GDI Cleaner Comparison: How Well Do They Actually Work? ( GDI / Intake Valve Cleaner )

Рет қаралды 150,105

Күн бұрын

How Well Do GDI ( Gasoline Direct Injection ) Cleaners Actually Work? GDI Cleaner Comparison.
Today we are talking a look at GDI or Gasoline Direct Injection cleaners and how well they actually work. There is a large difference in performance and price between some of these cleaners. So do the more expensive cleaners clean better? That is what we are going to find out in this video.
Gasoline Direct Injection or GDI has an inherent flaw where the crankcase gasses condense and build up on the intake valves. Over time these deposits on the intake valves can cause problems like misfires, reduced fuel economy, and decreased horsepower. So the GDI or Gasoline Direct Injection cleaners that we are taking a look at in this video are designed to remove this buildup.
Links to the products in this video:
CRC GDI Intake Valve and Turbo Cleaner: amzn.to/45WO9bM
Lucas GDI Cleaner: amzn.to/3LxJlRY
STP Intake Valve Cleaner: amzn.to/3Lxf45Q
SeaFoam: amzn.to/45Znqvh
Berrymans GDI Cleaner: amzn.to/3ZuofJT
Liqui Moly Valve Cleaner: amzn.to/3PPLriT
Chlorinated Brake Cleaner: amzn.to/3revVne
Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaner: amzn.to/3Pwuubw
My Amazon Store: www.amazon.com/shop/repairgeek
Help support the channel, buy using my Amazon links
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and your cost is exactly the same.
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Questions? Shoot me an email at repairgeek365@gmail.com
#gdi #carboncleaning #valvecleaning #crc #berrymans #stp #lucas #liquimolyusa
00:00 Intro
00:03 Details on the products tested
1:33 Details on the test methods
4:34 Should you ACTUALLY use these products???
7:27 Liqui Moly Valve Cleaner
8:46 Berryman's GDI Cleaner
9:46 Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaner
10:52 SeaFoam Engine Top Cleaner & Lube
12:23 Lucas Deep Clean GDI
13:07 STP Intake Valve Cleaner
14:19 Chlorinated Brake Cleaner
15:35 CRC GDI Intake Valve & Turbo Cleaner
17:20 Outro
Disclaimer:
The information, demonstration and any content contained in this video is for informational purposes only. The user Repair Geek makes no warranty, express or implied, regarding the effectiveness or safety of the contents of this video. In no way should the contents of the video, including the tools used, be repeated or tried by anyone. Viewers should only seek the help of a trained professional located at a licensed auto repair shop for any fix, modification, alteration, or any change to their vehicle. Repair Geek shall not be liable for any injury, damage, or loss to any person or property that may result from use of the tools, equipment, or any content contained in this video. In addition, there is no way to guarantee that the video is not altered or modified or is not in the final form submitted by Repair Geek and therefore, Repair Geek does not warrant that the video is unaltered or not modified. The links on this video to products are for informational purposes only and in no way are an endorsement of the safety or effectiveness of the particular product. Viewers understand that anything contained in this video or linked to or from this video is the sole responsibility of the viewer and in no way provides an express or implied warranty as to the safety or effectiveness of any linked tool, product, or video. Therefore, viewer agrees to release, waive, and discharge Repair Geek or anyone affiliated with Repair Geek, from any and all liability, claims, demands, actions, and causes of action whatsoever arising out of or related to any loss, damage, or injury, including death, that may be sustained by the viewer, or to any property belonging to viewer, regardless of whether the loss is linked to the use of the contents of this video, or otherwise and regardless of whether such liability arises in tort, contract, strict liability, or otherwise, to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Пікірлер: 534

@RepairGeek 8 ай бұрын

For those of you that say "This test wasn't realistic because the valves weren't moving" See this link: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b6yJYLygp9HRcWQ.htmlsi=BDFKc9JPPhsQFXg-&t=653 As it turns out using the CRC as directed in an actual engine gave worse results than soaking the valves for 48 hours. Links to the products in this video: CRC GDI Intake Valve and Turbo Cleaner: amzn.to/45WO9bM Lucas GDI Cleaner: amzn.to/3LxJlRY STP Intake Valve Cleaner: amzn.to/3Lxf45Q SeaFoam: amzn.to/45Znqvh Berrymans GDI Cleaner: amzn.to/3ZuofJT Liqui Moly Valve Cleaner: amzn.to/3PPLriT Chlorinated Brake Cleaner: amzn.to/3revVne Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaner: amzn.to/3Pwuubw My Amazon Store: www.amazon.com/shop/repairgeek Help support the channel, buy using my Amazon links As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases and your cost is exactly the same.

@jsplasha 4 ай бұрын

I soaked my valves in CRC gdi for 24 hours. Just made the sludge wetter. Didn't make it easier to remove. Brake cleaner is the way to go. I actually had good results with the non-chlorinated I used. Pretty much on par with chlorinated. But there's a bunch of different non-chlorinated formulas and I didn't use the one you did so who knows what the differences were.

@shermanbird3248 29 күн бұрын

Either way, your test isn't real world. Also, alcohol based cleaners in a running engine will burn off before they can do any good on carbon. As a professional technician, I've had better luck with soap based GDI cleaners which, interestingly, have citrus oils in them. One product that I use (GM) smells like sweet ammonia, is a white foamy consistency like scrubbing bubbles, but it REALLY works in a running engine. As far as carbon harming a catalytic converter, you're at much higher risk of a "chunk" of carbon getting wedged between a piston and cylinder head with catastrophic results (ask me how I know that one!) My most concise extrapolation is that there are turbulence factors in the running engine along with thermal shock dynamics that both lend a hand in assisting the different products. Ultimately, one can't beat water/steam to clean carbon, but the risk of hydrostatic damage is too high for the layperson. The other option is the media blast cleaning method!

@m8s4lif 7 ай бұрын

I'm neither for nor against any of these products, but I do believe that some things need to be pointed out. Soaking the valves will be more likely to take the carbon off in chunks, whereas using them as a mist will tend to work on the outside of the carbon. A huge factor is temperature. A solvent that may not work very good at room temperature may very well dissolve things at 200 degrees. Please remember that I am neither for nor against using any of these products. Sometimes it can be a real challenge to replicate what happens inside an engine. Good luck folks. My respect to Repair Geek for this experiment.

