Carbon Engine Clean, Does It Work ?

MadMan-JaMeS

MadMan-JaMeS

MadMan-JaMeS

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Joined
15 Mar 2004
Posts
3,184
Location
Oxford
Hey,

I have 2004 1.8 Petrol Xsara Picasso.

When i brought it back on Oct 2017 it had under 50k on the clock. The old fella i got it from basically used it to shopping and back 10mile round trip if that.

Now its at 78k and feels a bit sluggish.
I’ve seen a ad for £30 for a carbon engine clean and wondered if that would help ? And really if they actually work.

I do the odd 300mile round trip every couple of months to see the in laws but other than that its round town driving and a 15 minute trip down the A34 daily.
 
If it's carbon built up, a simply fluid won't clean it. If it's indirect injection, that would be the perfect scenario to use some premium petrol and hope that after some miles the cleaning agents works its magic.
 
If its direct Injection you will need to get the Injectors cleaned then walnut blast the Inlets. Prob £300 worth of labour
 
theone8181 said:
It's a 1.8 people carrier, that's probably why it feels sluggish:p. Or do you mean recently? Could be a slipping clutch?
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Recently :)

don’t think its the clutch, never noticed any issues with that. Air filter is slightly clogged can’t remember last time i changed it. May aswell do the fuel filter too
 
Conscript said:
I'd take it for an Italian tune-up first before spending any money.
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That just basically revving the nuts out of it isn't it ? lol

I do need to change the filters anyway, as i don't remember the last time the Fuel or the Air was done.

I did change the oil back in January so thats good for now.

I have heard of people blanking off the EGR valves which i may do lol
 
MadMan-JaMeS said:
That just basically revving the nuts out of it isn't it ? lol

I do need to change the filters anyway, as i don't remember the last time the Fuel or the Air was done.

I did change the oil back in January so thats good for now.

I have heard of people blanking off the EGR valves which i may do lol
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Essentially yes, but it can be surprisingly beneficial. No need to go absolutely mad - just take it on the motorway when it's quiet, ensure that it's up to operating temperature and then drop a gear or two and open the throttle wide a few times for 30 seconds or so.

I did this several years ago with an X-Trail. It kept showing the engine management light because the EGR valve was sticking, presumably full of carbon. I tried resetting the light and using intake cleaners, but the light always came back after a while. One night, it came back so I took it on the motorway and ragged it for a bit - opened the throttle wide and there was a big cloud of soot thrown out of the exhaust, did that a few times on the way home. Next morning, when I started up, the light had gone out, and it didn't reappear for the rest of the time we owned it. Admittedly that was a diesel rather than a petrol, but I've been a fan of the Italian tune up ever since :D
 
I know an owner of a garage who has recently brought a cleaning machine, he absolutely swears buy it. He showed me a video of a car that had been treated, I have never seen so much crap come out the back of a car.
 
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