's definitely a different story lol.
It should be pointed out though every engine , from whatever manufacturer, has its own "problem areas". Of which those Ford Ecoboost 4cyls definitely have their own share of other things you have to be careful of. E.g. VAG 4cyl turbos, head gasket issues are basically unheard of/never happen; Ecoboost...ehhh not so much lol.
the vep 2.0 form Spain are the better engines..i have one in my 2014 fusion.. 185000 miles on it,, not a single problem@@rolandm9750
Hi, how can be first 3 cylinders close and 4th is open? If 4th is open also 2th will be open and 1 and 3 is close? Thanks
As someone who has a duel injection vehicle, I do hope more auto-makers will move that direction.
I've seen 2GR-FKS engines torn down at 200,000 miles with no carbon build up on the backs of the valves, and I'm sure some of the 3.5L Eco-Boost engines that run duel injection are probably the same way.
Not a fan of only direct injection though.
Very good video by the way, I foresee helping my grandma with her Escape at some point.
The amount of build-up you had was not enough yet to be detrimental to the engine, but it is the base that enough will build up on to eventually become a problem. Better to knock it down now than when it is an excessive amount. I've got 160,000 miles on my 2012 Ford Focus (manual transmission) that I have maintained well its entire life. It still runs like new. I DID use CRC GDI cleaner at about 110,000 miles. When starting the engine after an hour I did hear "sounds" that were concerning, such as possible pieces of carbon getting crunched as they worked their way through leaving the engine. I heard this noise for about 3 or 4 seconds while accelerating away to get to the highway, and never again. I don't know that I noticed any difference in how the engine ran, but my engine has ALWAYS run like new. I also replaced my spark plugs at 71,000 miles and will be doing them again, as soon as the weather warms up a little. The manufacturer interval is 100,000 miles, but I just like to do some things before they become an issue.
Same happened to me. Knocked a piece of carbon loose and most likely scored my cylinder walls and god knows what else on my highway run. Also it barely made it past the cat. I’m afraid to use it again. What are your thoughts on continued use knowing the damage that could be done to the engine and catalytic converter?
Great video! I happen to have the exact same vehicle except it's a 2014 with about 65k miles. And being aware that the Ford Escapes had the GDI feature, it was some sort of a concern on how much of an issue this could be on the 2.0L Ecoboost engines. But watching your video has somewhat reassured me since just like you, I do my own maintenances on my vehicles and I am a firm believer on following the manufacturers recommendations. So basically, in the end, I wont be concern as much unless there really is a driveability issue. I plan to keep this vehicle at least for 5-7 years and by that time it will be way past the 220-230k miles. So I guess we'll see by then. I test drove a few Ford Escapes with close to 200k miles and were really running like new and the way they looked they didn't really look like they had religous maintenance. So what are your thoughts?
Has anyone every tried using Oven Cleaner in preparation to mechanically cleaning the valves and ports like you were doing?
i am taking a car to pick and pull,, there a few fusions there with gdi.. my plan take off the intake manifold... spray it in.. go home and come back a few days later.. sponge the liquid out, and look inside the intake
Oven cleaner usually has lye in it. What that will do to valve seals and Turbo bearings I do not know. Ford has stated that some intake valve cleaners are damaging turbos.
@@NoName-ml5yk I didn't mean to just spray it into the intake while running. I was thinking of removing the intake manifold and spraying and let soak then wash out and blow out what remains but then there will likely be one cylinder with open valves so I'd skip that one and do it after rotating the engine to get those valves to close.
Thanks for this very good explanation and demonstration!!!
I'm curious if there would be any difference at all if you were to put a 45 degree cut at the end of each zip tie, then run them in both directions. Maybe the sharper edge would help with cutting/knocking more of the carbon off.
Hey man, question for you. I have a Subaru, with the 2.4t engine. My dealership tells me I need to do a fuel induction cleaning every 30,000 miles.
You say to keep up on the maintenance. Do you mean to include the 30k fuel induction maintenance they tell me is needed?
Otherwise, I do keep with the 5k oil changes, and 5k tire rotation. I also follow any recommendations the Subaru tech gives me…but do I need to, or should I, do their fuel induction service!
Otherwise, on my older cars, I have done the sea foam treatment, but those are all port injection.
Thanks so much for your time and effort on things!
Yeah.. My wife can't tell the difference between almost no brake function and fresh brake job!! Unless it's making noise..
Greate to hear and see an honest review. Thank you very much.
I think you did a Great job in this video!! Thank you!!
I didn't do the whole hog. Only butyl rubber on 2 front doors and the boot area (under bought the quantities). The results were still noticeable. Reductions are mostly in the upper frequency noise, gives a calmer interior. I'll have to get around to the rear doors and hatch.