@RepairGeek 6 ай бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b6yJYLygp9HRcWQ.htmlsi=BDFKc9JPPhsQFXg-&t=653

@dreadrechsler8278 6 ай бұрын

I think a mist, or even vapor, is important to how the chemicals operate. PEA in particular, the main chemical in many products, is said to dissolve the carbon so that it's carried into the combustion chamber as fine particulates and not chunks. The CRC product's instructions seem to be built around this at least. It includes a one hour "heat soak" after the initial spray-in which would allow the vaporized product time to work on the carbon deposit in a high temperature, weakening so it can be "blown away" in the 10 minute hi-way drive after.

@Beer_Dad1975 4 ай бұрын

I certainly wouldn't use one on a turbocharged engine for the reason stated in the video - don't like the idea of this gunk hitting the blades of the turbo - but I think they are pretty safe on N/A engines - carbon should burn off pretty quickly at normal cat temperatures.

@ericbruck7958 3 ай бұрын

CATCH CAN PEOPLE

@cander58 8 ай бұрын

I have a few comments here. 1. More cleaner doesn't automatically mean it'll clean more. There could also be some merit in the fact these mist, and mix with gasoline/oxygen as opposed to soaking. 2. Chlorinated brake cleaner might work well but I'd be concerned about it building on cylinder walls and washing away some oil. 3. I think of these as more of a preventative. Use it periodically to prevent large carbon build up. Small bits of carbon won't cause any damage in the combustion chamber and should be small enough to pass through the cat convertor. Particles breaking off large enough to cause a problem means there was already a problem with engine performance. Too little too late

@steveschilling5966 7 ай бұрын

i agree if you wait till you have that much carbon you need a mechanical cleaning if you do it as a preventive it will keep it cleaner longer.

@RepairGeek 6 ай бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b6yJYLygp9HRcWQ.htmlsi=BDFKc9JPPhsQFXg-&t=653

@earlscheib7754 6 ай бұрын

How is it mixing with gasoline in a GDI engine?

@cander58 6 ай бұрын

Good point, there's some back flow into the intake but not much and generally happens at certain RPMs that aren't necessarily the RPM being ran when the cleaner is injected.

@WilliamKerby 5 ай бұрын

Finally someone with some logic. Everyone seems to think it's gonna be a miracle fix. It is called preventative maintenance folks. If you have ten of thousands of miles it's not gonna just get rid of the build up. Much like changing your oil as you should prevents sludge from building up. Been using CRC GDI kit for literally years. Had 160k on my VT2 when I sold it. The new owner was worried about it so we pulled a plug, put my boriscope down and turned the crank to show him barely any build up. Just did this today for my Forte GT talking to a coworker about doing this to his car. Wouldn't you know this popped up in my YT feed as recommend

@robertmarsala5438 6 ай бұрын

The key to cleaning GDI intake valves is to NOT let the buildup get so bad. I did valve cleanings before every oil change on my 2014 Tiguan and at 150k miles, my valves were like new.

@peacefrog0521 6 ай бұрын

…using…?

@robertmarsala5438 6 ай бұрын

@@peacefrog0521 I use Gumout carbon cleaner but I have also used the CRC cleaner featured in the video. I have a small needle valve hooked to a tube that allows me to use manifold vacuum to get a fine spray into the intake. Good luck!

@rokuplayz464 5 ай бұрын

Came to comment this, there’s a reason they recommend to do it between every 30k to 60k miles

@dimmacommunication 5 ай бұрын

@@robertmarsala5438 how do you do it ? could you link a video about it?

@keithbellair9508 5 ай бұрын

Exactly.. every oil change sounds over done, but hey use 1/3 a can every oil change… sounds like a good idea.

@davidlecount2971 6 ай бұрын

I like this video. The only thing that isn't considered is how the product reacts with the combustion pressures and airflow. Just sitting in a solution won't tell the whole story. Imagine throwing dirty clothes in a washer without an agitation cycle. Back in the day we used to slowly add water to a vacuum line at a high idle and the steam did the work. We also used a slow introduction of ATF which did a great job as well. Catalytic converters changed much of those procedures. I personally, after spending many years as a technician am quite skeptical of using any of these products with either a turbocharged engine or the catalytic converter connected. I will go one step further and say that GDI engines are a step backward as far as long term reliability and efficiency (especially if your commute is a short one where your cars engine is not allowed to spend much time at operating temperature). Having your engine repeatedly partially disassembled for a walnut shell blasting every xxx miles is just ridiculous. I will keep my old school port injected engine until they figure this out.

@isawthesaladdressingandili207 6 ай бұрын

Yes very true. Another part of the story that this test was not able to capture is how the valves are oscillating on springs as they are being used in the engine during operation. I wonder how much the valve oscillation contributes to the carbon falling off. Kinda like dissolving the buildup and then vibrating the valve. I bet the vibration would encourage carbon release.

@kuriusly23 5 ай бұрын

@@isawthesaladdressingandili207perhaps using the cleaners for 10 minutes in an ultrasonic bath?

@ericbruck7958 3 ай бұрын

Install a catch can problem solved

@channell11 6 ай бұрын

If you've got buildup that severe, you need to do walnut blasting or something similar. I think the whole idea behind these cleaners is using them regularly to prevent buildup in the first place.

@MyLifeThai371 8 ай бұрын

I have an Associate's Degree in Diesel Technology. When our professor had us rebuild a gas engine in intro to engines class he had us soak the valves and rocker arm assemblies in a 5 gal. bucket of carb cleaner over night. They were so caked with grime and carbon, but the next morning everything looked like new! Carb cleaner is aggressive as shit, but that's what I spray in my PCV valve hose to clean my valves.

@henrycruz45cal 8 ай бұрын

He has an Associates degree, well that says it all, lol

@RepairGeek 8 ай бұрын

So do I... Your point?

@snail415 6 ай бұрын

So basically, he’s smarter than all of us who wasted a lot more money on MBAs. I’ll defend his unbiased observation.

