Can you suggest a method to clean exhaust valves on this type of car? And if you can let me know the location of the PCV valve as it needs to be replaced? And would using Sea-Foam engine cleaner hurt this car? I want to clean carbon deposits out of it and know that some additives/cleaners can potentially damage cars, so was hoping you could verify whether this would hurt my car. If sea-foam isnt recommended, is there another DIY cleaner you could recommend?
Thank you -
Diana
You are on the downhill path with this 18 year old car. It's only going to get worse and more expensive. You could probably find someone who is in love with the idea of owning a Mercedes, sell it, and get a nice, solid Toyota or Honda before your Mercedes robs you blind.
Seafoam is a product that was designed for 2-stroke outboard motors, not modern car engines.
You might try this stuff that Scotty has talked about in his videos:
https://www.atscarbonclean.com/
what happens if you use seafoam on a 4-stroke?
Never tried it, but in the absence of other information I'd take Scotty's advice and use a product designed for modern engines instead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgonR4o84EE
I dunno it just looks like a talking head to me. Project Farm actually tested it on camera and it produced visible results. It's just a solvent that dissolves combustion crud. Why would it work on a 2-stroke and not 4-stroke?
I'd be more concerned about what Seafoam might do to the catalytic converter and other emission system components since it was developed well before any of those things existed. (The stuff was probably designed for 2-stroke engines because those have always been prone to coking/carbon buildup during normal operation.)
Right that's the point of using the stuff right. Remove carbon deposits from the engine (which 4 stroke engines also get)
The noble metals catalyze an oxidation reaction that renders them into benign molecules.
Or how is this ATS stuff different?
Grain of salt and all.
The thing to do would be to try out Seafoam treatments on some modern emission-controlled vehicles and see if there are any ill effects like loss of catalytic converter efficiency or damage to plastic parts in the fuel and intake systems. Let us know how it works out.
Project Farm did just that. And the vehicle still ran fine a year later.
I've seen those videos. The Project Farm test worked out fine but was conducted on a 30-year-old old truck. Not much in the way of plastic parts, not turbocharged, not direct injected, and there was no checking for possible effects on catalytic converter efficiency or other emission system components. Seafoam was also used in the crankcase, but that old truck didn't have variable valve timing.
So if you have a 30-year-old truck maybe it's a good thing. However it's not really a comprehensive test applicable to more modern vehicles.
hogwash. Plastic fuel tank, plastic float, plastic mesh filter and pump parts, rubber fuel lines etc.
how is the emissions equipment different on a 1991 Ford Ranger? It has catalytic converters, PCV valves, EGR, oxygen sensors, fuel injection ... all that same as now. fuel doesn't touch turbos as far as I know. VVT is a hydraulic system like hydraulic lifters.
So do the Seafoam treatment on your late model turbocharged, direct-injected vehicles. Be sure to do the complete job by putting Seafoam in the oil to see how your variable valve timing mechanism likes it. Then get back to us. Talk is cheap.
exactly