VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 WATER YOUR CARB.?

I WAS READING SOME OLD AUTO ADVICE COLUMNS AND I CAME ACROSS THIS ONE ON POURING WATER INTO THE CARB. OF OLDER CARS TO CLEAN OUT THE CARBON.
THIS WAS AN ARTICLE BY THE MAGLIOZZI BROTHERS ("CAR TALK") AND THEY SAID THAT POURING WATER INTO THE CARB. (A TRICKLE SLOWLY, ABOUT 8 OZ IN ABOUT 30 SECONDS WITH THE MOTOR REVVED UP, ) CLEANS THE MOTOR BECAUSE THE WATER TURNS IMMEDIATELY INTO STEAM IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS AND THE STEAM BREAKS UP THE CARBON ON THE VALVES AND PISTONS AND THEN THE CARBON IS BLOWN OUT THE TAILPIPE. THIS PROCEDURE THEY SAID IS AN "OLD TRICK" USED BY THEM AND OTHER MECHANICS ON OLDER CARS FOR YEARS.

I WOULD LIKE TO GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM YOU GUYS ABOUT THIS "OLD TRICK". HAVE ANY OF YOU GUYS DONE THIS? DOES IT WORK? I DON'T WANT TO TRY IT UNTIL I HEAR FROM PEOPLE I TRUST. THANKS.

Gator, this trick DOES Work. My father has been a mechanic since 1956 and he has used this trick to knock out carbon buildup in engines for many years. In fact he was taught this trick in trade school years ago. He takes a cup of water and holds the throttle open while he pours in the water a bit at a time. Immediately steam will come out of the exhaust but remember not to pour in more water than the car can stay running with. It is going to miss like crazy but just keep the throttle open and when it clears up release the throttle. I'll tell you another story to prove this works. My family restores antique tractors and we have a tractor club here in Louisiana. Our old John Deeres come with a valve on the carburator connected to the water jacket in the head that is attached to a rod in the dash board. After plowing all day alot of times old tractors would build up carbon and begin to knock. You just pulled the water tap rod, immediately water from the head was allowed in the carburator and the knock was gone. This is not an add on either. John Deere manufactured this on their tractors from the factory. A good example to find one is on a John Deere Model D.

To add to this, I had a To**** 2 dr hdtp, 76 model, I ran to Spokane with the car and filled it up there and returned home, on the way through town I noted that the gas guage registered close to empty and headed for the nearest service station, going around a corner the car quit, when I hit the starter the motor spun as if it had 0 compression, a test proved this to be correct. I had the head pulled for diagnostic reasons and the mechanic a long time friend told me that chunks of carbon had gotten between the valves and the seats on all but one cylinder and damaged them enough that a valve grind was required. His opinion was that I had water in the tank and that with the near empty tank the pump had pulled water from the tank causing the carbon on the valves to break up. This was a new car when purchased and had but 25k on it when this occured. :rolleyes:

We use to do this to our race car at Vallejo Speedway in CA, in the mid 60's.... it seemed to run better afterwards...

But, I've always been a little suspicious that when you do this to a modern car that not all of the carbon goes out the tailpipe... I suspect that some of it gets stopped in the muffler where it fuses back on to the baffles.... probably doesn't do too much damage. :confused: It's better to have it there than around your valve seats!

Yep, CARBON=BAD NEWS. Taking your car out on the highway and openeing her up is one way to keep all this fron happening. The majority of carbon buildup is from worn valve stem seals and driving in town where RPM's stay low. Use additives in your fuel to avoid carbon deposits and run the car every now and then at highway speeds. Carbon will build on the bottom of the valve face or on the top of the piston. Carbon on the stem will cause a warped valve or valve seat once it moves to the face and carbon on the piston once it's tall enough will cause a bent valve stem. If your car burns oil or smokes blue pull the engine and have it rebuilt is the best way to save your engine and its components. Pouring water is not going to ruin your engine, its the carbon that ruins it. Best advice is to get rid of the carbon before it starts.

PLEASE TELL ME WHAT ADDITIVES FOR THE FUEL YOU TALKING ABOUT FOR THE CAR? ANY OTHER ADDITIVES FOR THE OIL? WOULD YOU DO THE SPEED THING FIRST, BEFORE H2O? DOING THE SPEED THING, CAN THIS BE DONE WITHOUT THE HIGHWAY, CAN'T YOU JUST REV THE MOTOR IN NEUTRAL? THANKS.

You can rev the motor in neutral gator but it works better to drive it. You can't rev the engine very long like you can when you drive it. Any fuel additive that helps the vehicle burn cleaner and more efficient. Do not let the fuel get old in the tank. If you have to let the vehicle sit for long periods of time use a stabilizer in the fuel. Also change the oil filter on a regular basis and the oil. You want the oil changed every 3,000 miles if you drive the car. If the engine is run more than the car is driven then change the oil anyways. You might not put miles on the car but you can put hours on the motor just running it. I've never used oil stabilizers so I can' t help you on that one.

Yes, the water does the trick on the carbon. I have done this many times. The best way I have found to apply the water to the engine is to use an old Coke bottle. Fill the Coke bottle with water and hold it over the carburetor with your thumb over the opening. When you raise the RPM's on the engine move your thumb a little to the side and the vacuum from the engine will pull the water into the engine.

DANDYD