I have 2016 focus st with the turbo, at 52k miles. Wondering if introducing more air/fuel makes a difference one way or another? BTW, enjoyed your video. Very informative. Subbed!
There's another culprit in GDI carbon buildup. It's called internal gas recovery that is present in engines that run Atkinson combustion cycles where the intake valve opens early so parts of the waste gas gets pushed into the intake manifold to be re-used during the following intake cycle.
Even if you have a perfect PCV separation system, you won't get rid of that stuff.
my honda fit is gonna hit 100k soon so i’m looking into doing this. do you guys think a wok brush would work better? they’re built to clean metal pans without scratching the surface. they’re only like $5-10. they’re pretty big but you could cut it to fit a drill chuck. if there’s any wood dust it’s probably safer for the engine.
Mouthwash doesnt clean off plaque, but a dentle pick will, what a concept!!
I was thinking about looking into cleaning my 3 cyl ecoboost and have a catchcan ive not fitted yet - also think about keeping this thing clean and in winter the liquid can freeze and block it - and when filled up the engine could hydrolock from it in worst cases. My inlet manifold is at the firewall and pretty annoying to get to - and i saw it coming that carbon cleaning through the map hole would do nothing - annoying to hear some youtb mechanics still say its doing smth..
Thanks for doing this. I learned a lot.
Brake clean all the way! I use it to clean everything. If it doesn't work, just apply more, and scrub with something. Then even more brake clean to rinse off the dirt. I buy 4 cans for 14$.
I would like to add dental pick tool , large needle and catch cans do increase crankcase pressure
Absolutely. Drag racers have been using vaccum pumps to create vaccum in the crankcase to help with ring seal to improve HP.
So let's put on a catch can, increase crankcase pressure, reduce ring seal, reduce HP, reduce MPG, and not completely fix the issue we were tying to solve.
I'm with ya man...
Harbor Freight has a media blaster for $35. Walnut media for $28. Was looking for cheap options to do this myself.
There's an easier way to check if carbon buildup is causing an actual problem without taking anything apart. Do a power balance test and a relative compression test. If carbon build up is causing real problem, it will show up in the test results.
Also, some manufacturers solve the carbon build up problem by installing 2 fuel injection systems. One port and one direct. The port injection system cleans the valves. Ford started doing this on the 3rd gen 307's (5.0).
How can I tell that any discrepancies identified by the PB and RCT are actually caused by carbon build up and not other issues (ignition or injector for example)?
FordTechMakuloco has a video showing that the combo Port/DI engines still have carbon build up. DI only was horrible of course, combo PI/DI had maybe 40% of the carbon of the DI only, and PO was incredibly clean. All the motors had around 100K.
good to see that info i wont be cleaning minr any time soom
Another video says distilled water works better then any of those cleaners.
True or no?
Makes me wonder that if a zip ties work, it could be easier to bundle the same kind of line that you use in a weedeater. Thoughts?
Would carb cleaner work to help clean the intake valves? I have a case of that stuff
15:49 may be you could use a plastic waterpipe and clean through it, preventing splashing dirt all over the place
How do fuel additives and good quality gas prevent carbon build up when the gas is directly injected?
Would using Seafoam in the oil before an oil change help to clean ?
what's the point cleaning that side of the valve? the buildup inside the combustion chamber is what causes the problems in the engine such as higher compression
I just replaced spark plugs in my car 2018 gmc canyon and combustion chamber has a lot of carbon buildup on piston top in all 6 cylinders how should i remove that ? I tried using bunch of fuel system cleaners in gas tank that didn’t seem to help. Any advice?
are u running the carbon gunk leavins back into the cylinder with that valves open (or did i skip over sum in ur basics explanations?). Personally i recommend making sure the valves are in their closed position when doing any sort of cleaning, & def not telling anyone otherwise... ohhh, got u, i spoke too soon. respect. only thing id add at this point is brake cleaner works just as well & walnut shell media blasting is ideal.. but i see, u made sort of a make shift needle scaler; interesting
ya.. thats what happens when u (i) comment before the vids over.. check out, harbor freight now has 2 different size actual media blasters (not talkin the cheapy $15 gun); they have 2 different sizes, one for like $89 and a large one for $150. for this job, the $89 (20lb version) is more than sufficient.. id like to hear more about that lift u have in ur garage. great entry level educational vid (and i dont mean that condescending)
just wanna add, this is only rlly sum that should be done if the intakes coming off anyway; such as if you're replacing injectors or cleaning them without access to the fuel rail on direct injection vehicles the intake needs to be removed anyway