@victorboucher675 6 ай бұрын

@@henrycruz45cal 45cal? Your 45 and live in cali?

@Crunchifyable2 6 ай бұрын

@@victorboucher675 obviously the caliber of Colt

@leestewart8923 6 ай бұрын

I've used CRC GDI valve cleaner on our 2017 Hyundai Sante Fe GDI 2.0 turbo every 5000 miles prior to the oil change. I tried 1 can of Lucas and Seafoam but like the CRC best.

@davidwright1653 5 ай бұрын

I agree with your #1 pick of the CRC Cleaner. Bought my 2018 Kia Sportage with the 2.4L GDI engine with 29K miles. KZfaqr "Watch JR Go" did a video of this product to a Kia engine and sprayed it into a vacuum Hose line from the Brake Master cylinder which the directions recommended. My girlfriend assisted me revving the engine around 2-2500 rpm while I did short burst sprays into the vacuum hose line. Let it heat soak for an hour, stated the engine then got on the interstate to drive 45 minutes. Blew out a lot of white exhaust those first few miles, got some concerned looks too from other drivers. I highly recommend CRC cleaner for this type of treatment.

@gunningopher 5 ай бұрын

Your suggestion at the end is spot on. I don't think these products are intended to be used when buildup gets bad. They are intended to be used as a regular maintenance product. When buildup gets as bad as shown, it should be removed a different way. I would have liked to have seen carb cleaner included in the evaluation.

@rogermason5833 5 ай бұрын

I have used the CRC product reviewed here in my 50k mi 2017 3.5L twin turbo Ford Explorer. I can't say it made any immediate difference to the way the engine ran, but I wasn't really expecting that. I do want to warn anyone doing this cleaning process on a running engine to hold onto the plastic straw while you are spraying this into the intake. I was spraying thru a small port on the side of the manifold and had the straw get pulled out of the can spray port and nearly sucked into the manifold. Luckily I stopped it before it went completely inside. That would've been BIG trouble.

@randellgribben9772 4 ай бұрын

be careful about any carbon chunks making its way to the trubo.. it could damage the turbo

@meanodustino9563 6 ай бұрын

CRC it WORKS. Love it. Its not as expensive as some and it soaks for an hour. Car is night and day difference on throttle response and smooth acceleration.

@joevalenzuela9443 6 ай бұрын

I've used brake cleaner for years for cleaning a disassembled throttle body. Brake cleaners are designed to use with a little scrubbing and will clean any carbon stain in your throttle body that some might even think the stain was printed from the factory like I did because for years it wouldn't come off. Thank you for testing these products. Some of them are really pricey and you pointed out the deserving winner the CRC.

@jessejames96 4 күн бұрын

Some throttle body parts are Teflon coated and brake cleaner could destroy the coatings

@frankbiz 6 ай бұрын

Great video that proves all those products do not work. Mechanically clean them is the only way. Thanks for your hard work. 👍🏻

@anvilsvs 4 ай бұрын

I use several CRC products which work very well (Freeze Off in particular can be magic in some situations). But from what I've seen only mechanical cleaning actually works on valves. I love seeing actually product comparisons such as this.

@FixingWithFriends 6 ай бұрын

I just used tb/carb cleaner. Though I also pulled it apart and cleaned it manually. But if these do work, and you just have to spray some in a few times a year from the 'get go' to prevent any substantial carbon build up. It's a lot easier than pulling it apart. The one thing I would argue is that... If the option is clean and maybe cause problems or don't clean and definitely cause total engine failure, people should clean their valves. But I agree, it is not the solution I would recommend (taking it somewhere to be cleaned, or trying to prevent it all together). One other thing people might want to keep in mind is the percussion of the valves was not simulated. So that may help clean them with the spray?? But as you point out, soaking it is vastly more concentrated than spraying.

@jackpittens796 2 ай бұрын

I used the CRD product in the past and found it made a difference to the engine performance but never did I take the engine apart so I could inspect the valves. I was having issues with the engine starting to knock and go into a safe mode. Using this helped, but the results were not long lasting. In hindsight it would likely be best to take a preventative maintenance approach and do this regularly from new to avoid the buildup.

@ureviews 8 ай бұрын

Best is to not let the carbon build up so much. Great video!

@hakz1nunke 6 ай бұрын

I had an '18 f150 with the 5.0 in the shop a year ago. It had oil leaking passed the valve seals and we found tons of carbon on 2 or 3 of the cylinders. Just like you had suggested, some of that carbon had naturally fallen off of one of the valves and when we went to replace the heads, one cylinder had bad scoring from that carbon bouncing around the combustion chamber.

@lastknownjedi5119 6 ай бұрын

Yeah no way in hell piece of carbon caused that 😂

@hakz1nunke 6 ай бұрын

@@lastknownjedi5119large pieces of carbon can absolutely cause damage to cylinder walls

@harisyoung4110 6 ай бұрын

i had this same issue and have a cylinder scoring but its not from the carbon buildup, mine is from the sparkplug ceramic that breaking and fallen on top of the piston.. the oil leak into the combustion make that sparkplug breaks even its a new sparkplugs, only use it less than a year before that happened on a cylinder that leak oil.

@themessygarage 8 ай бұрын

It's a funky test, but interesting results. I have always had the "where does it go?" concern too...

@Chalkida24 3 ай бұрын

Thank you sir for your time!

@douglash3129 5 ай бұрын

I have been running Techron thru the throttle at every oil change since new in 2020 I think I'll be good! At 50k I'm going to look with a bore scope! I'll let you know! Nice piece Thanks!👍👍👍

@patricktrue6070 6 ай бұрын

Kia/hyundai have a carbon cleaning solution that I have not been able to find over the counter, but it’s very caustic and utilizes “balance tubing” that is basically a hose running between opposite cylinders to help agitate the carbon better than simply soaking or running the engine. Worth looking into, I’d love to see the legitimacy of the cleaner, or if it’s the method of ‘swishing fluid’ between two cylinders that provides results.

@jasoncharles6980 8 ай бұрын

Nice work sir. You went the extra mile ordering that block off eBay - sometimes your stuff is very similar to Project Farm with the time and effort you put into it. Especially the undercoating stuff. Sprayed my F150 with SS/graphite powder based on your content - thank you for all your help. I hope things are going well at Blaster - please ask them to make a black product 👍

@josephdavis4201 7 ай бұрын

Great review. Thanks.

