If you keep going to the 4S dealership for maintenance, when the vehicle has traveled 20000 to 30000 kilometers, you will definitely be advised to clean the carbon deposits. Some project names are not cleaning the carbon deposits, but cleaning the throttle valve, cleaning the oil circuit, and so on. In fact, they are all cleaning the carbon deposits in these areas. Carbon buildup is inevitable for every car, but it has been observed that a considerable number of car owners have spent unjustly on cleaning carbon buildup. Although there was not much carbon buildup and there were no abnormalities in the car, a carbon cleaning project was still carried out. Today, let's talk about how to determine if your car has carbon deposits?

   Firstly, we need to know which areas will produce carbon deposits, including the throttle valve, intake duct, fuel injector, and piston top. Nowadays, no matter where carbon deposits are cleaned, most methods are used that do not require disassembly for cleaning. Unless the carbon deposits are very severe and may be disassembled for cleaning, they are not dismantled. The only areas that can be cleaned without disassembly are the above four areas. If the carbon accumulation is not severe, disassembly free cleaning is effective. Don't listen to anyone saying that disassembly free cleaning is useless. Because we have verified that after washing, we checked the carbon deposits on the fuel injectors and valves and found that they were relatively clean.

     Once we know the location of carbon deposits, we can perform an examination using two methods. One is to use the eye, which is the most intuitive and important method. The throttle valve can be clearly seen by removing the intake hose, and the top of the piston and valve need to be viewed with an endoscope. However, it requires a little experience to know to what extent it is considered severe and has no impact, otherwise it may not be clear after reading. The second method is to use a computer for inspection. This method does not require dismantling anything and is relatively simple, but generally can only detect the carbon buildup on the throttle valve. The larger the throttle valve opening during idle, the more severe the carbon buildup.

     When is it necessary to check for carbon deposits? Firstly, if the car has any abnormal phenomena, it should be checked. Abnormal phenomena include unstable idle, difficulty in ignition, increased fuel consumption, and decreased power. Among them, unstable idle and difficulty in ignition are the most common and obvious. Secondly, if the car has reached a certain mileage, it needs to be checked because some novice drivers may not feel any abnormalities in the car. How many kilometers do you need to check when using it? If the car is mostly driven in the city, it should be checked after 20000 kilometers, at least the throttle valve needs to be cleaned. If it is driven more in the suburbs or on highways, it can be checked after 30000 to 40000 kilometers.

       According to my usual experience, most cars have carbon deposits between 20000 and 40000 kilometers after cleaning, and there is also a significant difference based on the road conditions during normal driving. Some cars have a dirty throttle valve that goes off the alarm after more than 10000 kilometers, while others are not particularly dirty after more than 50000 kilometers. Cleaning carbon deposits does not require simultaneous cleaning of all four areas mentioned above. Cleaning can be done wherever it is dirty, and the throttle valve is the fastest and most frequently cleaned. If the mileage is low, only the throttle valve can be cleaned. If the mileage is high and the throttle valve is severely dirty, it can be cleaned at the same time. Generally speaking, if the throttle valve is very dirty, the intake duct will also be very dirty, and cleaning is also possible. Whether to clean or not must be checked before making a decision. Do not directly write "clean" when issuing a repair order to determine the project. This is likely to cause premature cleaning and waste money, because there is no fixed mileage requirement for cleaning carbon deposits. Only after inspection can one determine whether it is dirty or not and whether cleaning is necessary.

From: WONDEE Autoparts

2024-1-15