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Fuel & Carbon Cleaners - What Happens to the Carbon?

by Andy Published on Tuesday, March 10th, 2015

Frequently we are asked about fuel-based carbon cleaners. Specifically, what happens to carbon deposits that are removed through the use of fuel cleaners and can these cleaners damage an engine?

Let’s begin by discussing the first part of that question.

Within the fuel system you’ll seldom find carbon itself. You are more likely to discover sludge, gum, varnish, debris, and similar deposits. The larger deposits are captured by the fuel filter. These and other deposits that have found their way through the fuel system are normally dissolved and dispersed in a controlled and manageable way using dispersal-based detergents. That’s why it is important to use additives at the recommended dosage so that deposit removal is completed in a controlled manner. High-strength fuel system cleaners that carry out this process normally contain a lubricant to ensure the entire system is lubricated during the cleaning procedure. This too minimizes the risk of any issues.

Most actual carbon formation occurs in the combustion chamber and post combustion areas. This includes the hot side of the turbo, intake, inlet valves, EGR, catalytic convertor, DPF, and the remainder of the exhaust tract. The reason why carbon remains is because there is insufficient heat to burn it off. Chemically, a liquid hydrocarbon fuel – such as gasoline or diesel – is very similar to the solidified fuel (carbon) that it creates. The difference is that to ignite and burn solid carbons a higher temperature must be reached because the flash point has changed.

High-quality fuel detergents, combined with fuel catalyst technology, reduce the threshold temperature at which the carbons can burn and therefore enable natural engine processes and inherent heat to gradually “burn off” the deposits. This is certainly the case for combustion chamber deposits.

Sometimes there also is a degree of active cleaning from any cleaning chemistry that is able to survive the combustion process and thus is still active post combustion. However, most carbon is removed by reducing the temperature at which it can burn as described above.

It is important to note that there also is a natural cleaning mechanism. When the combustion process is of sufficient quality – normally through an efficient fuel system (no injector deposits), sufficient fuel quality (more often than not, only achieved with fuel conditioners), and an engine that is up to full operating temperature – engines are designed to self-manage carbon build-up. The clean(ish) gases will naturally remove carbons with the aim of maintaining a respectable level.

The issue arises when this equilibrium is broken and more carbons are deposited than can be naturally removed. This could be due to a flawed engine design, poor fuel quality, fuel system deposits, driving style, failure to let the engine get up to the proper temperature, etc., or a combination of these.

This is why catalyst technology is so important in carbon cleaning and for keeping a system clean. When a catalyst is added to the fuel, it improves the quality of combustion to such a degree that it reduces the amount of hydrocarbons that are created, particularly when the engine is cold. These cleaner gases then get to work together, with the active work the catalyst is doing, to reduce the temperature at which these deposits can burn and be removed.

Essentially, a high-end fuel cleaner and carbon remover provides an environment where the quality of the combustion is much better and the exhaust gasses are much cleaner. The cleaner exhaust gasses will naturally scavenge and remove carbons from the combustion and the post combustion areas. The caveat is that this process requires heat. The catalyst will reduce the temperature at which the carbons can be removed and burned off, but it also needs heat.

This is why it is incredibly difficult for such chemistries to clean the EGR system. The problem is that an EGR and intake are designed to cool recirculating exhaust gasses. By doing so, they reduce the efficacy of any post combustion cleaner or chemistry. Unfortunately this also applies to the rear of the intake valves of direct poor injection engines. Those two areas are very difficult to clean because the gasses going through are cooled.

Also it is difficult to remove existing deposits in these areas. However, by using a high-quality conditioner with the fuel catalyst in both diesel and petrol applications, you’ll at least give the engine and emission control components a much easier life. This is because the engine and emissions systems will have fewer carbons to manage. This results in fewer deposits and hopefully removes the need to use high-strength cleaners or invasive measures to remove carbons manually.

What about the safety of cleaners and the risk of fuel system or engine damage?

Providing products are used as per the instructions, the risk of any damage is incredibly low. In fact, the few rare cases of alleged damage we have seen weren’t actually caused by the product. The product just revealed or exacerbated an underlying mechanical issue with the fuel system. This is incredibly rare.

Furthermore, manufactures err on the side of caution, so even if a product is used aggressively or improperly, it is still likely to be safe to use up until a certain point. For example, one of our main fuel conditioners is EPA tested. As part of the procedure the product is tested at ten times the recommended dose to ensure no possible harm to the fuel system or engine.

To summarise, fuel system deposits are generally dissolved, dispersed, and combusted naturally. Carbon is generally combusted through the use of heat and an added fuel catalyst and/or fuel borne catalyst. They are proven safe processes when used correctly and responsibly.

5 thoughts on “Fuel & Carbon Cleaners – What Happens to the Carbon?”

Martin Lofthouse says:

June 1, 2022 at 6:38 pm

Hi,
I discovered your website and products recently, and hoped they would help in resolving a carbon build-up issue in our Skoda Octavia 1.9TDI PD 4×4 Estate (2005), which had gone into limp mode, with check engine light showing. Having removed the EGR for cleaning, I decided to replace it; not too difficult in this model – just follow Youtube clips for good advice. I decided to try a bottle of Archoil ar6400 D-Max, after reading good reviews. Wow! is all I can say; after adding to a full tank of diesel, the engine began to pull strongly again, rev freely, and idle quietly by the time the tank showed 3/4 full. I’m well impressed, and have ordered a supply of 6900-D to hopefully keep things running sweetly in future. Kep up the good work with your products!

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Colin Williams says:

February 4, 2022 at 4:33 pm

Hi I have 2018 vw Tiguan 2lt.I’ve driven it from new motorbility car I’ve now bought it,it’s done 6000miles and drives great I don’t do a great deal of motorway driving,so I’m worried about the dpf filter will adding a cleaner regularly in the fuel help without doing any harm thank
Colin

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1. Andy says:
  
  May 19, 2022 at 10:00 am
  
  Yes, it will help. Use an EN590 compliant product such as AR6900-D.
  
  Reply
gary sell says:

August 2, 2016 at 12:55 pm

I read an article on one of your fuel products, in it was a very useful table of all products with benefits and uses. can you send me the pdf link or tell me wich section it is in as I can’t find it now.

Reply
1. Andy says:
  
  August 4, 2016 at 8:48 am
  
  Hi, the Archoil products are in the process of changing so the product table is being updated.
  
  Reply