Engine Tune UP vs Carb Cleaner.-

[Sea Rider]

I'm restoring a 2 strokes powerhead to immaculate clean factory condition, that's removing all carbon deposits on combustion chamber and exhaust cover area as well. Been using CRC Tune Up carbon remover frequently so carbon build ups were not found that wow quantity.

Been spraying carb cleaner spray on carboned parts and removing them mechanically with different scrapping tools with excellent cleaning results, was wondering if any carb spray sprayed through carb with engine running say at fast idle speed at neutral or geared forward with achieve same cleaning effects as a true carbon remover product. BTW both are highly flammable products. To lower costs the carb spray costs much less than the tune up one and easier to get.

As my head gasket has low used hours and came out in excellent condition plan to clean it as when new, the issue is that will lack the glue coatings on both sides. Don't want to use any gasket dressing, silicone type, whatever. Was wondering if spraying several coats of woman hair lacquer or several layers of automobile lacquer with a brush and letting them dry one on top of the other will do the trick ?

All mating surfaces has been conveniently polished to fingertip smooth perfection. Head and exhaust gaskets will be torqued back to factory specs with a torque wrench. So lacquer coats should seal well mating surfaces when OB starts to warm up, right ?

No,my lady won't have any issues lending me her hair lacquer spray for that purpose LOL!!

Happy Boating

 

[dingbat]

Seafoam works better than any “carbon cleaner” I’ve tried.

Dunk’s method....

You'll need 3/4 gal of gasoline and one 16oz can of seafoam for each engine. Don't forget to add 3oz of oil if you are premixing in a carbed engine.

Use about 3 ft piece of fuel hose off the little tank. You connect this tank to your engine by pulling off the main tank fuel hose off the intake side of your water separating fuel filter and plug the hose off the small tank on to that fitting. Or you can separate the fuel line on the tank side primer ball, so you can still use your primer. If you have an engine that has fuel plug then you need a fuel plug on the little tanks hose.

Start the engine, let it warm up and start pulling the mix into the engine. You may have to increase the idle to keep it running once she get loaded with the Seafoam. Run the engine 15 mins in the dock or just cruising around under 2500. Then shut it down and let it sit for 15 mins. Restart the engine, the smoke you see is the carbon burning off. Do the whole thing again and let her sit again for 15 mins. If she smokes after the second time do it again, but I've never seen one still smoke after three doses.

The gallon mix should be enough to do this 3 times. You don't need any wide open throttle, you don't need to change the plugs. If it's cleaning the combustion chambers it's also cleaning the plugs.

Indian Head (aircraft) gasket shellac for your gaskets

 

[Chinewalker]

Spraying carb cleaner through a running motor is a good way to kill the motor. It'll risen lubricant from all bearing and cylinder wall surfaces.

 

[Scott Danforth]

How to turn a running motor into non-running wall art.....spray carb cleaner in it while its running

 

[Sea Rider]

Spraying carb cleaner through a running motor is a good way to kill the motor. It'll risen lubricant from all bearing and cylinder wall surfaces.

Very good point, what about spraying a specific carbon remover say OMC Power Tuner, CRC Tune Up as described, same fate will not happen ?

Happy Boating

 

[jimmbo]

If cleaners like OMC/BRP Engine Tuner or Mercury Power Tune, used as intended, were Harmful to their engines, they wouldn’t be marketing them

As for SeaFoam, I feel it is one of the weaker carbon cleaners out there. In the 60s and 70s, OMC had a real good engine cleaner. Probably a real environmental/health hazard as I think it was pure Carbon Tetra Chloride. Nasty stuff, but it could dissolve carbon build up

 

[Sea Rider]

I'm a big fan tearing my OB's powerhead each 300 clocked hours. On first 300 hours use restoration found too much carbon deposits under exhaust cover, cylinder head and on pistons heads, The 2 strokes oil mostly used is Amalie 50:1 spot on lab mixed. No carbon removal products were used as were not available down here. All mentioned parts were hand decabonize to pristine clean condition as when out of the box.

Now engine has clocked another 300 run hours from previous first restoration. This time CRC Engine Power Tune decarbon product was squirted in small consecutive dosis with engine ON for 5 minutes every 50 clocked hours. All 3 mentioned parts were found to have collected way less that half of what was found on first restoration, so this carbon remover spray works quite well if applied on a regular basis.

