white gas?

[LMREESE]

Had an old guy tell me a good way to clean carbon from an engine was to pour a gallon of white gas (Coleman fuel) in the tank then fill the tank up. Anything to this or just an old wives tale?
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[Livrat]

I can not comment on if it is good to clean out carbon or not, but white gas should not hurt anything as it is just "pure gasoline" (gas without any additives) it is also known as Naptha.

[special-K]

If all you run is white gas you won't get carbon,I know that. It may help. What I was always told was when you stomp the gas and let 'er fly you were clearing the carbon. I'd try telling the cops and they usually didn't believe that theory

[slow-1]

Amaco used to sell white gas right out of the pump...it was 93 octate around here.

My outboard motor mechanic friends use Seafoam to decarbon 2 strokes, don't know how it would do in a 4 stroke.

[Fldawg]

this another old trick, get a bottle of water,slowly pour the water down the throat of the carb but keep it running,this is a good way to clean carbon also, had a friend of mine had water injection on his old el camino, that helped his alot

[Ft.ValloniaStreaker]

I've posted this on another forum, but my Grandpa was a mechanic all his life, finally retiring from Cummins Tech Center. I can't tell you how many times i sat in the car "keeping it running" while he poured a quart of ATF down the carb. He'd jump in slam the door and away we'd go! When the white smoke cleared we'd head back to the garage, full the tank and pour another quart in the tank. I put a qt. in my Subaru about once a month. (300,000 miles so far) Does it help? beats me ...can't hurt

[volksworld]

I doubt the atf is doing your catalytic converter any good...

[Ft.ValloniaStreaker]

Never really thought about it...I was thinking that most all of the people on here had carburetors though. Like I mentioned at 300,000+ and 28mpg can't be hurting to much, and it's cheaper than "upper cylinder cleaner and lubricant".

[motorcritter]

Running high octane fuel can solve a multitude of problems, and avoid a lot of them, too. The only thing I found effective, that could be poured in a fuel tank, has been BG44K (no financial interest on my part). I've used it several shops, both independent and dealerships, with good results. Carbon is going to get formed- how much and what happens because of it can be minimized with various chemical additives. I've used the 'water mist' technique on vintage (English) motorcycle engines- I wouldn't pour a stream of water in an engine. Too much potential for mayhem.
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[LMREESE]

My grandpa used to use the water mist trick
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[OhioDan]

When I used to work on Kohler motors(2 and 4 cyl.), I'd use a quart of ATF to decarbon them. Always heard the water would work also, but ya stood a chance of possibly damaging the motor internally?

[Tinkermc]

Well I use Seafoam to keep mine clean, 1 can to a tank of fuel sevareal times a year, buy 6 cans when a good sale is on

[special-K]

I've never had carbon be an issue that I was ever aware of. Is ignorance bliss? It's the same with diesel guys. They talk and argue about this fuel additive and that one...lubricity this and that. My '92 with a 6.5TD has nearly 300k on it and the only time I ever added anything was a few times the temperature was forecast to hit single digits at night and I was concerned about gelling. But,mostly,I went and filled the tank. I got 200k+ out of my original injector pump and injectors. Makes me think those guys are wasting their money. Am I wrong?

[68gmsee]

If you pour ATF or other additives that cause excessive smoke down the throat of the carb make sure you are not in a neighborhood or city where they can turn you in for polluting. I read where a person called the fire dept on his neighbor and they gave the individual a stern warning. These days people are more health conscious and jittery when they see a lot of smoke.

[Lattimer]

I've used seafoam in the past and sucked it in through the vac line to the brake booster. I also add some to the tank every now and then. Thats on newer, FI, full emissions equipped vehicles. I've had times where I had stalling, rough running, etc., and a tuneup did not help. The seafoam helped. All kinds of white smoke and runs really rough for a bit, then runs like new.

[steelhorse]

I am a professional mechanic and we use BG intake system cleaner and it cleans the intakes down to bare metal. I have taken apart engines after using this stuff and have always been amazed at how well it works.

[GRX]

This subject has been discussed to death in the hot rod forums. Coleman fuel is Naptha, which is very good at cleaning carbon. Seafoam is basically a mixture of naptha, isopropyl alcohol, and pale oil (heating oil). For many years I have mixed my own at home with great results.