Automotive shop owner. Mechanic and auto worker of 21 years. 10 years building and developing street legal race and high performance engines.I want to clarify a couple things for the DIYers and the masses new to EFI engines, carbon cleaning, direct injection, etc. These should also address why some folks are complaining of knocking/pinging/engine issues after using the product, which is in fact, completely normal for what is happening, and is both temporary and manageable.1) Gasoline combustion engines are a messy deal. There is a ton of carbon residue produced on the valves, combustion chambers and pistons from just one tank of fuel. Folks who don't work on engines or do rebuilds won't understand or appreciate this right away,For fun, hop on YouTube and track down ProjectFarm. He's an engineer who does very controlled testing of chemicals and products in his shop. You can see actual footage comparing the amount of carbon produced or controlled by a given cleaning agent (including CRC), using an actual engine that's torn down after each test.2) The ideal service interval for carbon cleaning on an ICE (combustion engine) is every 30-40k miles, but some folks will do it more often, and this is fine. It is needed more often when weaker, lower quality fuels are used regularly (more on this in a moment).3) The LONGER you go without doing some form of carbon cleaning, the more buildup gets caked onto your valves, intake runners (of the cylinder head), and pistons. The more buildup, the harder it is for ANY concentrated spray cleaner to address.4) Using top tier fuels makes a HUGE difference in management of carbon buildup. Top tier is not the same os octane, which is a fuel's resistance to detonation. Top tier = product quality.A quality fuel from Shell, Chevron, Exxon, etc has a unique additive package which includes detergents - critical cleaning agents that help reduce the amount of carbon left behind from normal engine operation.So if you're the type of consumer using cheap, crappy fuel from WalMart, Sam's, Costco, your local grocery store, and other cut rate places...you're getting the most basic fuel, with no additive packages. You're effectively getting what you paid for. And it will be a messy workspace inside that engine after a few tanks of this stuff,5) After an induction cleaning, and a hot soak, the first test drive is NOT a great event for about 10-minutes. Not because of the smoke coming out the back, but because the engine is extremely vulnerable to pre-detonation initially (also called pinging or knocking). It will usually knock and ping like crazy for the first 2-5 miles.6) This is a TEMPORARY condition. Drive carefully with the windows UP, radio off, and AC/heat fan set to low. You need to be able to HEAR and listen for the knock. It will change proportionately with engine load and your right foot on the gas.To the novice, it may sound like leaves being ground up under your hood. It's actually small combustion events happening at the WRONG moments and locations.7) The test drive after treatment is to help clear the deposits out and finish burning off stubborn bits of carbon. These deposits are responsible for producing the hot spots on pistons and valves that INDUCE unwanted knock. So drive carefully, gradually introducing as much throttle and air as the motor will allow without pinging too aggressively,8) Eventually, the pinging always calms down and subsides. Then the engine runs notably, remarkably BETTER than it did before the cleaning.This has been the case for me with Sea Foam's spray induction cleaner, CRC products, and others, used across a very wide range of naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines.A lot of the grievances on AMZ reviews here are from:-Folks using poor fuels which are super messy over time-Folks going way too long without some type of carbon cleaning/fuel system service-Folks who weren't properly informed on what to expect during and after a carbon cleaning.Hope this helps some folks! Don't be afraid, just be self-educated and prepared.BONUS:For the DIY crowd who doesn't have a way to regulate the throttle and engine speed using a high dollar scan tool...A 16-24 long piece of fairly thin, lightweight wood, carefully inserted between the driver seat and gas pedal, can be used to set the RPM of the motor to a steady-state. Put the seat all the way back and start walking it forward to take out slack and press against the gas pedal.Cars with power seats have the easiest outcome for this, as the power seats let you get a very fine adjustment back and forth to set your throttle input.I run the motor at 2500-2800rpm and have had excellent results across dozens of EFI induction cleans on customer cars.Good luck!
Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]