If you're looking for “how do I prevent carbon buildup in my engine?” Here are some simple tips and tricks to reduce carbon buildup in engines:
1- Never skip an oil change
2- Use the right type of fuel
3- Put the pedal to the floor
4- Perform carbon cleaning
In any vehicle equipped with the combustion process, many byproducts are generated and accumulating across your vehicle’s lines and valves. Carbon buildup is one of the very common consequences of your combustion process. Therefore, it is important for you as a driver to understand the different causes for extreme and severe carbon buildup that could impact your engine's performance.
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What's even more important is learning how to prevent the carbon buildup from happening in the first place. This article walks you through some simple tips and tricks that automotive experts recommend you implement so you don't have to deal with significant carbon buildups that could impact the engine's performance.
What is carbon buildup?
Do you know how carbon and smoke build up around the fireplace walls? Similarly, many byproducts build up around the engine's different intake valves and look very similar to the carbon deposits around your house fireplace.
If you notice in your house, the more carbon and waste buildup around your fireplace, the harder it is for the fireplace to warm up the house. Similarly, the longer you wait on carbon buildup around your vehicle’s different intakes, the harder it is for your engine to work properly can produce the required energy.
Fuel wastes build up around the intake manifolds and different important valves and components like the DPF, the EGR, and different oxygen sensors, if not other sensitive components.
Obviously, carbon buildup is not a good thing, and it immediately results in a change in the vehicle's overall performance, and it will also impact your car's fuel economy. The more carbon buildup, the harder your engine works, the more fuel it needs to produce the necessary energy to get your vehicle going and achieves the right acceleration level.
What causes excessive carbon buildup in engines?
Before we dive into the details about “how do I prevent carbon buildup in my engine?” It is important to understand what causes the excessive carbon buildup in your engine in the first place.
Yes, we understand that the normal combustion process will produce a lot of smoke resulting in carbon buildup. However, when you deal with excessive carbon buildup, there might be a different issue that you can eliminate and reduce these buildups.
According to automotive experts, here are the common causes for excessive carbon buildup in engines:
1- Your driving environment
One of the first and most important causes for carbon buildup is your driving habits and driving environment. For example, if you continuously drive in traffic and in situations where you utilize many stop-and-go conditions, carbon can easily make the engine dirty.
Some drivers might even prefer to drive at lower speeds, thinking they can save a lot on fuel economy. Still, they don't know that they introduce additional excessive carbon buildup that would cost thousands of dollars down the road if the engine is significantly impacted.
2- Your vehicle's fuel
There is plenty of different type of fuels that you can select from. Unfortunately, the cheaper the fuel, the dirtier it is and the harder it is for your engine to burn without causing a lot of carbon buildup.
Many drivers prefer to spend a little more and go with premium fuel to eliminate such problems. However, this does not necessarily mean that you must switch to premium fuel. The best place to start with is your vehicle's owner’s manual. Check with the manual to see what the recommendations are and the best type of fuel used for the engine that eliminates carbon buildups.
3- Your driving habits
Many drivers have certain driving habits that are impacting several components in the vehicle. For example, if you slam the throttle body hard, the engine will not fully burn the fuel, and therefore, carbon deposits are expected to increase significantly.
4- You warm up the vehicle too long
There is a common misconception that you need to live the vehicle run idle for a long time to prevent its damages. This misconception is even common in the winter season. However, drivers didn't know that by running your vehicle at what's known as the hot car condition, you cause significant adults of carbon byproducts that could impact the engine's condition.
5- Your driving habits in vehicles with manual transmissions
Driving a vehicle with a manual transmission might also contribute to more carbon buildup if you have bad driving habits. For example, many drivers forget to switch gears at higher speeds. They don't know that running at higher speeds without using the proper gear causes significant carbon buildups in the engine because of the overconsumption of fuel.
How do I prevent carbon buildup in my engine?
After understanding the main definition of carbon buildups and the different causes resulting in this excessive carbon buildup, it's time now to understand some tips and tricks that could help you to prevent carbon buildup in your engine:
1- Never skip an oil change
One of the first very simple elements that can help you reduce carbon buildup is never to skip an oil change. As we already know, the oil helps your engine get the proper amount of lubrication and prevents overheating.
