Removing Carbon From Piston, Cylinder Walls, and Block Deck
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- Today I am removing carbon buildup from combustion chamber, the tops of the pistons, and removing debris from the engine block deck. If these areas are not clean, it can lead to hot spots in the cylinder, and a poorly sealing head gasket. I am using WD-40® Trigger Pro® and Scotchbright pads. Visit the blog ~ humblemechanic....
Support for this video was provided in part by WD-40®.
WD-40® on Amazon ~ amzn.to/2aQsd5C
Scotch bright Pads ~amzn.to/2aQpb1u
Gasket Scraper ~ amzn.to/2aQuNcn
Join me today as we:
~Remove debris from the head gasket surface
~Remove carbon buildup from the top of Pistons
~Remove carbon from tops of the cylinder bore
~How to take care NOT to damage cylinder wall
~Inspect for cross hatching of cylinder
~When to take engine block to machine shop
~and more
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I am not a mechanic although I worked on my own cars in the 70's and 80's. Here is a tip I always remembered from my father. You can build a grease dam around each Piston crown at the sleave when removing carbon. This will help with debree getting down between the crown. Then when done move the Piston a little down and wipe the wall and piston clean.
Fuck me that's one helluva smart trick! I had my engine head off and wanted to clean the block whilst it was still in the bay. After a bit of scrubbing I realized I got a shitload of debris and scotchbrite pad material down in the channels and around the piston rings. But then I noticed the block was junk anyway so I took it off and junked it. But next time I'm doing the block still in the car, I will use your dad's method!
That's a great tip, I'm doing it now on my old Lada Riva, thanks.
Now that's a hell of a trick! Simply genius!
What a great idea.
If your worried about debris, Just use a Shop Vac to vacuum it all out. Never had issues. I always do this when replacing intake gaskets.
Here in the jungle in Costa Rica we do not have much, but we do have WD-40. Your method worked perfectly on my 10 year-old Niva. I can read the piston stamps as clear as new! You are too humble.
Awesome review!
10year-old Niva its new car!!! Hi from Russia:))) my dad have 22year-old niva,not bad car:))
I think you should mention that depending on the material the block is made from, different tools and techniques should be used to prevent damage to the mating surfaces of aluminium blocks.
I'm a mechanic and I approve this message. 👍
just as a matter of interested, the complete meaning of WD-40 is water displacement formula #40, as that formula was obviously the 40th attempt at an H2O displacement product. I totally dig your videos. Well presented with no unnecessary rambling about whatever, to the point with great info. I'd never seen nor heard of the WD-40 and Scotch Brite on the piston tops. Superb idea. Thanks and keep up the great vid's.
I love how 95% of people who have posted NO informational posting on auto repairs chirp up about someone else's shortcoming after sitting back int their Directors chair pointing every little thing "wrong" with this post. Sweep off your own front porch and thanks for posting Charles.
I pretty much watch all your vids just to try and understand how your so calm, cool, and collected. I just got the heads of my 5.3 in my work truck and every single chevy forum said to never scrape or use the scotch bright. But I trust you more than I trust them.
I did this on my XJ's I6 engine a few months ago with nearly 200k miles on it. It definitely is as easy as your video shows. Felt good to clean all that build up off.
did you it with the engine out? i’m cutting getting my cylinder head machined and was wondering if it can be done with the bloc still in the engine bay.
All I have to say is thank you so much. I have never been able to clean the top of pictures as well as you did in this video. I know this is an older video and you might not ever see my comment but I still wanted to thank you for sharing. I also love that WD-40 spray bottle. I could not even guess how many times I have sprayed myself in the face with the aerosol can. Again thank you for your time all sharing this with all of us and it will definitely come in handy for me. I have 2 Motor jobs sitting outside my garage and I'm definitely using your technique.
Thanks so much!!
yo guys. wd40 is a great and reliable product. it's great to prevent rust on items you're leaving sit for a long time, clean tools, get rust off, clean grease. it is not however a lubricant, any beginner hobby mechanic knows this. the best part is it flashes off exhaust and such with less smelly smoke than most other cleaners or nut looseners. that said, why are people bitching about him using wd40 for this job? it's a great product for said task lol.