@randelclemons5798 3 ай бұрын

Thank you. It's a great video! 👍🏽👍🏽

@DavidStrchld 6 ай бұрын

You did a much better test than I will ever do, so thank you. But I do feel part of your tent is lacking to the point that the results you got indicate more how the valves would respond if your car was submerged in a lake of the stuff when it was parked. It would have been better if you struck the valves a bit with a hammer a bit to simulate the valves actions of closing. Or scrapped the carbon off the valves to see how loose it was after the soaking. But I feel the largest part is was lacking is the ability for cavitation to blow off carbon. When used in a running engine the liquid can turn into a gas, and that process cn be explosive and may happen when the liquid droplets hit the hot valve. Such things would be hard to test but not impossible, and I feel would give the best results. But as it stands submerging the car in valve cleaner seems to not do all that much.

@RepairGeek 6 ай бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b6yJYLygp9HRcWQ.htmlsi=BDFKc9JPPhsQFXg-&t=653

@MarzNet256 6 ай бұрын

I hear that TB cleaner also works well to break up carbon. Also, I was gonna clean a thin layer of buildup out of my intake manifold, but decided not to because of bits and pieces of potentially missed/loosened areas getting into engine.

@thezofamilychannel7204 3 ай бұрын

Interesting 🤔 video. We currently bought a 2020 Santa Fe. We drive it a lot. Looks like I will be spending time once a week to clean with CRC.

@ryan-uz1rw 8 ай бұрын

You didn’t use these products as designed, but I agree with your disclaimer part of the video and that CRC video you showed. I don’t think these products do much of anything if your valves are already full of carbon and could cause more problems. Maybe they will help if you use them on a regular basis every 15k miles or so, I don’t know. I think they’re a waste of money. Mechanical cleaning is the best way.

@Matys1975 8 ай бұрын

CRC says to do the cleaning every 10k miles. Perhaps if you actually did that, your valves would never get that bad when you hit say 100k miles.

@cumshot247 6 ай бұрын

@@Matys1975 I read a comment yesterday... "My car has 400,000 miles, I used CRC and it did nothing"! I imagine this person has no sense...🤦‍♂

@DogDude4all 8 ай бұрын

I know it seems like you are showing best case scenario, but don’t you think results might be different with the product vaporized at high temp hitting a valve moving up and down with high impact speeds? Your results don’t seem to match with others who have used such products and pulled intakes before and after. It seems like the only way to actually test would be to follow manufacturer directions with similar engines pulling intakes before and after. In other words 100x more work. Still for those of us without a walnut blasting setup, it seems clear that the crc would be best to use with brushes and a shop vac for a mechanical cleaning.

@RepairGeek 8 ай бұрын

Honestly, I think your results will be worse in an actual engine. Most of these products are being sprayed past the MAF. So you're sending the cleaner through the cold side of the turbo, through the piping, through the intercooler, through more piping, and into a throttle plate that is mostly closed. I find I hard to believe that spraying the cleaner for 3-8 minutes through 3 ft of snaking intake pipe is going to have a better cleaning outcome than literally soaking the valve in the cleaner for 48 hours.

@gefreiterkurzmaul 6 ай бұрын

⁠⁠@@RepairGeekIf you spray crc before turbo, the following will occur. It will pool up at the cold side compressor and then completely soak the turbo actuator solenoid dripping and spitting the liquid crc, then through all the pipings and into the intercooler will be pooled with crc liquid. After the intercooler, some finally get to see the throttle body but the rest goes through the bypass hose then liquidises and flows back down to the air filter, now ending up soaking the air filter media. The lucky final surviving remnants of crc mist that managed to find the throttle body will hit the mostly closed throttle plate. Well at least it will have two side effects of cleaning throttle plate I guess, as well as cleaning map sensor.

@theturtle2121 6 ай бұрын

The STP worked great for me in a 2016 jeep renegade 1.4L turbo…Instant results

@ask43242flight 7 ай бұрын

Hello, Can I use the Woolwax "Pro" Undercoating Gun with 6 gallon compressor? I know the volume of the compressor is not large enough but I can wait after a few spray. Thank you!

@korndawggy1801 8 ай бұрын

I've used Gumout Multi system cleaner as a valve cleaner. Its not really dedicated for that use though. Ive seen other videos how it breaks down carbon pretty good on valves though.

@hydrocarbon8272 5 ай бұрын

An important component in natural port-fuel cleaning is the fluid boils on the valve (usually when duty cycle is >30% since it sprays on a closed valve). Heat greatly amplifies the cleaning power of virtually all cleaners & solvents, it also makes the deposits gooey vs hard. The valve face is going to be at least as hot as the coolant, but generally higher since the valve seat is designed to suck heat from it, and valve heat is a decent chunk of cylinder head heat. That said I think your test still shows this stuff is close to snake oil, since the buildup is so thick and difficult to remove. There's really no way to reliably clean them w/o blasting or old fashioned port fueling.

@gabrielwalker1318 2 ай бұрын

Great information 👍 thanks

@3RAN7ON 2 күн бұрын

STP makes you pay the 'no friends' tax

@alecxixfernandez5212 Ай бұрын

Thanks for the video

@THEDRAGONBOOSTER8 7 ай бұрын

Hi I would just like to ask ,did any of the cleaners soften any of the carbon build up ?

@marcusant6895 5 ай бұрын

Great video. I'm a fan of STP and CRC. I've never paid more than $35 for STP though. I think any of these are better than paying a shop $100+ to do the same thing and call it a "fuel injection service".

@NRP1991 8 ай бұрын

Wow great video !!!

@free2chasehappy 7 ай бұрын

This is pretty cool! Could you please do a video test on engine flush next?

@fochdischitt3561 8 ай бұрын

The way I always injected GM Top Engine Cleaner is to pour it into a 1 gallon jug and top it up with water. Then with a warm engine, find a vacuum port and suck it in with the engine running at 2000 rpm, after which I'd go around the block and then do an oil change.