When the engine is not overheated, it can work at its full capacity. Therefore, the engine can completely burn the fuel without stressing itself, resulting in unburnt fuel that could cause significant carbon buildups.
2- Use the right type of fuel
As we indicated earlier, going with a cheaper fuel might impact your engine and could cost you thousands of dollars if carbon buildup is very severe. Therefore, you must refer to your vehicle's owner’s manual and get an idea about the best type of fuel suitable for your vehicle.
As we indicated earlier, you don't have to go with the premium fuel immediately because it might be expensive, and your vehicle might not even need it. Therefore, whatever your vehicle's owner’s manual recommends is the fuel you must go with.
3- Put the pedal to the floor
If you don't press your vehicle's pedals completely and get it to the floor, you result in unburned fuel, and therefore, you need to stop this habit. Instead, start familiarizing itself and getting used to putting the pedal to the floor and doing what's known as “blow the junk out.”
4- Perform carbon cleaning
If your engine already has many carbon buildups, it might be the right time now to perform carbon cleanups. Reach out to your mechanic and check with him about the perfect time for carbon cleanups and whether your vehicle needs it or not. You might also get some idea about the frequency of carbon cleanups from your vehicle's owner’s manual.
Can engine oil prevent carbon buildup?
Yes, using the right engine oil helps your vehicle reduce carbon buildups. However, it is important that you use the right engine oil and not go with the cheapest one just because it doesn't require a lot of money. Refer to your vehicle's owner’s manual and familiarize yourself with the type of engine oil you can use.
Selecting the right engine oil is not the only thing that could help you reduce carbon buildup. This is because you also need to change the engine oil whenever required and as specified by the new vehicle owner’s manual. Over time of use, the engine's oil loses its characteristics and does not do its job to allow the engine to work properly without any stress. Therefore, to restore these characteristics, you must perform the oil change.
How much does it cost to get your engine cleaned?
If you realize that carbon buildup got to a point where it needs to be cleaned up, you have to prevent engine damages. Typically, carbon buildup is expected to cost you somewhere between $350.00 and $900.
Yes, the price ranges vary because the cleanup price depends heavily on your vehicle type and the location where we get the job done. For example, if you decided to have your vehicle's engine cleaned at an independent shop, prices will be much lower than someone else who got it done at a dealership.
What is the best carbon remover?
Some automotive experts recommend specific types of carbon removers that you might try on your engine to get cleaned if you don't want to go the route of professional carbon cleanup at a dealership or an independent shop.
However, you must do the necessary research to get an idea about the best type of carbon remover in the market. There are plenty of them, and it can be a little overwhelming to inexperienced drivers to select the best one that works for their needs.
Here's our list of the best carbon removers as of 2021:
- Bore Tech BTCC-35016 C4 Carbon Remover
- Slip2000 Carbon Killer-
- CARBON-OFF! Heavy Duty Carbon Remover
How often should I clean my engine?
The frequency of cleaning or engine depends heavily on the area you live in. According to experts, if you live in a city where there are many stop-and-go conditions and where there are too much debris and contaminants on the roads, you might need to clean your engine at least two times a year.
However, there are some instances where you might need to clean the engine every three months to ensure that it doesn't get damaged by accumulated debris or contaminants.
Can I clean up my y engine by myself?
Although cleaning up your engine is not a complicated process and it might not need a lot of effort, it is still important that you evaluate whether you can perform the clean-up by yourself or not.
During the carbon cleanup process, you're dealing with one of the very sensitive components in your vehicle, which is the engine. Therefore, if you're driving a luxury car, for example, making any simple mistake can cost you thousands of dollars.
Therefore, unless you are 100% confident that you can do the job without causing any problems, you're not recommended to. In fact, performing the carbon cleanup might be a little risky situation that could damage the engine if you don't have the necessary level of mechanical skill sets.
Therefore, even if you will save a lot and labor costs by performing the cleanup by yourself, it is sometimes worth letting the experts do their job so they can take full responsibility for any consequences.
Conclusion
Carbon buildup is a very common consequence of any combustion process. Therefore, it is important for you as a driver to understand when you should be concerned about carbon buildups and what causes excessive carbon buildups.
This article walked you through the different causes that could result in concerning carbon buildups. It also highlighted some of the common tips and tricks that automotive experts recommend still eliminating and reducing carbon buildups in your engine and different valves.
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