Halfbridge

iTrader: (5)

Hey guys a friend of mine just bought an 86 non turbo and has about 226000 on the car and fairly sure that it has never been rebuilt. well the car runs great and was just wondering if doing a steam clean on a motor with that many miles would break up some carbon and cause it to clog the cat or hurt the seals or anything. I have done this on my Fd with way less miles and everything was ok. Im just not sure about the Fc. Just trying to get it in top shape for him and any sugestions would be awsome.

Thanks

SpeedOfLife

iTrader: (16)

It could hurt it. After I steamed mine at ~95000 miles, I think it was the original motor, it locked up and that was after a good 10 mile drive or so after I steamed it. If I were him I'd just start saving for a rebuild now and do it once it *****. Fortunately that's what I was doing was picking up cheap parts as I found them and the motor let go about when I had gathered 90% of what I needed.

Carbon buildup can get really bad on these. When I cracked open my locked motor it was just CAKED with carbon deposits. Turned out one of the three piece apex seals had dislodged from its slot and got stuck upon trying to start the car. Unfortunately sometimes those deposits can be what are keeping the damned things together for a little longer.

No guarantees, but at 200k miles, I don't know why you'd want to tempt fate.

Jdrift

^ yup, but I took an engine out of a car with 136k on it that had stopped running. Did a compression test and each chamber was sitting on about 60 psi. I then cleaned it up without tapping the keg, then I brought home a can of Zoom power engine cleaner, pulled the plugs from the engine, sprayed into the chambers, spun the rotors around by hand to leak the stuff soak in. Then re-ran the compression test. My numbers were bumped to about 90 psi. So i dropped the engine into my 88 gxl and just yesturday got her running. Aside from a few minor problems the engine runs pretty good.

The Zoom power engine cleaner is what I use on Rx8s that start losing power due to constant flooding, or lack of hard driving. It breaks up the carbon really good and I have saved a few renesis engines with it. Local Mazda dealers should carry it, though it is about 30 bucks a can. lol.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

If the car is "running great", then the motor isn't held together with carbon and steam cleaning shouldn't hurt it at all.

If the cleaning kills it, well, better to find out on the driveway than on the side of some lonely road.

Black Knight RX7 FC3S

iTrader: (7)

thats the only thing that scares me.
Carbon flies off and will lock the engine up.
but I am thinking that since you are suppose to rev it to around 4k rpm to keep it the engine alive, that the carbon will just exit out safely through the exhaust ports.

http://www.rotaryresurrection.com/2n...injection.html

SpeedOfLife

iTrader: (16)

Well yeah, that's the intended result, but it doesn't always work that way. I steamed mine then drove it out of town, parked it, came back two hours later and it locked up.

sharingan 19

iTrader: (16)

Must've been some beastly carbon in there...

I've always meant to get around to doing this, but on a turbo, I'm more concerned about potential damage to the turbine, than to the motor istelf. Not that thats what has stopped me....THAT would be laziness, lol

Halfbridge

iTrader: (5)

I think we are just gonna premix a tank or 2 with some new plugs and run the hell out of it for a wile. That should clean it up a little. Then permix from there on out. We picked it up from an old lady that barly drove the car, let a lone drove it hard.