Terraclean vs Carbon Clean vs Walnut blasting

[Distorted Vision]

Car is Honda Civic MK8 1.8L Petrol 2009 (146 000 miles).

Carbon cleaning seems the most attractive option. Walnut blasting is prohibitively expensive taking into account that the value of the car is only £1800.

[ChocolateFrog]

2 are snake oil.

You've answered which 2 in your OP.

[MikeM6]

From my research walnut blasting is the only cost effective way to clean the intake valves. The other options are more for cleaning the fuel delivery system, so have their merits, but not for cleaning away carbon build up on direct injection engines.

[Acuity30]

The most cost effective way is to DIY with a set of picks and cable ties in a drill + brake cleaner.

[Rough101]

Are you trying to clean out a problem, and are these direct injection engines?

If they aren’t, a can of BG fuel system cleaner in a quarter tank of gas followed by an Italian tune up will have a similar effect as the the terra clean or carbon clean for a fraction of the cost. And that effect may of course be nothing!

If it is DI, then mechanical intervention with walnut shells or tools is the only option to clean the intake valves, you probably need a few gaskets to reassemble after this.

If it’s running OK, I wouldn’t bother.

Edited by Rough101 on Sunday 12th January 09:20

[GeniusOfLove]

I don't think that engine is direct injection, why are you looking to clean your valves?

[barryrs]

ChocolateFrog said:

2 are snake oil.

You've answered which 2 in your OP.

Not entirely true in my experience.

I gave the Terraclean system a try on my old C6 S6 and a couple of months later I had to take the inlet manifold off for something unrelated.

What I found was that the ports closest to the inlet were clean but they got progressively dirtier further away so the chemicals had an effect, but they followed the path of least resistance.

[MikeM6]

GeniusOfLove said:

I don't think that engine is direct injection, why are you looking to clean your valves?

Well this is a great question! If it's not direct injection, then it's a moot point.