Even in a new vehicle carbon deposits quickly build up in engines, reducing their fuel efficiency and performance, causing maintenance issues and increasing emissions. This is bad for your wallet with increased fuel and maintenance costs, bad for the performance of your vehicle and bad for the environment.

Maintaining engine performance is a constant struggle, especially since the introduction of emission control devices that collect the Particulate Matter (PM) and work to reduce Nitrogen Oxides (NOx). While running cleaner, the engines suffer from increased carbon build-up that decreases fuel efficiency and horsepower, and increases maintenance issues.

What causes carbon deposits?

1. ‍Engine oil volatility. Poor quality oil, improper oil changes, or oil not designed for that application, that creates oil vapour which is evacuated to be burnt along with the air and fuel. During this process oil soaks the inside of intake manifold making it sticky like flypaper – ready to attract the “flies” of Particulate Matter.
2. Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) systems, while reducing NOx emissions, it also sends soot from the exhaust system through the sticky intake manifold creating the first area of carbon deposit accumulations. Other areas for carbon deposits include the combustion chamber, on the piston tops and in the piston ring lands.
3. Driving style: urban, stop-and-go driving and idling significantly contributes to carbon deposit accumulations.
4. Severe Environmental Regulations: changing regulations striving for cleaner air has led to changes in the fuel mix. From 2007, for example, a greater percentage of sulphur was added to fuel. The downside of this is that diesel entrains more air, so its lubricity is reduced, resulting in more carbon deposits, engine wear and higher fuel consumption.

 What is the impact of carbon deposits on an engine?

1. When the particulate matter is subjected to extreme temperature and pressure in the combustion process it becomes activated carbon, which attaches to the metallic parts within the engine. Carbon deposits absorb fuel like a sponge, hindering combustion. They glow red when heated, causing unnecessarily higher temperatures within the engine that can fatigue and break components, cause misfires, lowers compression and so cuts fuel economy. The carbon then desorbs the fuel on the exhaust stroke, adding more particulate matter in the exhaust. The more particulates in the exhaust, the greater amount will travel back through the cycle, building up more carbon.
2. Carbon deposits are detected by the Electronic Engine Control Unit’s sensors which strive to maintain engine drivability, but this can triple fuel consumption in the process.

Trials prove X-Carbon can remove carbon deposits from engines

The California Environmental Energy Test Laboratory used a boroscope to photograph the inside of engines to assess the impact of X-Carbon on a Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD pickup. At the start, before X-Carbon was used, the carbon deposits were seen to be dense and very black in the following areas: diesel oxygen catalyst, EGR line, EGR cooler, EGR valve and particulate matter filter.

Photos were taken at the start, then with X-Carbon after 465 miles and after 1,091 miles:

With the original images it is clear to see that X-Carbon almost eliminated the carbon build-up in all these areas and was expected to totally clean the engine with further use. The commentary around the photos illustrates how aware the laboratory is of the damage caused by carbon build-up in engines. The experts were excited by these findings as it demonstrated X-Carbon offered a solution to a long-term issue unresolved by most other products on the market. Other subsequent tests also supported these findings.

"X-Carbon is proven to remove carbon build-up within an engine and from its components, returning it to near new manufactured standards, restoring the fuel economy and requiring less engine maintenance."

Long term benefits of X-Carbon

Those using X-Carbon have seen their fuel consumption decrease by an average of 26%, performance improve and emissions drop significantly. Through regular use of X-Carbon, engine longevity, performance and fuel efficiency can be maintained to near new manufactured standards. With carbon deposits removed from engines, emissions can be kept to the lowest possible levels, helping to improve air quality for all of us.  

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