@timw594 Күн бұрын

Great test and thank you... But i noticed many of these products have a more complicated application process where the car is running lower rpm with mild revs... Followed by a leisurely 15 min drive... Obviously to get stuff to the oil filter... If you do this procedure early enough and keep up w maintenance the intakes should never have large amounts of carbon to begin with. Combine that with an application process that involves continuous agitation and heat and designed air exposure might mean it's a complicated test to run. I do know that Ford uses this application process as well for new GDI maintenance at 20k intervals although a different product... But nice to know I've been using CRC and not getting ripped off too much.

@jeffrielley920 4 ай бұрын

I had to have a catalytic converter replaced in the early 80's. The mechanic said "Catalytic converters don't die. They have to be killed." Not sure, but I think it was caused by a loose exhaust manifold that I had fixed just before this happened. Fast forward to 2021. I had used CRC on my turbo/GDI engine several times and my cat died. It is probably better to take your car to a mechanic and have the valves cleaned professionally with ground walnut shells.

@spiridondimaris465 8 ай бұрын

good job geek on the products are they still around ?

@BMan100 5 ай бұрын

Glad my 6.4 Hemi is still port injection..and a picked up 2 3.78L cans of Sea foam today, so every 5,000 kms in the gas tank she goes as regular maint. lol. Reminds me that I still need to do a throttle body cleaning...

@shoes121255 8 ай бұрын

Id be interested to see how choke & throttle body cleaner compares. I know the Berryman b12 choke & throttle body cleaner melts carbon right off of stuff i use it on.

@hell5457 6 ай бұрын

The gumout choke cleaner is also just as good. Lucas too. But many of them are very strong regardless.

@LilKing420s 5 ай бұрын

I'd like to know if the deposits changed in physical characteristics after treatment. Did the carbon become softer or gooey etc? I would think if the deposits were affected physically by the cleaners, and they were installed in a engine and thus exposed to the air velocities in the combustion chamber, deposits very well could have been blown off of the valves... no?

@mccanada269 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for this I was going to try the STP, thought the price difference meant superior cleaning. I will stick with CRC, could care less about auto dispersion

@paulleblanc3301 Ай бұрын

So you the crc does it clean the injectors also or do you need to get the gdi service kit

@ogmauser98 5 ай бұрын

When i did my valves at 76k i used carb cleaner and a tooth brush. It dissolved the carbon pretty quickly into a liquid that eventually drained into the combustion chambers. Probably took about 10 minutes per cylinder. Ran the car for another 100k without issue before trading it in. However, ymmv. *2016 GTI

@spankyham9607 5 ай бұрын

I am surprised you didn't give the world famous and move loved cleaner, BG44K or one of their other carbon cleaners. Very good test! CRC makes great products, but I will say I am shocked how well brake cleaner worked.

@The3chordwonder 6 ай бұрын

I think they all work great at cleaning your bank account. It would be interesting to see how BG's does since they seem to be the preferred snake oil of most service advisors. That being said, I wouldn't bother with anything other than a walnut shell blast. Of course, if more OEMS put out dual injector setups, then this wouldn't be so bad of a problem.

@WraithDeath 6 ай бұрын

Up the CRC product. Use this product every oil change on my Mazdaspeed 3

@henrycruz45cal 8 ай бұрын

I would suggest it isn't the best case senerio. When used, real time, the valves are moving at a high rate. I would compare that to soaking your cloths in detergent or running it in a washing machine with the same detergent. But thanks for your time. I appreciate your show, especially what you gave us for undercoating our cars. Because of that series, i bought a pro spray gun, PFC for in the cavities and Woolwax for the under sides. I bought WW already poured into 4 WW bottles ;) Oh, and i bought a quickjack lift, so it would be easier (and for other car tasks) lol My wife doesnt like you!

@RepairGeek 8 ай бұрын

In a washing machine you have abrasive action when clothes rub on one another. There is no abrasive action using a GDI cleaner. Vibration, sure. But, CRC is a stronger solvent than Berrymans. Motion of the valve, or any abrasive action doesn't affect the strength of the solvent. You are not the only person to bring this up. I'm going to be doing more testing with soaking vs spraying in the next few days.

@troyhenry3267 2 ай бұрын

Sonce one can will be disperse d between all the valves, would it help to spray in 2-3 cans of the CRC for a car thats never had this done before?

@patb5923 13 күн бұрын

I’ve used crc on my 2.7 f150 eco did an oil change after, idk but truck runs excellent now. No issues what so ever

@underourrock 6 ай бұрын

Intake valve walnut blasting on a MINI is likely $1000 give or take. The intake valves are on the back side. A replacement Cat is $900. If the cleaner shortens the Cat life, it's still cheaper than paying someone to do the walnut blasting. You can do the walnut blasting yourself, but you can also replace the cat yourself even easier. So why go through all the work / mess of walnut shell blasting other than to get it a little cleaner? A straight pipe / no-cat could be bolted on just for cleaning purposes if you wanted for about $300, or just leave it on. On the mini, removing the cat is super easy. Removing the intake valve header... Not easy. Soaking doesn't give any vibration. You could have used an ultrasonic cleaner to simulate running the engine for 10 - 15 minutes. Thank you for taking a stab at this and sharing your results. It is helpful. It's easy to see what might be further testing after the fact, but what you came up with was an excellent start

@bugnautica-lo9ng 5 ай бұрын

The chlorinated break cleaner did clean well but I’d avoid it because it can blow up O2 sensors while the CRC cleaner specifically states that it’s o2 sensor safe. And even though the CRC performed the best a mechanical carbon cleaner will remove 100% and the CRC didn’t get very close to that. Great video though!

@greenstuff6702 Ай бұрын

I've used both the CRC and Seafood products in my '15 GMC 6.2. I prefer the way the Seafoam delivery straw works compared to the CRC. I followed the directions for the CRC and I found a bunch of the fluid in my air filter box. Seafoam with a straw that bends around and goes just ahead of the throttle body works really well where as the CRC straw goes through the MAF, I guess it didn't get sucked in as well? I also think the key is to use these products regularly, I've done it 5-6 times over 90k miles. There are also newer oils that claim they won't cause the carbon build up who knows?