Great feedback. I was really surprised how well WD40 worked here. I have found that people have several issues.
1) Any time a video is sponsored, there is kick back. It could be the best product ever and there would be heartburn
2) People have intense brand loyalty. If I shoot a video about Mobile1, the Mobile one haters will hate, even though they make a great product.
3)Most people don't consider it a professional brand. I don't really get that, because I have seen WD40 in tons of shops over the years.
It is really interesting to do videos like this and see the comments. We(me included) become married to our beliefs and often struggle to be open to different ways of doing things.
I totally see what you're saying on all 3 points bro. I think the bigger issue is people don't even know how t use what they have. Use Brakleen as MAF cleaner, MAF breaks, they complain, use torque wrench as a breaker bar, it stops working they complain, use WD40 as a purpose made lubricant, or cleaner, they complain... I guess the consistency is, people just love to complain haha.
I always pull my plugs and spray the hell out of the cylinders for long periods. I just pulled a 355 apart that I stored since 1990, the cylinders had zero rust, and I live 2 miles from salt water.
I always save the WD-40 red straw and leave it in the glove box. Once I drowned an AMC eagle up to the dash and got water in the carb. When we got it out of the puddle, I used the red straw to suck the float bowls clean with my mouth to get it running. It worked good.
I liked your video and think I learned something from it, no matter what the naysayers say.
also having done turbines , using a nice flat stone to surface your block is also nice little trick , i learned from doing millwright work in the past ,,,thanks for sharing ,,,cleanliness is godliness LOL
This method actually worked really well for me. The wd and pads makes the gasket lift right off. The one thing was the debris getting better the piston and cylinder walls, I ended up getting a bit out but I’m not sure if I need to be worried or not
Howd it go
@@Jet_Hammer spun a bearing, I’m thinking the degree clogged the passages within the crank and starved a bearing but who knows
How I love the sweet smell of WD-40 in the morning...
😂😂😂
Use ear plugs for the oil passage holes. Works great.
Charles aren't you concerned that bolting a the head on with the valves making a nice tight seal that you will induce blow by past the old tings & bore? Or did you do a leak-down test to confirm the rings were good. Thanks for these very informative videos, keep them coming.
+Chuck Ashton at this point I am not worried about it. The engine ran well before hand.
The WORST case is, I have to replace the rings down the road. While I a confident that everything will be fine, I don't mind doing rings down the road.
My go to fluids for any mechanical repairs:
Deep Creep for loosening nuts and bolts
WD 40 for Cleaning Carbon or preventing rust
Paint Thinner for washing parts
Acetone or Brake Cleaner and compressed air for final clean up right before assembly
I’m doing my moms engine on her 05 caravan. And the carbon is so caked up on the pistons that it’s taking forever to take off with a plastic paint scraper. I never thought to try WD40. Thank you.
I clicked on this video just to say I use WD40 to clean carbon from pistons and heads but I see that's what you use too. lol! Best product ever. Will even free stuck rings in high mileage engines.
I can't tell you how many times I have seen techs use die grinders & rolox pads to destroy perfectly good heads and blocks (mostly aluminum) by creating depressions and rounding off sharp edges. YES, the tech almost always pays for the parts...and the hard learned lesson. Good luck.
I think its safe to say if someone was building a 1000 hp engine they wouldnt be here watching this as an instruction video lol
im just worming my way thru you tube only reason im watching
I use "industrial" paint remover that you can spray. You don't even need to scrub. It removes oil and carbon super easy. You spray it once or twice and rinse off with brake cleaner. I kinda like the burning feeling of it on my bare hands also. ;)
I cleaned a junk yard motor last week and it works awesome. WD40 is nice, but you'll need a lot of scrubbing.
How much of that SB pad are you leaving between the cylinder wall & piston top & in the ring groove ?
You know there's been many TSBs saying to not use SB disks but SB is SB.
