But they may be driven rather differently!

 

Good point and from what I have read LR sold WAY more vehicles than Jaguar did. So maybe just more vehicles on the road. So more problems?

Well I have been using that exact CRC product BUT thru the vacuum port. Glad to see it does dissolve those deposits.
Do you think it helps to have the catch can? I know it pulls fluid out but can you see any difference on the valves?
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Catch cans help, but won’t completely
eliminate the valves on a DI engine from getting gummed up. I haven’t been around this platform long enough to know how quickly the valves will need to be cleaned again. The pics I took above were at 34,000 miles. If the catch can doubles the mileage before the next cleaning, I’d be good up to about 100,000 before the valves looked like that again. Time will tell.

I didn’t mention how dirty the supercharger lid and supercharger itself were. Oil everywhere when I opened it up. The catch can will help with that as well.

 

Well I have been waffling on this for a while and with your thread and pictures I think I will install a catch can. No downside and it does pull fluids out of the PCV system which can't hurt.
Thanks for a very informative post!
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Is it clear that there are no downsides? First, I don’t know a lot about these catch cans, but I have seen references out there where people have suggested that they might have caused other issues after being installed. This was not on this forum, or specific to an F-type, but more general comments.

Regardless, this carbon buildup issue is on my list of things to figure out an approach for. I’d ideally like to get a preventative game plan of some sort in place at a time when my car is newer with low miles. If possible I’d like to avoid ever having to do this walnut blasting, or whatever it is ;-0

I’ve read many times that it’s questionable concerning how successful these chemical approaches are. Well, some of these before and after pictures posted has me being a bit of a believer now.

 

Yes his pictures were what convinced me. Agree with possible downsides but with the number of years people have been using them I just don't see any problems posted?
Now with the solid SC coupling. Yes we have a number of people install them and then remove them because of noise. But again Eaton who makes the blowers offers a solid coupler too.
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Catch cans need to be emptyed in time to time. Anyone had issues with catch can have not been empty it and when full it will puke load of oil to the intake. (up to the hydrolock state)
Using chemicals to clean valves have something need to understand: Its solvent. Adding sovent to the intake is same for cylinder walls than overfuelling. Its washing out the oil from liner hones causing extra friction/wear.
Wallnut blast is safest way to remove the goo from intake / valves.

 

Interesting article. Most of the comments don’t seem to agree…

https://autoexpert.com.au/posts/shou...to-your-engine

 

Just to clarify, my valves were cleaned with the supercharger off, giving me physical access to the valves. I ensure the valves are closed, put the CRC in there, and let it soak until there are no more bubbles. Use the plastic bristle brush the scrub - rise and repeat.

I recently bought an air compressor that will allow for walnut blasting the valves the next time. I think that is more efficient and effective.

I do not recommend (once again, shade tree mechanic here, so take it for what it’s worth) spraying chemicals into a running engine to clean the valves. Highly ineffective and risky for creating other engine issues.

Catch cans don’t create issues as long as they’re emptied regularly, have the correct diameter plumbing (ie, no restrictions), and are installed properly. I read the article posted above and wonder who wrote it. If I made a living working on cars, that’s the exact article I would write. Job security.

 

If you use the CRC "as directed" you will spray the can's contents into a warmed-up engine. Then you let it soak/dissolve for 30 - 45 minutes, and the indication that the chemical is 'doing its job' is the white smoke that permeates the neighborhood. That is why you need to do some highway driving afterwards.

 

Thanks for clarifying.

Could you elaborate on why you think using these cleaners is problematic? The only thing that I've read for risk is if you use it when your build up is super caked, and it then leads to big pieces of carbon flaking off and causing problems. Other than this I didn't get the impression there was risk if used from new, but I'm far from an expert on this stuff, happy to be schooled, etc...

What I'm getting from some reading:
If one were to consider using the intake valve cleaner before every oil change, or at least once every 10k to 15k miles at worst, from when the car is new then it could be effective preventatively. It seems to me that once you have a really caked up carbon situation the effectiveness of these CRC-like cleaners in through the throttle body etc is questionable. But if you use it through the throttle body as a preventative measure from new on the regular then perhaps it could be worth it?

In my case what I have going for me on this is -->
1) I change my oil and filter once a year (proper oil and filter from Jag) just before it goes to bed for the winter, after having only typically put at most 2500km to 5000km of driving on that oil (or 1500 miles to 3100 miles). My understanding is that the cleaner the oil the less contaminates and oil vapour there is produced to collect on the intake side of the valves. That's what I have read in several places anyway. Apparently this helps a ton with the intake buildup issue.
2) I use top tier 93 octane gas every fill. Not a huge direct help, but generally good.
3) I regularly use Redline in my gas. Again, not hugely directly helpful for the intake side problems of buildup, but helpful overall.
4) I do like my Italian tune ups here and there ;-0

Working against me -->
My driving habits typically consist of somewhat short drives. I know that's bad.