@PaulG.x Ай бұрын

Mmmmm seafood 🐠🐟

@c4rn199 5 ай бұрын

It's funny I stumbled upon this video. I have a 2012 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T with 251k miles on the original engine (the theta II that is the poster child of carbon buildup). I do crc ivc every 14k miles (every other oil change) and use the hose that connects to the pcv valve as an induction point. I figure it's the best place since all the junk from the ccv system follows the same path. I do have a 3 port catch can setup with a pcv valve delete that vents both sides of the valve cover to atmosphere. I haven't taken the intake manifold off yet but I'm sure if I do the carbon deposits on the valves will be minimal. I'd like to see this test conducted again with crc ivc under heat, maybe 180F or somewhere below boiling. The heat should drastically change your test results.

@Boodieman72 5 ай бұрын

I use the BG Platinum Air Intake, Valve & Combustion Chamber Cleaner with the Mityvac tool and it worked the best on my Audi A4 2.0t

@geminate 5 ай бұрын

I’ve used CRC every 10k miles for about 60k miles on our Ecoboost and have not had any problems. I think that’s the key. Use it regularly so the build up isn’t a lot.

@JuancoPRoFlow 4 ай бұрын

Where do yiu spray it ?

@briantii 6 ай бұрын

Great video! Not an N52 though… maybe N54 or N55. The N52 is port injection.

@ifell3 8 ай бұрын

Do you think they mean a big chunk rather than a diluted/melted part?

@CedroCron 4 ай бұрын

Catch Can filled with steel-wool type material, then after a catch can pipe the line through a cellulose based oil filter to dry up any remaining vapour then pipe it back into the engine. 300K KM on my Hyundai Veloster 1st generation and 0, and I mean 0 build-up on the valves doing it this way. Catch can catches 99% and then piping it through a cellulose spin-on filter dries up the remaining. It's incredible how well this works.

@rockk973 6 ай бұрын

Hi can you use one of these products with honda 1.5 turbo engine ? If so what would be best. Thanks

@dham99 Ай бұрын

Luckily in my case, there is no catalytic converter 😅 However, the only reason i use these products (actually used the CRC stuff) is because I hand cleaned all of my valves recently. I use a vaccum and compressor to clean out the runners and valves afterwards, so nothing gets back into the chamber. Even just gasoline (at say $3/gal) is much cheaper can can work as a cleaning agent with a few brushes as well. They even make drill attachments to get a nice quick, powerful scrub down in there using power tools. Whats funny is the EPA wants manufacturers to reduce emissions, which is the reason behind a GDI engine in the first place, but are okay with products that essentially shove the carbon out the exhaust anyways. Its a shell game... just like EV and "Green energy". Energy is neither created, nor destroyed. It is simply moved around.

@fishflash1 6 ай бұрын

Using this type product BEFORE mileage creates heavy buildup is likely the safest way to avoid "chunks" of carbon. Most owners wait until later rather than sooner for many maintenance items. Not just valve cleaning. Brake fluid, coolant, trans all benefit the life of the vehicle with early and regular servicing.

@mayela835 Ай бұрын

This was very interesting, but contrary to my experience. I just used seafoam, upper engine and lube, and then I went into my motor with a borescope. The cylinders were completely clean and my valves. We’re also much cleaner than any of these. the backs of the valves were really clean, but the shaft and the intake area around them was still disgustingly dirty.

@vinnyivanov2906 4 ай бұрын

As a professional technician in the repair industry i can tell you that this is preventative maintenance, not a repair. Proper way is walnut blasting, but it is very labor intensive. New vehicles have come out with both port and direct injection for this reason. Also when you are cleaning it, the engine has to be running for it to have the mist effect, air flow and movement/vibration. The goal is to soften it into goop and as you drive the vehicle it will slowly be pulled in by airflow and burned off.

@billtaylor3499 5 ай бұрын

I'd have preferred the tests be of spray, not soak. Many solvents have distinctly different action as aerosols, due to the far greater speed of molecules from Brownian Motion as gasses as opposed to liquids. Your point about uncertainty of valve head temps is appropriate. If hot enough, old school water drip cleaning works, possibly better? Maybe an Italian Tuneup to heat everything to max hard service temps, then spray ASAP? This would be assisted by one of the inserts in a vacuum line. I'd also pick my vacuum line with the consideration to enter intake flow optimally for even distribution to all cylinders, sometimes a real challenge. A port in the intake system before the manifold may be superior? We know water drip steam cleans cylinders and piston head to bright metal, from how leaking coolant witnesses which cylinder has the damaged head gasket seal, and how a proper water drip cleans all the cylinder/pistons, again, to pretty darn clean, sometimes bright metal. The comment on testing the carbon build up for tenacity/strength after both hot soak, and long cool soak has merit, due to the considerable physical impact forces on valves closing at higher RPMs, which some drivers explore regularly. Just normal automatic trans driving RPM forces on valves still likely has real effect if the GDI carbon buildup is at all loosened. The comment on needing a second driver to rev the engine confused me, don't most mechanics know the throttle linkage is accessible Somewhere in the engine compartment to manipulate by hand? Or am I not experienced enough with modern cars?

@MarcBchannel 3 ай бұрын

Im for using these products for regular preventative maintenance not as a fix for high mileage neglected engines. Good for keeping combustion chambers and injectors clean

@yinzer_412_ 8 ай бұрын

I recommend a catch can for GDI vehicles to help keep oil out of the intake tract. I’ve used Mopar combustion chamber cleaner with decent results. $13 a can at the dealer.

@stevehirjak7824 7 ай бұрын

I’ve heard that these can add pressure inside the crank case and blow seals over time. Have you used one for a long time?

@RepairGeek 7 ай бұрын

Exactly, the people that tell you how great catch cans are, are usually the ones selling catch cans... I've seen more than a few freeze solid in the winter, plug the PCV system, the crankcase pressurizes, and blows the rear main seal.

@notacreativehandle 6 ай бұрын

@@RepairGeek How in the world does a catch can plug the PVC when there is no restriction? This would only happen if you don’t empty the can.

@notacreativehandle 6 ай бұрын

@@stevehirjak7824 How would a catch can increase crank case pressure?

