The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Rug-doctor your valves?

Ok.. so it's not what you're thinking.

I mentioned that I had a compression problem to the mechanic up the road. He said to try this trick.

If it's carbon build-up in the valves, get the engine running and heated up. Find a vac-line and put it in a mason jar with about a half quart of water. Let the water be drawn into the engine and it will "steam clean" it. It'll blow a bunch of steam all over and probably run pretty bad while the water's being pulled through, but it "should clear out any carbon build-up in the valves."

I offer this up to the 'Bolt. Is it worth a shot?

Fire away

-J

It's an old trick, and not really very effective. I'd reccomend a slightly different technique, though. Run the idle speed up to around 1,500 RPM or a little more, with the engine at normal operating temperature. Use a spritz bottle like for Windex, or something similar, and spray the water into the carb inlet. The water flashes to steam as it hits the hot combustion chamber, and supposedly blows the carbon deposits away. It might not help, but it probably won't hurt, unless you get a big slug of liquid into a cylinder and bend a connecting rod.
Jerry

Yes, It,s a good way to clean em. You don,t get all that smoke like you do with chemicals. I,ve never done it like that though. I,ve poured it slowly down the carb. We learn something new every other day.

rather than suckin it with a vacuum line where you dont have any control....id pour or control a stream into the carbarauter above the throttle plates or venturi, that way it wall vaporize the water better like fuel to get the effect of steaming.... I was amazed at how much water you can put into a venturi and the engine still run,,, at a hight idle i experimented with putting a stream of water up to about 5/16>? of an inch stream,,,about the size of a pencil...not the lead ina pencil...the engine still ran without missing or anything up to about that size,,, there was even water dripping out of the exhuast... water vapor or steam wont compress like air,,,it effectively raises the combustion pressure in the engine...even horsepower is rated at an ambient air temperature plus a certain percent of relative humidity (water) to get maximum horsepower... they have sold or should sell... water injection systems and they do... to raise horsepower. PS..i was experimenting with building my own water injection system and did some research several years ago on the subject.. Matter of Fact they used to use water injection on older Prop Military planes to get maxiumum horsepower... Anyway,,,regardless.... uhhhhhhh some water going thru will break down some carbon deposits...not just on valves but on top of pistons and anywhere in the combustion area...uhhh but... carboning up with present fuels and whatnot isnt the problem it used to be in the old days....if its tuned right,,,and clean fuel and whatnot..carbon shouldnt be that much of a problem...another thing that will work sometimes...is a little transmission fluid down the carb,,, or and old product Rislone??? uhhhhhhhh Reminder tho.... especially with sucking it up thru a vacuum hose..... if ya get too much... or a whole gob of water or anything down the carb,,,it could hydroloc.... inother words... too much and it wont compress...and youll uhhhhhh the piston will hit the water wont compress,,,and bend a rod...or blow....

LOL...about three of us replied at the same time....hehehehehehe