"Scotch-Brite is a line of abrasive cleaning pads produced by 3M. The original product line consisted of
spun polypropylene fiber with about nine grit variations. Scotch-Brite also contains "Alox", which is a trade name for aluminum oxide."
&
"Aluminium oxide is used for its hardness and strength. It is widely used as an abrasive, including as a much less expensive substitute for industrial diamond"
I had the same concern. I once worked with a diesel mechanic doing a head gasket job on a mack truck, he did basically what is shown in this video. I now work at a reputable engine machine shop running the cleaning area and I use wire brush wheels to clean cast iron gasket surfaces, does not remove metal unless I dwell too long or run up an edge. I would recommend a wire wheel for a mechanic as well, it's going to make less abrasive debris.
B Anno dealers problem not everybody's
CHARLIE ARROYO
First off a SB pad will not give the specific surface recommended by any gasket manufacturer.
You can google
"gasket surface recommendation"
if you care for the facts.
SB does however give a great surface if you use silicone excessively instead of a "gasket" like so many uneducated so called mechanics do.
But then again you have an abrasive particle issue.
&
Any abrasive left in any engine is not a good thing and it will eventually if not immediately do damage.
+B Anno You are getting a little too technical now. Do you think gas stations gave a fuck in the 1930s what the microns of a head were when they changed a model A head gasket. Get with the program.
B Anno Correct!
NEVER USE SCOTCHBRITE TO CLEAN UP GASKET SURFACES OF AN ENGINE.
NEVER, EVER, EVER USE SCOTCHBRITE ON AN ENGINE. At least not one you want to run again for a long time.
Scotchbrite seems so benign but it is death to engines. Scotchbrite pads are nylon fibers with 40 micron particles of aluminum oxide in them. Scotchbrite dust leaves behind all those 40 micron particles hidden everywhere. Aluminum oxide is an extremely aggressive abrasive. It imbeds in the bearings and eats the crank....and other things.
Scotchbrite is the bane of the aftermarket re-man engine industry.
www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=563163
great video! I love sped up footage and the time lapse you did. it's neat to not miss anything and still have a reasonably short video!
In the old days of leaded fuel that caused a lot of coke build up you could get water injection fitted and the steam exploding in the combustion process helped prevent coke build up ,I took a head off once and the leaking coolant into one cylinder had a piston crown looking brand new.
Wd40 dries completely overnight, I've used it industrially for years. For certain applications, I'll add an ounce of oil or atf the the spray bottle to prevent complete drying
My old boss thought I lost my mind one day. I used the guts from 3 vibrators powered by an r/c receiver battery pack and mounted all that to the top of a sanding block, then put green scotchbright pads on the bottom. I told him I didn't want to fuck up the cleaning job at hand.
My boss thought I was crazy when he seen me stick 3 vibrators and a scotchbrite pad up my butt.
+Ghost Watts
I would have too, that's just wierd.
Not really.They wernt the real big ones.
So I followed all these steps ,my question is how and what do you use to rinse the bore and pistons
Super scraper man. The best scraper there is.
this reminds me of a jafromobile video
I watched the shit out those, but last time i checked like a year ago maybe he didn't have any new stuff
jafro es muy pro
This video sure fits that happy jafromobile niche. :)
At my machine shop all we use to clean decks are carbide scrapers. It makes easy work of it.
Scrapers are the right way to do this along with gasket remover.
Watched your video and tried your method on a Moto Guzzi head and piston, came up really well, I didn't know that WD40 could do this so well. Big Thanks for the tip.
Interesting you also used the 3M Roloc system with a pneumatic grinder. I first known from a video from FordTechMakuloco about using this. I'm member at a DIY car repair shop where we have air.
My favorite way to remove carbon from a combustion chamber and piston crown is still introducing water through a vacuum port while the engine is running. Only works if you have a vacuum port on an intake runner though, such as most motorcycle engines.
For all the people wondering why he's using WD-40, it can be used to clean metal. It's a very non-volatile substance, so if you need to clean something and brake cleaner, carb spray, Seafoam, etc is too harsh, WD-40 is a good "safe" solvent. Another good choice is Marvel Mystery Oil. Personally, I would be using something a little stronger and not relying as much on the Scotchbrite pad, but that's just me.
fantastic video great reference for future... I'm looking forward to the head gasket replacement video.