@RepairGeek 6 ай бұрын

@@notacreativehandlerun an analysis on the "oil" in the catch can and you'll find its mostly condensation. So what happens is if you live in a cold climate the liquid in the can freezes, giving the pressure in the crank case nowhere to go. This happens because the filter media of the can is full of condensation that is frozen. So the filter is plugged...The pressure blows out the weakest seal. Usually the rear main requiring the transmission to be removed to replace. This doesn't even touch on the overall increase in crankcase pressure because you're running the PVC through a poorly designed filter. Increasing crankcase pressure decreases piston ring seal affecting HP. The higher pressures are also hard on turbo seals, shortening their life expectancy. Like I said above, the guy that tells you how great catch cans are, is selling catch cans...

@Personalized_Workshop 7 күн бұрын

Does an oil catch prevent this build up? As far as cleaning my GDI intake valves I’m going to opt for the manual cleaning method. Preventing anything from going through any systems. Good video to do. Thanks.

@RepairGeek 7 күн бұрын

It will slow it down. It won't prevent it completely.

@JT-lq4yd 6 ай бұрын

I was having misfires on my car's GDI engine where only premium fuel helped. I tried one can of the CRC and it solved the engine misfires.

@hell5457 6 ай бұрын

Exactly, I do the same thing now, but Shell's regular gas is enough once you're certain the carbon is cleared out of your pistons, it's a cheaper solution & preventative. And I've been buying and using all sorts of cleaning fuel & oil additives too almost ever gas fill up. It took a couple years to finally get rid of it and the carbon smell since I didn't want to get a walnut blasting job nor spraying stuff inside my intakes. My car drives close to new.

@TBPony 6 ай бұрын

Things you put in your gas tank have absolutely nothing to do with cleaning your intake valves on a GDI car

@hell5457 6 ай бұрын

@@TBPony it worked for me, been using premium gas w/ fuel additive cleaners for a while, did the job.

@JT-lq4yd 6 ай бұрын

@@TBPony Perhaps the additives clean just inside the cylinder. My car was having misfires during a cold start in winter so I let the fuel level get lower than ¼ and filled it up with premium (93 in my area) and no more misfires, then switched back to regular in spring. When it got cold again, more misfires. That is when I used a can of CRC intake valve cleaner and I was able to run on regular gas even during winter. I only use gas from one of the following; Costco, Shell, BP or Mobil. So for me, the valve cleaner solved the problem. Something I believe that also helps is good oil, my car recommends a synthetic blend however, I switched to full synthetic and the engine runs smoother and unlike with the synthetic blend, the oil fill cap is Dry. So for me, it did work and last winter season I used another can of valve cleaner, since CRC was not available, Seafom valve cleaner is what I used as a preventative measure.

@TBPony 6 ай бұрын

i suppose marginally it did in the cylinder area, but physically its actually impossible to clean the intake valves where the actual buildup is on a GDI car without cleaning them through the intake or removing the manifold and cleaning the back of the valves, thats just life and fact.

@alexmoi2735 5 ай бұрын

what about spray: white spirit, kerosine, diesel, or just gasoline? would it work better?

@onecookieboy 6 ай бұрын

The BMW N52 engine is not a gdi engine, it has port injection. Should have got an N53/54 engine, or better still, an Audi cylinder head. The safest way to use these is to remove the intake manifold and turn the engine until the valves are closed on the cylinder you are going to work on, then soak the valve head(s) and stems, scrape and agitate the mixture in the port to help removal then suck or mop out as much fluid as you can, before moving onto the next one.

@rangerup1804 6 ай бұрын

I use the CRC cleaner on my GDI Hyundai engine. It works great. The carbon flakes off into the cylinder where it gets pulverized into very small particles and blows out the exhaust. I do it every 15K miles and the engine runs so much better afterwards.

@reaxions 4 ай бұрын

Let me cut to the chase and save everyone time and potentially money: For prevention, 1) Use a catch can and/or 2) add methanol injection. For cleaning, use media blasting. For details: CRC is the best of these and might help marginally when sprayed regularly before oil changes, but even it's not going to do much at all. My story: For years, I almost always used sprays from SeaFoam, CRC, Berryman, etc. before oil changes (not at the same time) on one of my GDI cars (I have 3) for about 50K miles. Not that it matters, but it's a Supercharged 5.0 Liter aluminum block V8. And, I always use premium 93 octane fuel from Chevron, BP, etc. (even though it's a moot point, here, because the detergents obviously don't wash over the intake valves). But when I went to do some preventative maintenance work on the engine about a year ago (timing chain guides, spark plugs, supercharger cleaning & porting, etc.), the intake valves still had a ton of carbon buildup on them. I closed the intake valves and let them soak overnight in various products (same as referenced above, and also brake cleaner), and even though CRC and brake cleaner did the best, the valves still required manual cleaning. I started using a pick, but it was a total pain, not very thorough, and I was constantly worried about damaging something. Even after the soaking, the carbon was still very hard to get off. Ultimately, I bought a walnut shell blasting kit to get them perfectly clean (Harbor Freight kit together with my old Porter Cable 150 PSI pancake compressor - you don't need a super powerful compressor, even though they'll say you do). Anyway, the valves looked like brand new after I got finished, and it was quick, easy, and relatively cheap (depending on whether you already own a compressor or not). After the manual cleaning, I added both a catch can and methanol injection, so I doubt I'll ever see carbon buildup again, but the point of my story is that you're probably (highly likely) wasting time/money with any of these spray products. Either totally prevent it in the first place or get your intake valves media blasted to thoroughly clean them correctly (either DIY or professionally). The end.

@Velodynamic 3 ай бұрын

Question is, if you have an old dirty GDI engine, what will happen with the oil consumption after all the internal cleaning is done?

@randelrobbins1408 28 күн бұрын

I like the test, but I would have liked to see if there were differences with agitation. When the engine is running the valves are moving up and down quite violently and quickly. I suspect that this has an impact on how the carbon gets removed. Thank you so much for sharing this test.

@RepairGeek 26 күн бұрын

I used CRC in a running motor here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b6yJYLygp9HRcWQ.htmlsi=BDFKc9JPPhsQFXg-&t=653 The results were worse than soaking in a beaker.