If you expect to remove 100% all carbon build up on those parts in a single application no matter if the whole can was used for that purpose the answer is a resourcing NO.

The issue is that won't remove 100% of the carbon already built there, must be removed mechacnically with scrapping tools layer by layer as are not hard crusts to remove much easier due to powerhead internal walls being somewhat porous for cabron to be adhered there than if being smooth to touch for much less carbon adheration.

Can't speak about Sea Foam, it's not available down here. Will have my doubts that will remove 100 % carbon build ups in one single application, should do it's job quite well if used on every tank from day one with a new engine right out of the box, but seeing is believing...

Have found that top cylinder carbons up much more than lower one while having both cylinders near same PSI compression and correct heat range plugs well gapped to factory specs, still wondering why ?

Happy Boating

 

[jimmbo]

Those engine/carbon cleaners were intended to remove/wash out carbon in/behind the piston rings, not necessarily the carbon build up on heads/pistons and exhaust passages

 

[Sea Rider]

Right on. The issue is that no decarbon fabricator indicates how much product to use and for how long. Have found in this second partial restoration that spraying large quantities of product along much longer time application than can recommends will clean more deeply than just piston and rings which is a added plus. Anyway when applying CRC product my beloved horse idles and runs much smoother throughout the whole throttle range.

Just for the record : has anyone dismantled his OB while using constantly Sea Foam on every tank to confirm if this specific product everybody swear by it only removes partial, more than partial or full carbon build ups and if on new OB's lessens by how much carbon build ups inside powerhead ?

Happy Boating

 

[Faztbullet]

Add Evinrude carbon guard,Merc Quickleen or Yamaha ring free to fuel and you will have very little carbon

 

[Sea Rider]

Add Evinrude carbon guard,Merc Quickleen or Yamaha ring free to fuel and you will have very little carbon

Thanks, but those mentioned products are not available down here...

Happy Boating

 

[w2much]

I forget where I found it. Google or Utube making your own ,or ingredients for, or chemical analysis of Sea Foam . The basic makeup of it is out there . Basically pale oil, alcohol and bar b q lighter fluid. There are different variants for each ingredient. I make my own and add some two stroke oil to it. I use it as a parts cleaner, gasoline additive and starting fluid. On hardened carbon deposits it seems to soften them up a bit making them easier to get clean. For me this has worked well. It is also waaay less expensive than advertised brands.

 

[Sea Rider]

At just $ 7.99 prefer to buy CRC Engine Tune UP decarbonizer, one can lasts for many applications. Best results ever if applied at each 50 worked hours, will need to install an induction hour/tach for that one. Will prevent less carbon to build up on combustion and exhust chambers but won't avoid at all carbon deposits to build there. Carbon is very sticky on internal non smooth walls and 2 strokes OB's happens to be darn filthy ones...LOL!!

Happy Boating

 

[Flukinicehole]

The mechanic by me swears by Merc Power tune. Says it is much better then sea foam and I have seen the results first hand. The crap coming out of my motor when he ran a can of power tune through it surprised me.

 

[jimmbo]

I think most of the crap people see coming out is just the carbon cleaner itself. The stuff marketed today is lame compared to the cleaners in the 60s and 70s

 

[Flukinicehole]

I have never seen carbon cleaner in chunks before.

 

[Sea Rider]

The mechanic by me swears by Merc Power tune. Says it is much better then sea foam and I have seen the results first hand. The crap coming out of my motor when he ran a can of power tune through it surprised me.

For best results any brand decarbonizer product should be used frequently so to have the least carbon build ups on combustion and exhaust chambers as well whereas Sea Foam type products are not used on a constant basis.

Any brand decarbonizer doing its homework right while being burned at higher rpm will smoke through prop much worse than a gang of chinese poker players smoking inside a closed room. LOL!!

Happy Boating

 

[dingbat]

Water (steam) is the best carbon cleaner there is....anyone with a leaking head gasket can attest to that

 

[dingbat]

I have never seen carbon cleaner in chunks before.

Yep, It does happen.

Once decarbed a 87'-175 Black Max I bought from a guy. Sat a piece of plywood up behind the prop exhaust to see what came out. Chucks, goo, sludge, you name it. Nasty oily mess.....