+Joshua Weir thanks man. I think the headgasket video might just be the most popular video in the series. ;)
The cleanest cylinder is the one where the gasket blew. If you take a spray bottle full of water and spray water into the intake while the engine running it will clean off the carbon.
Co-worker turned me onto the idea of cleaning gasket surfaces with a sharpening stone. Works like a block plane, to keep things level and smooth. You're still not going aggressively enough to remove material, but they work great for manifold gaskets etc.
+thethePete wow that's a cool idea!! I may have to give it a try.
HumbleMechanic soak it in varsol, he worked at a machine shop, so I trust his judgement.
wd is great stuff. i prefer pb myself for these applications. just seems to cut into crap a little better. and i have the same problem at home where my air compressor just cant keep up with my die grinder. i just set the chuck up in a cordless drill. it's a bit slower but gets the job done and helps push the carpal tunnel out a few years lol
would pouring drops of water into the intake while the engine is idling have the same effect? it seems that manually doing it like that is more effective but I am not really inclined to disassemble my engine right now
That is basically the Seafoam treatment. U can pull a vaccum line with direct to intake vaccum and use it to suck in water or seafoam. the shock of the cold liquid will release some of the deposits and shoot them out of the tailpipe. Using this method u would let the engine draw in fluid untill the engine runs really ruff but does not turn off. There are vids on how to do this. It should be safe to perform but be aware damage could result.
Remove the catalytic converter if your going to try this or you will damage it . Bg and other companies say that their products are cat safe but I don't believe that to be true , the cat wasn't designed to handle large deposits .
Yes light spray but it won't get near all of it.. only way is to remove the head and dip it in gasoline. Pro tip delete ur pcv engine sooo clean
Jimmy Schmidt
Engine produces water as it runs. Lots.
If you think thermal shock cleans off carbon try dumping ice into a hot carbon-caked skillet. Ice will skip around and melt, that’s all.
You ignore the Liedenfrost effect when you claim thermal shock works using water.
Doing this to my 4.8 ls junker short block. But Ill be pulling the pistons and soft ball honing the cylinders.
Roloc is where it's at. :) Even on a drill, if you don't have air tools is better than nothing.
VR6!
Charles, I was taught not to use any chemicals on the cylinder walls unless rehoning and replacing the rings, because the chemical will remove the essential coating created by the oil and heat, What would your thoughts be about that?
Great video man, never thought about using WD-40. I always used carb cleaner sprayed on either a tooth brush or the scotch brute. Mind you I never sprayed carb cleaner directly on the block or in the cylinders.
Is that what a vr6 2.8 head looks like? Cool.
started the vid .. saw the angle of the piston head to the cylinder surface and the pattern of cylinders ... MUST BE A VR6 !!!! XD
Nice to see a video featuring a Mk3 VR6 (y)
5:57 exactly why you don't want to scrape your deck surface like that.
Watch him scratch it.....
That's a great video ! I just did the same thing on a 24 year old Saturn SL2 and used a similar technique to yours. So now I feel that my "hack method" was not so bad given that a pro like you does this.
I just had 2 side questions with respect to your carbon build up:
1) where did most of it come from - valve stem seals on intake or piston rings ?
2) would the limited use if water injection keep the engine much cleaner ?
... just a few thoughts. Thanks again - you are a great TH-cam presenter !!
Can you clean the cylinders by allowing some water to get sucked into the air intake when the engine is running?
I started this same task yesterday with a green scrubby but then read online that Scotch-Brite pads have abrasive aluminum oxide on them that gets itself into the engine and reduces life. Anyone have any input on this?
thats what im wondering noone mentions it!
you can buy those pads at the dollar store for a dollar
No shit sherlock!
