carbon

[Anonymous]

for a while like maybe 6 months I have noticed that when I start up my car, my tailpipe shuts out water along with black stuff within the water itself. I dont know what to do about this sort of thing. What is causing it. Carbon buildup?!? Any cleaners I can use?

 

[rbohm]

8) you have some carbon build up in the system. i like to spray some chem-tool down the carb with the engine running to clean out as much as is possible. if you run any liquid or spray down the carb throat with the engine running, you want to keep engine rpm at or above 1500(min).

 

[Anlushac11]

8)

Im poor so I usually use water. I have an old Windex spray bottle filled with water for just such a task. When the water turns to steam the steam can blow off the carbon. You will have to keep the RPM's up like RBOHM said but when you spray it in it should bog for a sec and blow black stuff out the back.

 

[CZLN6]

Howdy Havoline and All:

The water in your tailpipe on start up is most likely from condensation in the tail pipe. It builds up most during short trips, where the system never gets warmed up, in cold or humid climates. When the water lays or puddles in the low spots in the tailpipe system and mixes a little with the fuzzy black stuff (soot) in the tail pipe. When you start it up water and the black fuzzy stuff come out. The fuzzy black soot in the tail pipe might be an indication that your carb or choke is set too rich.

Adding more water down the carb will loosen the hardened carbon build up in the combustion chamber, but will do little for the tail pipe and will make the water by product of condensation worse.

Solutions and precaution- Avoid cold starts and short trips, at least once a week get your car up to operating temperature, use Heet or other alcohol products in your gas in the winter, or use gas-a-hol. Alcohol removes water from gas. Pre heat your engine before cold starts to shorten warm up/choke time.

Adios, David

Adios, David

 

[Anonymous]

Pre heat your engine before cold starts to shorten warm up/choke time.

Adios, David

How do you pre-heat an engine?

DB

 

[rbohm]

8) you can get block heaters that replace the freeze plugs, and plug into a standard 110 outlet. they come standard on diesel engines.

 

[Anonymous]

Havoline, you live in Fresno, in the central valley, so CZLN6 is probably right. Do as Davis has suggested, but also check your spark plugs to see if any of them are fouled. You may have a head gasket leaking from the water jacket to one or more combustion chambers. If this is the case, you may also find water in your crankcase, check your dipstick. If you find water in the crankcase, it's time to pull the head. If the spark plugs and crankcase oil are OK, it’s probably just condensation. Do you use a led substitute? They can create a good deal of soot.