@victorboucher675 6 ай бұрын

Oil catch can downstream of the PCV?

@daveshepherd8460 2 ай бұрын

To avoid running these products thru the turbo routing to the throttle body, I drilled a small hole in the ducting entering the throttle body, sprayed the product into that hole. Then sealed the hole with a small screw and rtv, of course let it set.

@atomicdmt8763 Күн бұрын

i believe there is is difference when HOT and motion. right? CRC had a definite effect for me. warmed up engine. hot soaked for 1-2 hrs and then driving.

@geeder9086 3 ай бұрын

I would shy away from chlorinated brake cleaner inside an engine. When I used to work at a repair shop, the oil recycler began carrying a test kit that he would use to check every load of used oil before accepting it. Any load that was contaminated with chlorinated brake cleaner would be rejected because it would render the oil non-recyclable. I assume that this could cause severe engine wear from oil lubricity breakdown from whatever leaks past the valves & past the rings.

@Roger-yu6cx 3 ай бұрын

I would have liked to have seen carb. Cleaner included in test

@osvacaniz7571 7 ай бұрын

I would say that in order to liqui moly to work, the engine must be up to operation temp

@skilledshots7200 2 ай бұрын

Well, a few people are right it's not realistic because a lot of these cleaners recommend that you get your car up to warm running temperature and then some of these are sprayed in through the throttle body while the vehicle is running while keeping the RPM between 2500 and 3,000 and then shut the vehicle down for 30 minutes to 1 hour soak and then you're supposed to take the car for a drive and get it back up to operating temperature. Soaking Cold Steel valves in room temperature cleaner really isn't going to do much of anything unless it's got a high concentration of dissolvent in it

@RepairGeek 2 ай бұрын

If my test isn't realistic explain this: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b6yJYLygp9HRcWQ.htmlsi=BDFKc9JPPhsQFXg-&t=653

@jamesjohnson3910 5 ай бұрын

How often should one drop some cat cleaner in your gas tank when you use ONLY and religiously premium fuels?

@MrPelletty 7 ай бұрын

Engineers just need to make engine components easier to disassemble so we can clean them properly and not blindly.

@jonathanwyble4227 7 ай бұрын

Engineers need to design hybrid port-GDI engines and cease with all the straight GDI designs.

@noselesswizardness4771 8 ай бұрын

Hey I know you have timing chain and intake manifold gasket videos on the 4.6 mustang . Love the way you teach and the rear main seal video saved my oil leak, however when I got it back together after that one, I’m pretty sure I blew my head gasket the first rev. Litterally 1 pop and now slow coolant leak that speeds up when it’s running, my dumb ass bought the parts to replace both and the chains, now I can’t find a video to or even a step by step forum to get the job done. I cannot afford the shop and I’ve sunk too much into the horse I paid 100$ for originally now I’m about 6k deep parts tools and that doesn’t consider time. Is there any resource you can give me or steps to deal with I’d rather not go ask the neighbors with the drag race chevy they seem too busy for me to be asking questions for free. This is a long shot asking here but not much else choice every other video I’ve seen is kinda junk and just dudes standing over an engine bay with the intake manifold off talking about what the wanna build not how to fix the head gasket they need to inspect 2001 mustang gt with some assumably junkyard 2v 4.6 that I’m not even sure if it’s new enough to pi the fly wheel said 96 but there were so many junkyard paint marker dots everywhere when I dropped the trans. Let me know if you can help or send me to some help 😂

@RepairGeek 8 ай бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oJ51rdKWzJa1YqM.htmlsi=4ldpEzK0gogA77zE

@cliffelmore5834 8 ай бұрын

Would be nice to have some kind of fluid movement over the valve. Having the value sit in liquid only shows part of the products cleaning ability.

@RepairGeek 8 ай бұрын

Mechanical action creates another variable.

@cliffelmore5834 8 ай бұрын

Really, at the end of the day. A mechanical carbon removal is the most effective and safe way to remove build up. If a product does remove large valve build. That's not ideal either. Most of these products would work good as a maintenance product. To slow build up or keep clean. Good reviews as always.

@junlen11 6 ай бұрын

1:42 the n52 is port injected, you’re either referring to the n54 or n55

@D2O2 6 ай бұрын

Overall like the video, but I think time at temp and mist versus soaking veers way off as to how these products would actually be used. As soon as you drop that hot valve into the liquid it is cooled fairly quickly. I have used the CRC fed into the pcv port in burst so to not stall the engine. This process take 20 minutes, then you let it heat soak with the engine off.

@Andersljungberg 5 ай бұрын

The valves in internal combustion engines can be subjected to combustion pressures in excess of 20 MPa and the temperatures about 650 °C for exhaust valves and 350 °C for intake valves 562 ° in Fahrenheit

@BigHeadClan Ай бұрын

Keep in mind when discussing a lot of these products is that they need often need to react with something in the vast majority of cases, they need to get hot enough, be exposed to air or be mixed with other chemicals to start a reaction to loosen and soften the carbon build up and let the engine combustion knock it free of the intake valves. I think 99% of these cleaning additives are just snake oil and I'd never recommend anyone use them, that said just pouring the product into a beaker and leaving it sit for a few days isn't likely going to yield very good when most are all designed to be used in a running motor.

@RepairGeek Ай бұрын

I used CRC in a running motor here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b6yJYLygp9HRcWQ.htmlsi=BDFKc9JPPhsQFXg-&t=653 The results were worse than soaking in a beaker.

@syrgrad91 5 ай бұрын

I could see using these cleaners for preventative maintenance, but by the time the valves get this bad, those cleaners are simply ineffective. Our shop has the best results by performing a mechanical cleaning (pull the intake manifold and media blast with walnut shell media). And the results after a mechanical cleaning are night and day in restoring power and efficiency.

@tac79phoenix 6 ай бұрын

Do you think the rapid movement of the valves when the engine is running would help break loose and agitate the carbon to help these cleaners work better? I agree with that you're saying about "where is the carbon going?"

@RepairGeek 6 ай бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b6yJYLygp9HRcWQ.htmlsi=BDFKc9JPPhsQFXg-&t=653