Jack Brooks wrote:
> I've had success decoking combustion chambers by using a water mister, a
> hand pump spray gun like household chemicals come in, to shoot water
> directly into the carb throats. First warm the engine up and raise the idle
> slightly, 1,500 rpm or so, then shoot in just enough that it seem like you
> are getting close to stalling it out. You don't want to shoot a stream of
> water in, just a heavy mist.
Did this fairly frequently in commercial shops... in fact, one can see
the effects on an oscilloscope. Also, much quicker, but must be used
very sparingly, and not on cars with catalytic converters, is carburetor
cleaner. Does a very quick job of cleaning out combustion chambers.
> Although......., in my youth, I poured a bunch of Marvel Mystery Oil down
> the two barrel carb of my '72 Chevy Vega GT (great car!). I knew the stuff
> was good in the oil and in the gas, so I figured it would be great directly
> in the engine too. HA! As the street began to fill with smoke, I headed
> for the open road to burn it off. There was no apparent damage, but I got a
> whole lot of nasty looks, for several miles, until it was burning clean
> again. ;-)
Some of the engine cleanout stuff does about the same thing, except that
it has lots of detergent added. My then sister-in-law came to me about
twenty years ago with her "new" car, a `58 Plymouth, and with the engine
running, it sounded like marbles in steel basket. "Gee, can you do
something about this?" She bought the car for $100 (remember the days of
$100 cars that ran?), and I knew she couldn't afford a new set of
lifters and rings. So, let's try this--managed to keep the engine
running while I poured a quart of Motor Medic down its throat... took
care of a _lot_ of nearby mosquitoes. But, when the stuff cleaned out of
it, the engine was actually very quiet--all the lifters had started
working again, and the rings had obviously freed up, given the
improvement in low-end power. I wish every fix involved $3 and a
half-hour.... <g>
Cheers.
|