Engine and Fuel system colonic

[cozmcrae]

I saw this piece of kit on wheeler dealers the other day that you hook up to the injectors of your car and it de carbonises the fuel system essentially giving the car a colonic. Has anyone ever had this done, does it work and how much does it cost? I also heard something about being able to pump clean oil through an engine to get rid of any swarf and gunk built up in the internals but I don't know if this is true or not. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[one eyed mick]

Leave it well alone and spend the money on a proper service

[trashbat]

The first bit of what you are referring to (Wheeler Dealers) is Terraclean. I haven't seen any evidence that it works, beyond producing a placebo effect in some purchasers. I have seen evidence of it not working, e.g. injector problems. The absence of manufacturer 'before and after' details leads me to file it in the snake oil category.

The second (clean oil) is the idea of doing an extra oil change as an engine flush, either with paraffin or cheap oil. Paraffin is a bad idea. Using oil is probably a good idea, but likely an unnecessary one - just change the oil more often.

[cozmcrae]

trashbat said:

The second (clean oil) is the idea of doing an extra oil change as an engine flush, either with paraffin or cheap oil. Paraffin is a bad idea. Using oil is probably a good idea, but likely an unnecessary one - just change the oil more often.

What I had heard about was a machine you hook up to the car and its a bit like that terra clean thing but with oil to remove all the st that accumulates over the years but I don't know if it even exists

[Snake the Sniper]

You're far more likely to block oilways with existing crud than you are to actually clean them all out. There's only one safe way to clean an engine that's bad enough to warrant it, and that's a big parts washer. Anything else risks trashing it.

[Frik]

I'm sure it's as much use for a car as a colonic is for you.

[trashbat]

What engine was that on, out of interest?

Mine suffers from carbon build up, not least because it's an early direct injection. I should consider my options before the next cambelt is due. For one thing I don't know what can be done without messing up the natural wear and associated tolerances.

Either way I ruled out Terraclean. I do use stuff like BG44K but again don't know what it's really doing.

[trashbat]

Makes sense. My JTS produces injector problems about every 50-70k miles, which I've experienced once, and certainly cleaner did nothing at that point. They were removed and ultrasonically cleaned as you say, and two out of four beyond repair. I look at BG44K as preventative maintenance rather than a fix, since the real thing costs about £700 in my case. Whether it does anything at the dilution and frequency I use it is still unknown.