P38A Cleaning the exhaust system? 2.5 Diesel

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Larsern

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53
Location
Trondheim, Norway
Getting closer to the next MOT. Last time the inspector told me that I should give the engine som high revs to get rid of the soot particles inside the exhaust. It was a bit Close to the Maximum partickle Count.

Then I started to think, many years ago while a car was still a car and fuel was evaporated in a carburator.
From time to time (not every year) we used to clean the inside of the engine by using carbonized mineral water. We started the engine gave it some good revolutions and then we pulled the tube between the carb and the distributor off from the distr. and dipped it in the carbonized water. Giving some good revs so the engine did not die.
After a couple of bottles of water there was a huge pool of sooty water on the ground. Once I stripped Down an engine after such a treatment and it was completely clean inside. The sparkplugs was alway shining bright after the treatment.

Now I do not suggest such a drastical treatment for my diesel, but what if i drilled a small hole in the exhaust pipe, as far forward as possible. And then during good revs on the engine, injected a couple of liters of strong soapy water in the exhaust to clean out the inside?

When I useed to work with huge ship engines we used soapy (Potassium hydroxcide soap) water to disolve carbon deposits on piston and piston rings. Even to help free carbonized stuck piston rings.

After the treatment, the hole in the exhaust can be plugged With a self tapping screw.

Anybody?
 
This is a new concept to me. I'm intrigued. Don't see why soap would react badly with anything inside, and if flushed out entirely any water should evaporate so should be left same as before minus any crud that comes out? Possibly could wash soot to an area that clogs low points. Injector cleaner+good blast down a safe road and check exhaust for any leaks/Hoover air filter Is my usual emissions check.

Let us know how you get on, and what state It leaves your drive in ;):D
 
Getting closer to the next MOT. Last time the inspector told me that I should give the engine som high revs to get rid of the soot particles inside the exhaust. It was a bit Close to the Maximum partickle Count.

Then I started to think, many years ago while a car was still a car and fuel was evaporated in a carburator.
From time to time (not every year) we used to clean the inside of the engine by using carbonized mineral water. We started the engine gave it some good revolutions and then we pulled the tube between the carb and the distributor off from the distr. and dipped it in the carbonized water. Giving some good revs so the engine did not die.
After a couple of bottles of water there was a huge pool of sooty water on the ground. Once I stripped Down an engine after such a treatment and it was completely clean inside. The sparkplugs was alway shining bright after the treatment.

Now I do not suggest such a drastical treatment for my diesel, but what if i drilled a small hole in the exhaust pipe, as far forward as possible. And then during good revs on the engine, injected a couple of liters of strong soapy water in the exhaust to clean out the inside?

When I useed to work with huge ship engines we used soapy (Potassium hydroxcide soap) water to disolve carbon deposits on piston and piston rings. Even to help free carbonized stuck piston rings.

After the treatment, the hole in the exhaust can be plugged With a self tapping screw.

Anybody?

My main worry would be polluting the catalyst. Water probably not much of an issue but not sure what is in the soap and how that would react with the cat. Plus, unless the water is as steam then all I can see it doing is cooling the gases down preventing them burning off the deposits on the cat surface.

Any car hates short journeys. A good long motorway run seems to blast the air through, especially if you clean the intercooler out first.
 
Getting closer to the next MOT. Last time the inspector told me that I should give the engine som high revs to get rid of the soot particles inside the exhaust. It was a bit Close to the Maximum partickle Count.

Then I started to think, many years ago while a car was still a car and fuel was evaporated in a carburator.
From time to time (not every year) we used to clean the inside of the engine by using carbonized mineral water. We started the engine gave it some good revolutions and then we pulled the tube between the carb and the distributor off from the distr. and dipped it in the carbonized water. Giving some good revs so the engine did not die.
After a couple of bottles of water there was a huge pool of sooty water on the ground. Once I stripped Down an engine after such a treatment and it was completely clean inside. The sparkplugs was alway shining bright after the treatment.

Now I do not suggest such a drastical treatment for my diesel, but what if i drilled a small hole in the exhaust pipe, as far forward as possible. And then during good revs on the engine, injected a couple of liters of strong soapy water in the exhaust to clean out the inside?

When I useed to work with huge ship engines we used soapy (Potassium hydroxcide soap) water to disolve carbon deposits on piston and piston rings. Even to help free carbonized stuck piston rings.

After the treatment, the hole in the exhaust can be plugged With a self tapping screw.

Anybody?
Happy April fools day

Col
 
If you have 80+ notes spare look at an engine de-coke service, they come to your door and use some form of micro particle fuel to flush the system. It cleans the combustion chambers and exhaust plus helps to regain a few horses too.
 
If you have 80+ notes spare look at an engine de-coke service, they come to your door and use some form of micro particle fuel to flush the system. It cleans the combustion chambers and exhaust plus helps to regain a few horses too.

So does H2o. For a lot less than 80 quid.
 
I once heard of a Rover engine designer who had a rover 3.5 coupe which he had fitted a water mist injection system to it. He claimed it improved the running of the engine and improved the mpg by about 20% Apparently though, his colleagues disputed it saying that his car was probably running a bit rich to start with and his water mist system leaned the mixture to the correct level.

Col
 
Surely anything injected in the exhaust would fool the exhaust sensors into thinking it's running too lean? This injecting more fuel and making the net result worse?
 
Surely anything injected in the exhaust would fool the exhaust sensors into thinking it's running too lean? This injecting more fuel and making the net result worse?
Water is injected into the engine not the exhaust, only a small amount though as a mist, otherwise a catastrophic event may occur. Probably sprayed into the air intake.

Col
 
I once heard of a Rover engine designer who had a rover 3.5 coupe which he had fitted a water mist injection system to it. He claimed it improved the running of the engine and improved the mpg by about 20% Apparently though, his colleagues disputed it saying that his car was probably running a bit rich to start with and his water mist system leaned the mixture to the correct level.

Col
Water injection was a popular mod in my younger days among the go faster mob..
 
Some years ago ,Think it was London buses ,played with injecting a diesel / water mixture into the engine to reduce NOx in the exhaust , it didn't catch on ,it reduced oil film on cylinder boars and in some cases ,made a acidic liquid in the exhaust..It was meant to save fuel ,..It was a lot of trouble for a very little saving in the end;)...
 
Some years ago ,Think it was London buses ,played with injecting a diesel / water mixture into the engine to reduce NOx in the exhaust , it didn't catch on ,it reduced oil film on cylinder boars and in some cases ,made a acidic liquid in the exhaust..It was meant to save fuel ,..It was a lot of trouble for a very little saving in the end;)...

Water injection has been around for donkey's years in one form or another.
Saab tried it on cars in the 1970s, the theory being that a dribble of water into the manifold made the inlet gases capable of more expansion.
They abandoned it fairly soon as well, for similar reasons, the downsides outweighed the benefits.
 
There used to be companies selling systems that put water through a copper pipe and passed it through the exhaust manifold then injected the steam into the intake manifold claiming more mpg.
But I saw where it was tested by some organisation who then took the pipe out and left the hole in the manifold so it pulled air in, and the result was just the same.
There is a company who do a deal carbon engine service I saw them recently but not sure what they do.


Found them https://www.terraclean.co.uk/what-is-engine-carbon-cleaning/
 
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