In a message dated 96-10-26 16:30:52 EDT, you write:
<< Of
course, you could always do a "chinese decoke" (excuse the political
incorrectness, but that's what we called it). This consisted of pouring
Red-X (a fuel additive and upper cylinder lubricant/cleaner that could
also procure world peace if you beleived all the stories told by "the
lads" in Grays, Essex) down the spark plug holes and then driving at high
speed until all the white smoke dissipated... I wonder, is Red-X still
made? >>
Anything that will cause a bit of water to soak into the carbon deposits will
do a pretty good job of cleaning carbon out. WHen you restart the engine,
the water expands (something like 15,000:1) and "blows" the carbon loose.
This was an old trick even in the 'teens !!
GM dealers have a product (one of GM's best-kept secrets) called Goodwrench
Top Engine Cleaner. It's always worked for me -- in fact, I use it in my
higher-mileage cars every 15,000 to 20,000 miles. I always worry about
splash-fouling a plug, but I've never had a problem. Follow the directions
on the can -- I tend to let it soak a bit longer than recommended. It will
REALLY SMOKE for 5 minutes or so -- and the smoke stinks. I was run out of
my mother's townhouse complex in Florida once when I put a can into my Regal
while down there on vacation.... It's pretty antisocial stuff ;-\ That
time was probably the most dramatic result I've had with TEC. I had enough
carbon to require premium gas to hold the pinging down on the 1,300 mile trip
down there. After the TEC, cheap gas all the way home, with no pinging,
better power, and a few more MPG.
Good luck !!
-Karl
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