hi guys...

i just got the head removed to install some parts...and i noticed that my pistons are charcoal black from carbon residue...my car was tuned rich in the first place...
anyhow...i was wondering if i should clean them..or just leave them as they are...
if i have to clean them...how do i do that? the black material on the surface of the pistons is hard and dry..

thanks in advance

ps Looking for advice from people with experience

 

Are you sure it's carbon build up from car running rich? Maybe it's from knocking?

Edit: On topic: I have no clue about cleaning them, just suggesting that if the reason for that is knock, check your tune

 

no no...i am sure its not from knocking...i had 0 counts of knock...yes ZERO!!

my car was running too rich..if i remember correctly..i was running 10.6afr!!

 

Well maybe you should lean it to 15-16 AFR and give it a few 7k rpm runs to clean it up a bit

Anyway just kidding, hope someone can give a bit more info on this, I'm going to take the head off some day soon too and if I get something similar under the hood, I might just want to do the same. Just wondering if it's harmful for that stuff to be there & if there's a way to clean it.

 

i dont think it is harmful for it to be there but i am not sure if its harmful to clean it...i just took another look at it and it seems that it wont come off that easily...might need sanding or scrubbing of some sort..

however i just cleaned the block deck for now!!

cosworth head is going on along with cosworth M3 cams

 

there is actually a carbon scraper u can get to get that off and not damage the coating on the pistons , cant think of a cleaner u can use atm to get it off with.

 

have you try using throttle body cleaner??

 

cleaning them won't do much, put pour some new motor oil on them and scrub them with a rag or brillo pad. it won't get it all off unless you go at it for a while but it will help. this is how i was advised to do it by Nick @ DTM. He and I both qualify as "people with experience", although mine is much less.

p.s. probably moving to dubai in june!

 

Water injection.

 

use one of the market fuel system cleaners. It will help a little bit. I try to use only shell vpower that has cleaning agents and I will be using techron cleaner every 5000 miles or so... Probably around summer I will build the block so we ll see if these work!

 

is techron better than shell vpower?

 

"seafoam" works well on carbon. Just be careful not to get carbon goo down the side of the piston and into the rings.

 

Run methanol injection. Problem solved!

We have kits in stock Moosa!

 

Run a Meth kit 50/50.

EDIT: Same time posted and Scott still beat me too it.

 

no need to even buy meth kit.
Run E85!