No those are snap on brand pads that are only $299 lol
Do spray under the hood and underside of the cars with wd40. This keeps rust away, and it keeps water away from the electrical system. The trick is to do it on a warm day, and not drive the car for a day or two. This allows the oil to penetrate into the metal.
makes sense...used to use it on dirt bikes to keep much buildup down.
It will evaporate away quickly. There are much better products for this job around.
FrozenHaxor funny thing is that it does not evaporate, but it soaks into the metal. I buy a gallon of WD-40 in Home Depot for $22
You know not to lubricate the head bolt threads, as it will throw off the torque measurements during reassembly.
5:56 NOOOOOOO scratchhh
Awesome video, Charles. I'm going to do the same on my VW Golf AVH 2.0 engine today. I have engine on stand already.
Hello there, I was wondering on how you learned to be a mechanic? Can you give any advice on the best route to take if I want to learn literally everything on being a mechanic in the most efficient amount of time. Thank you
DUUUDE... so much fluff!! get on with the repair already... i am at 4:30 of you just repeating yourself about the damn wd40.. we already know you are using the non-aerosol version.. cool idc...
The WD-40 did an impressive job of cleaning, and may have had an effect on softening the head gasket debris too. I wouldn't have done what he did with the abrasive pads without the use of a vacuum to keep as much of the particulate as possible from going down between the piston dome and top ring. I don't understand his concern with the cross hatch pattern in the cylinder walls; they are put there in order to facilitate the breaking in of the rings to the cylinder walls. They do it at the factory, and you do it when you overhaul an engine - for the same reason; so they can 'wear in' to each other. Overall, a good informative video, but with too much detailed information for someone that knows enough about engines to tear one down this far in the first place.
Great job Good choice on that vr6 tough engine, especially the aaa engine. the other vr6's are not as good in my opinion. not to mention these engine are balanced well so you can take a coin and it won't move much
Just run the motor and stall it by dumping ATF in the carburetor then let it sit for a while.
I'd love to hear the before and after sound of the engine or idle behavior
Loved this video , its so satisfying to clean all that carbon
I never use wd40 for any car repairs and probably never will because It just doesn't work that well. Transmission fluid and acetone will will penetrate better than anything and pb blaster on more sensitive or delicate parts. I doubt this man actually uses wd40... But if they cut a heavy check, I'd swear by it too.
Great videos nonetheless. Thanks brotha
this guy's better than Chris fix
That seemed much quicker than I would have expected. How long did it take in real time? 2 hours? Also, is this the typical length for this job, or was this one a lot quicker than normal due to some attribute about this particular engine?
+tedjohnson64 the totally time of actual cleaning would be about an hour or so. Filming things like this takes about 3-4 times the actual job.
With the right stuff and some hustle it should be about30-60 Minutes
Are you still racing? have any upcoming races you’re planning on hitting?
Looks good as new
Hi mate love your videos and like how you explain things!
Could you possibly show us how to remove individual components that get affected with carbon in order to clean them out and then re fit them (possibly on a 2.0 vw tdi) could you plz show us how you actually took the parts off
Thanks
Thats a lot of carbon at the tops of the cylinders. Are the rings set that low in the pistons? Or you have some tapered cylinders, Oil consumption?
+Nathan Fogg the rings are pretty low on the piston.
I don t know about consumption. I didn't put enough miles on it to really monitor it.
Jesus Christ, NEVER use scotchbrite on any internal engine component. The pads deteriorate and gets into the engine, a few hundred miles later the car will start knocking and lose oil pressure. Welcome to 1995.
I can't believe this isn't universal knowledge. Way too many stories of blown engines after head gasket repairs due to shops using scotchbrites and suddenly the bearings get eaten up.
Not gonna suggest an alternative?
Avalanche2
I just lit a small piece. It quickly and burned completely! So, what exactly is the danger?
Lol it's probably not from the scotchbrite..
Might as well just use sandpaper!! You should do a follow up to see if that engine is still running
Please do not use scotch brite scrubber. They have silica particles in them which will get into the space between the cylinder wall and the piston and also into the ring grooves and on the first start after assembly will screw up the cross-hatch pattern on the cylinder walls.
Damn that engine is nasty.
