Engine "Flushing": Worthwhile?
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 920
Likes: 0
From: Westminster, Colorado
I only had this sort of thing done once....on a 94 Toyota P/U I had....it have over 200k miles on it and suddenly began to run like a potato was shoved in the exhaust. When I took it to the shop, they deduced that I had exceeded the engines ability to correct it's own timing and such due to build up of gunk and such on the valves and so forth...So, they recommended a "flush," but from what I understood, this was more about running something through the combustion chambers that would clear out all the gunk. After getting it back, it ran better...but still sorta felt like ther was a 1/4 potato or something in the exhaust.....it was sold cheap thereafter.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,658
Likes: 4
From: "Islander"
Trickling water down the carb at a high idle is suppose to steam clean the combustion chamber, so they say. Question I have is what it does to the catalytic converter and O2 sensor, big dollar items if you screw 'em up while trying to do good?
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 920
Likes: 0
From: Westminster, Colorado
Originally Posted by Beemer Nut
Trickling water down the carb at a high idle is suppose to steam clean the combustion chamber, so they say. Question I have is what it does to the catalytic converter and O2 sensor, big dollar items if you screw 'em up while trying to do good?
Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,658
Likes: 4
From: "Islander"
When are they supposed to be worn out? My friend just did a smog on his 273K mike vehicle,the dealers would have him on his third set of cats and O2's by now. This vehicle runs with 2 cats and 4 O2's (OB2) for a parts alone price of $2,100 before taxes. He is on the second motor and mufflers, original cats and O2's that passes smog with flying colors. A 96 Disco Rover 5 speed.
Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
From: South Texas
To many miles..
For and engine to get that many miles without the timng chain are timing belt not getting slack enough to wear a hole in the side of the timing cover is hard to belive...."I've drove a 350 chevy till the chain wore a hole in the cover" But at that time it was hard to start ..I guess the timeing was retarded with that much slack...
Elder User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 977
Likes: 0
From: Houston, TX
Originally Posted by Beemer Nut
When are they supposed to be worn out? My friend just did a smog on his 273K mike vehicle,the dealers would have him on his third set of cats and O2's by now. This vehicle runs with 2 cats and 4 O2's (OB2) for a parts alone price of $2,100 before taxes. He is on the second motor and mufflers, original cats and O2's that passes smog with flying colors. A 96 Disco Rover 5 speed.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,658
Likes: 4
From: "Islander"
jdbanks, exactly as a well tuned motor will keep cats and O2 sensors happy for hundreds of thousands of miles without problems. Do it yourself engine decarboning kits that the intake sucks up is the best thing for muffler shop profits with cat replacements.
Freshman User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Hey Beemer Nut!
When I was a teenager living at I saw my Dad pour water down the carb of a chevy van. This van was running very rough and it wouldn't idle. So my Dad took a coke bottle of water and poured it down the carb while keeping the rpm's up. It took about a half bottle to clear it up. I guess it loosened up carbon or something! I don't think I would do it on any of my cars.
When I was a teenager living at I saw my Dad pour water down the carb of a chevy van. This van was running very rough and it wouldn't idle. So my Dad took a coke bottle of water and poured it down the carb while keeping the rpm's up. It took about a half bottle to clear it up. I guess it loosened up carbon or something! I don't think I would do it on any of my cars.
Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
From: South Texas
Yes that cold water in the cylinder will break up any loose carbon .. Even if it has shorted out the spark plugs . We didn't have a lot of money to buy a new truck are rebuild the one we drove so we did lots of things when the truck broke down .. from cutting a beer can in half to put around the exhaust leak with a hose clamp to pepper in the radiator for stop leak...
Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,658
Likes: 4
From: "Islander"
Wait until he hears about banana peels in the rearend.
Piece of a leather shoe for model T rod bearings.
Removable shims for poured in place babbit bearings.
This is long before the TV series MacIver, what would he do in a situation like this?
Piece of a leather shoe for model T rod bearings.
Removable shims for poured in place babbit bearings.
This is long before the TV series MacIver, what would he do in a situation like this?