At this point my loose plan on this topic was to:
a) Use CRC intake valve cleaner, or similar, in through the throttle body like they suggest with regularity from basically new. My R is a 2024 with low miles at this point.
b) Possibly consider a catch can.
c) Possibly get a boroscope and try to inspect to see how things are going? I'm not sure how feasible this is. Is there a way to properly boroscope the topside of valves without doing major surgery ripping things apart? Sorry if this is a dumb question. I'm just not sure. There are some out there suggesting you can, but then other info says its not that easy without removing the manifold...Something I would prefer to avoid if possible...

 

I don’t see using CRC as directed as part of a normal maintenance regiment on a newer car as problematic. Using it to play catch up on a car with severely carbonized valves is where I can see issues coming up.

In my experience, the carbon build up on valves is different depending on the part of the valve. The carbon build up on the stem is like a sticky tar. The build up toward the lip/edge of the valve is flakey and breaks off in chunks. If the valves are bad enough and those chunks break off, some of them are large enough to clog up the catalytic converter. My comment earlier of causing other engine issues is largely based on that worst case scenario.

You won’t be able to physically see the tops of valves with a bore scope because of the supercharger. If you took the supercharger lid off, you’ll be able to see them without any problems.

 

Thanks for the pictures and posts but I will also disagree (Respectfully!) with you about the use of intake sprays. I agree with the above posters. I have used them for years in many cars. Zero damages or bad effects. BUT I think you are correct that we are betting on a "miracle" in a spray can and your right that does NOT exist!

I will keep using them only because it's easy and quick to do. When I do pull the SC I will see what needs to be done. Glad I read this as I know that the CRC product will attack those deposits. Still want to run my camera in there to take look.

Now you do bring up something nobody talks about? Can we walnut blast at home? How did you do it? Is it cheap to do? I have a large blast box and a hand held spot blaster. I was thinking the small hand held spot blaster might work for this? Of course change the blast media to walnut shells but I can get those no problem.





I also was hoping somebody that's been running Alcohol injection had looked at their valves. That's suppose to help with carbon buildup and have seen pictures where the valves were very clean because of this. Just not on a Jaguar...yet.
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Thanks
Do you have a link for that specific catch can you went with?

Also, what I read is that some have had at least some success boroscoping the top intake side of the valves directly by unscrewing things like the MAP sensor, and going in with the scope that way.

 

So you are a believer in using CRC intake cleaner and the like as a preventative measure. You go through the vacuum port and not the throttle body? Most videos I’ve watch have been the throttle body,

Also, you have a particular catch can you are considering?

 

would that be a warning light?

 

that would push a warning light

 

I found this to be quite interesting, for anyone here and interest in this overall topic:


It's worth watching it all the way though I thought, but at the end he kinda suggests that the EGR input to the intake build up problem is not addressed, so why bother if this adds maintenance and possible risk...Sorta what I got from it...

 

This thread really went down a rabbit hole… haha.

Here’s my catch can set up:



When you open the hood, you can’t tell it’s there.





Tale off the cover, and the catch can is there with enough room to easily run the lines and unscrew the canister when it needs to be emptied. This is the Amazon Evil Energy one. Inexpensive and I prefer this one because of the media “filter” that it has. I put in just enough media to “filter”, but not too much to restrict air flow.




I ran the lines through two holes I drilled in the side of the cowling around the cabin air filter box.




I used 5/8 ID fuel / oil resistant tubing to match the original diameter of the PCV tubing. I then cut the original tubing and used the original fitting to the valve cover and the original tubing to the top of the supercharger snout. I tapped the extra hole in the top of the supercharger lid and used a hose clamp to hold the tubing in place.

I don’t see a downside to this set up. Catch cans don’t completely eliminate oil from getting in the intake, but for these cars, they help cut it down quite a bit.

 

Thank you again ER9240! Those pictures are exactly what we needed in this thread too.
Yes I am going to follow what ER9240 has done. Probably using the exact same catch can.

When I do the CRC spray I use this port with a 6'+ hose. So I can sit in the drivers seat and rev the engine as needed. The other end has a bit of smaller diameter hose so the small can spray nozzle is sealed. Preventing engine vacuum from sucking any air around the spray straw.




I have seen other ports used but this one is right into the TB so all 8 cylinders are exposed to the cleaner. Other injection points tend to push the cleaner spray to one or more cylinders unevenly. While this does put the cleaner running thru the blower as well. At idle the SC bypass is closed so the flow bypasses the blower. I followed the can instructions. I sprayed at idle and while revving the engine. Took a while to get the entire can in there.

I think the best suggestion they have is to kill the engine with the cleaner after the engine is hot. I tried to do this at about the same time the can ran out fluid. Then let it heat soak for 30 minutes or so. Then go drive!
Initial startup emitted a cloud of black smoke but again no noticeable differences in the car I could tell.
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