If anyone is doing this at home and sees horrors like this one I advise to look for a new engine block, odds are that something this far gone is riding on the edge of usable and you won't find out until you have it all together and try to get some power out of it.
+MsSomeonenew yeah it's about. Normal for a SO so maintained car with 140k.
But a new block is $$$$$$. Once I measure piston bores we will make the determination on the next steps
All that running down in the rings 👍
i better use hard plastic scrapper. strong enough but it wont scratch metals
If i put WD-40 through my brake booster like Seafoam, Is it going to help or harm anything?
I used soap and warm water to clean mine.
+humble mechanic is the white wookie your car? Do you also work at a Volkswagen Dealership?
The WW is my personal car. I have had it about 1 year. I do work at a dealer, but all of this you are seeing is at my shop.
I use engine flush LM and toptec4200 oil in my TDi. Lucas fuel treatment to fuel. 👍🏻
what do you think about cleaning the engine with HHO gas or other decarbonizing machines that are gaining popularity? Can you do an endoscope test with before/after video, that would be awesome. :)
Have you tried oven cleaner ? works pretty well !
How much of a difference in carbon on the pistons would two identical engines have except one was gas and the other diesel? Do you only run your cars on quality fuel like Shell like I do? When is the last time you drove a gas car?
I've followed this vid on my 289 - had it pointed out to me that this could have sent carbon down the side of the pistons which could cause scoring, although I did have a vac to hand and kept everything as clean as possible. Anything to worry about? I didn't really want to pull the pistons out..
Im scard to use WD40 to clean a pistion. I use a little to clean some carban off the center of the pistion.than stratred taping around the head with a flat head scrow drive looking for damage.
Wow great support always
should also use compressed air and blow the junk out between cylinder walk and piston.
That came out good
i thought whizz wheels were not to be used on heads and block because the gasket will start to leak and i don't know reason, i saw a video a youtuber recommended not to do it and dealers don't do this too.
Cool, came here from Jason! Good stuff!
+MotoBoy thanks!!! Jason is the man!!
Best Video ever, Thank you for this, it removed my fear of trying this ut lol
I put a wire wheel on the drill
400 sand paper and oil works good to
I dont believe it removes metal on my perkins diesel
The green scrub pads have abrasives embedded on one side. How do you get that out of the piston/wall gap?
interesting, thx. But what you do with the dirt pouring between cylinder wall and pistons ?
Very informative, amazing job!
Gotta Give You Great Props On A Great Video, Best Wishes !
+Jerry Engle thanks so much!!!
i used this method but now im scared the scotch bright is going to get in my cam journal and bearings and do damage to the bottom of the engine block, will this happen if i dont hot tank the whole engine? i used the same green scotch brite pads and wd 40 and eveyone online says it ruins your engine
My engine was running with no oil. I believe I blew up my motor. It makes a loud knocking noise. I took it to a mechanic and he said the cost is 3,000 for a new engine.
Lit _66 cool story brah.
Hi, what kind of engine is that? Never seen staggered cylinder bores...
Why are the tops of the pistons so oily-wet ?
What happens to the very tiny debris which is mixed with WD that falls down between the piston and the cylinder wall ? Or is it nothing to worry about ?
Great video, I know my pistons are have carbon because the old girl is burning oil.
And if I ever get the testicular fortitude to do this job on my v6 I know what to do.
Ellesmere Wildwood they're so oily wet because he sprayed wd40 on them, and there is nothing to worry about if you're really worried then hit it with an air nozzle and change your oil. There is little to no gap inbetween the cylinder wall and piston ring, Although if you're burning oil then the problem would be piston rings.
Or valve seals possibly
Soak the scotchbrite pad in water before use. Works much better
+Aaron Bradley that's a really good idea.
HumbleMechanic they only sale the green at regular places but 3m has many different colors that are different grits. We use the maroon at work which is aggressive and works really well. You can do the course to fine grit just like sand paper. Also, instead of wd 40 use seafoam and put it in a spray bottle like you did. You will be amazed. Good video
good info
This is art