B12 piston soak question

[skaughtz]

So I am finally going to get around to soaking the pistons on my 2007 Camry with the 2AZ-FE that burns oil like it was designed for it. I have watched plenty of videos and read through numerous threads, but there is one question that I cannot seem to find the answer to.

It seems that most people do one or two things at the end of the soak: 1) Fire the car up with the B12 still in the crankcase and let it idle for X minutes to burn off the B12 in a giant cloud of white smoke, and/or 2) Take the car on a highway drive for 20-30 minutes with the B12 still in the crankcase to do the same thing.

Is there any practical reason to do either of these steps as opposed to just draining and refilling the oil after the soak? It makes sense to me that since the car is difficult to start after the soak anyway due to the oil being stripped from the pistons by the B12 that you would be better served to get that stuff out of there before trying to start it up. The only reason that I can think of to leave it in is to get extra cleaning from the B12 before it burns off in the same vein as a BG EPR cleaning.

Can anyone clarify this step for me? Thanks.

 

[skyactiv]

Follow the directions.

 

[eljefino]

B12 is a solvent, solvents are bad for oil. Therefore, blow it out the spark plug tubes with the starter, as much as you can, put the plugs in, make a smoke screen, change the oil.

 

[Kira]

make a smoke screen, change the oil.

With the plugs still out, why can't one rinse the cylinders with, say, denatured alcohol? It'll all go away -give it 4 hours- and you can then drain the pan.
No?

 

[Elkins45]

I dumped the oil both times I did mine. Why risk your bearings with thinned oil?

 

[eljefino]

With the plugs still out, why can't one rinse the cylinders with, say, denatured alcohol? It'll all go away -give it 4 hours- and you can then drain the pan.
No?

Alcohol is also a solvent.

Best thing to rinse with is motor oil. Use junk plugs for that first startup.

 

[skaughtz]

I dumped the oil both times I did mine. Why risk your bearings with thinned oil?

No answer here gives a reason as to why to burn it off. I think I would rather sacrifice a jug of Supertech after the soak by draining out the B12-infused oil before trying to start it for the first time. I would still love to get a reason why it would be better not to spend the $18 and go the that route beyond that is just what everyone else does.

 

[eljefino]

I wouldn't want a dry start (fresh oil and filter) along with clean-washed cylinder walls. Use the old oil for one last start, let it rinse the solvent out, then toss it. Probably obsessive semantics.

 

[Elkins45]

I wouldn't want a dry start (fresh oil and filter) along with clean-washed cylinder walls. Use the old oil for one last start, let it rinse the solvent out, then toss it. Probably obsessive semantics.

The second time I did my Scion I added a little TCW3 two-cycle oil and cranked it a couple of times with the plugs out to wet down the cylinder walls a bit before I started it. It didn't seem to make a difference on how long it took to finally start.

 

[skaughtz]

The second time I did my Scion I added a little TCW3 two-cycle oil and cranked it a couple of times with the plugs out to wet down the cylinder walls a bit before I started it. It didn't seem to make a difference on how long it took to finally start.

Do you think there is any harm in using three bottles of B12? Mine burns about a quart every 400 miles, so she is in dire need of a fix. I figure that if I am going to do it, I might as well just go 2 ounces per cylinder at a time for as long as it takes to empty three bottles. Then drain the pan and refill and try to get her to start.

 

[Elkins45]

Do you think there is any harm in using three bottles of B12? Mine burns about a quart every 400 miles, so she is in dire need of a fix. I figure that if I am going to do it, I might as well just go 2 ounces per cylinder at a time for as long as it takes to empty three bottles. Then drain the pan and refill and try to get her to start.

As long as you don’t run the diluted oil I don’t see how it could hurt.

 

[eljefino]

Do you think there is any harm in using three bottles of B12? Mine burns about a quart every 400 miles, so she is in dire need of a fix. I figure that if I am going to do it, I might as well just go 2 ounces per cylinder at a time for as long as it takes to empty three bottles. Then drain the pan and refill and try to get her to start.

I'd do a bottle, change the oil with something cheap, then run the car hard for 10 minutes and repeat. You want to side load the pistons and rings to shake them up a little. Just turning the engine over by hand won't have the same effect.

 

[skaughtz]

I'd do a bottle, change the oil with something cheap, then run the car hard for 10 minutes and repeat. You want to side load the pistons and rings to shake them up a little. Just turning the engine over by hand won't have the same effect.

When you say run the car hard, do you mean a highway drive? I get the idea, but is it a good idea to be running a solvent that strong in the oil when in gear?

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Alcohol is also a solvent.

Best thing to rinse with is motor oil. Use junk plugs for that first startup.

Why would you waste alcohol to clean your engine when you can use it to thin your blood?

 

[Donald]

Open up each plug and push a thin compressed air adapter into the cylinder and blow our remaining B12.

Pour in a tablespoon or two of motor oil. Leave plugs out. Wait a few hours for the oil to soak into the rings.

Turn over the engine with starter to blow out excess oil.

Change oil and start it.

I am with others, I would not want any B12 in the oil or on surfaces that need to be lubricated when I finally start the engine.

 

[eljefino]

When you say run the car hard, do you mean a highway drive? I get the idea, but is it a good idea to be running a solvent that strong in the oil when in gear?

Re read what I wrote: Do a bottle, change the oil, go for a drive. You might have an ounce or two of solvent in the oil that seeped out of the rings, not great, but you're not driving all that long either. The rest of the solvent will have burped out the spark plug holes, or dripped into the oil you changed out.

 

[MrBaumTastic]

How do you get the car to crank with plugs out? When I attempted a piston soak, the car just buzzed when I cranked with plugs out. You have to pull a fuse or something?

 

[AdmiralYoda]

With the plugs out you have zero compression. When the engine turns over it will sound really weird if you aren't use do it. Instead of a rrr-rrr-rrr-rrr sound it is just rrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Lol...I sound like my wife describing car sounds.

The only thing you will hear is the starter turning at a constant speed. The engine is just along for the ride.

 

[MrBaumTastic]

With the plugs out you have zero compression. When the engine turns over it will sound really weird if you aren't use do it. Instead of a rrr-rrr-rrr-rrr sound it is just rrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Lol...I sound like my wife describing car sounds.

The only thing you will hear is the starter turning at a constant speed. The engine is just along for the ride.

Hm, but I didn't even feel the car move and nothing came out of the spark plug holes?

 

[supton]

Hm, but I didn't even feel the car move and nothing came out of the spark plug holes?

It may have all leaked past the rings.

With the plugs out it will crank super fast and will sound much different.