Piston Soak with an Industrial Degreaser?

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Stumbled across this little backyard test. Was really surprised by the outcome, but at the same time it is to be expected from a degreaser... Anyways, this got me wondering... If Purple Power did no damage to the piston coating, unlike the oven cleaner, then it should be doable to use Purple Power as a piston soak. So sometime in the next week I will try this in my oil burning 2000 Honda CR-V, 5-speed AWD. Currently goes through a quart of oil in 500 miles of normal driving, or 300 miles of aggressive driving. From 5000rpm and until redline it smokes blue very bad, sometimes (rarely) smokes on start up, if it has been sitting for a week. Here is my plan:
- Drain oil and remove the drain plug, leave the pan under. (obviously)
- Get pistons in midstroke position and pour some Purple Power in the cylinders. Check and add more as needed for next 48hrs in 12hr intervals. This should clean up the chamber and ring lands, in theory.
- Keep the intervals, but switch Purple Power for Berryman B12. This should (again in theory) clean up the residual leftovers of Purple Power and anything Purple Power did not dissolve. Check and add more as needed for next 48hrs in 12hr intervals, or until I'm out of B12.
- After 2 bottles of B12 pour a pint of Marvel Mystery oil, to somewhat reestablish an oil film, until new oil can and coat everything up.
- Make sure cylinders are liquid free, install new plugs, re-install the drain plug, and fill with new oil. Probably a cheap 15W40 from the stash for a short OCI, and then M1 0w40.

This is a bit of a shotgun approach, but I have a limited amount of time when it comes to how long the car can sit. Really hope that my oil burning issue is from carboned up ringlands, and all this^^^ makes a positive difference. If not, then I tried, and now will know for sure that I need a new engine. It is possible that the engine is simply worn out due to the very short gears, and final drive. It's doing 3k RPM at 60mph and 4k RPM at 80mph. Redline is 6500-ish, so the engine definitely lives a high revving life (Honda, duh) just to keep up with traffic. Really shows how fast the econoboxes became in the last 20 years...
Anyways, does anyone have better ideas on the piston soak? Anything I should adjust/change? I happen to have all the products listed on hand already, from previous projects, so no out-of-pocket expenses need to be made for the listed procedure. Looking forward to your suggestions, let me know if I'm missing anything or mistaking in my assumptions. Yes, the rebuild is the ultimate solution, but if this piston soak does not work, I'll just get a used low mileage JDM engine. Now that would involve some expenses...

 
I am quite intrigued by the prospect here. If it works for you I would be more than willing to try it in my car which has recently taken to burning oil.
 
I am quite intrigued by the prospect here. If it works for you I would be more than willing to try it in my car which has recently taken to burning oil.
My car has unknown service history before I bought it at 201K miles. Which is why I am hoping for a stuck ring or few... Currently sits at 225k-ish miles, so last 25k it was lots of oil, lots of fuel additives, lots of wide open throttle, with James Bond blue smoke screens following my screaming Honda like chemtrails. According to many people here: good oil, good fuel additives, and wide open throttle (italian tune-up) are plenty to unstick a carboned ring. After 25k miles of using that tactic I am not seeing many results though, so going to this extreme-ish piston soak as last resort method before I am completely convinced that this engine is done.
 
I'm not intrigued.

Just use a 5-15 minute engine flush product. Use quality synthetic oils/filters and a good oil change interval.

Make sure the PCV system is addressed.

Fuel additives for rings? Oil additives!
 
I'm not intrigued.

Just use a 5-15 minute engine flush product. Use quality synthetic oils/filters and a good oil change interval.

Make sure the PCV system is addressed.

Fuel additives for rings? Oil additives!
Fuel additives just in general. If somehow the "upper cylinder lubricants" made it's way on the cylinder walls - great. If not - no big deal. Fuel additives are added just to extend the pump life, and injectors. Gas these days ain't great at lubrication and MMO is cheap.

PCV has been replaced as soon as I got it. May replace it again soon, just to be 100% sure in it not being a problem.

5-15 Minute flushes used 3 times so far during an oil change, zero effect. I'll include the products used below.
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I believe the main ingredient in purple power is LYE(Sodium Hydroxide). I believe that might react to metals.
Thanks, I will definitely look into that. Used it on plenty of metals so far, with zero ill effects, and it didn't seem to damage anything in the video linked in original post. But we don't know the long term results AFTER the application. Will definitely look into that. Still got a week before experiment thankfully.
 
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"Do Not use Purple Power on aluminum or stainless steel..." straight off their website. Using an alkaline degreaser will etch and pit the piston crowns, you are creating more area for carbon deposits and hot spots. While youtube can be useful there is a ton of usless or worse potentially damaging information. You are introducing a chemical that is caustic into and enviornment that experiences high temps and pressure. Purple power will also leave a residue inside the combustion chamber and will continue to attack the aluminum and SS (if u have SS valves). You have no idea of the long term damage this can cause. Use a product designed and tested for this particular issue not what some quack on Youtube tried. Not only that but the method you described you are pouring a chemical that is incompatible with aluminum into an aluminum head onto an aluminum piston, the liquid will go past the ring onto the side or the piston, get my point? Just use some berrymans and forget the other junk.
 
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"Do Not use Purple Power on aluminum or stainless steel..." straight off their website. Using an alkaline degreaser will etch and pit the piston crowns, you are creating more area for carbon deposits and hot spots. While youtube can be useful there is a ton of usless or worse potentially damaging information. You are introducing a chemical that is caustic into and enviornment that experiences high temps and pressure. Purple power will also leave a residue inside the combustion chamber and will continue to attack the aluminum and SS (if u have SS valves). You have no idea of the long term damage this can cause. Use a product designed and tested for this particular issue not what some quack on Youtube tried. Not only that but the method you described you are pouring a chemical that is incompatible with aluminum into an aluminum head onto an aluminum piston, the liquid will go past the ring onto the side or the piston, get my point? Just use some berrymans and forget the other junk.
Yes, I saw that. But here is something else that I saw, right under the text you quoted. Straight from Royal Purple:
"Can Purple Power be used to flush Radiators and Engines?
Yes, you can dilute 50/50 with water. Use a De-Foamer if you experience some foaming during the process."

That makes me think that I may be ok... Assuming the piston coating holds up as it did in the video. I am also looking into other degreasers. There is also Berryman Chem-dip... I could pour that.
 
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Yes, I saw that. But here is something else that I saw, right under the text you quoted. Straight from Royal Purple:
"Can Purple Power be used to flush Radiators and Engines?
Yes, you can dilute 50/50 with water. Use a De-Foamer if you experience some foaming during the process."

That makes me think that I may be ok... Assuming the piston coating holds up as it did in the video. I am also looking into other degreasers. There is also Berryman Chem-dip... I could pour that.
You're talking about 2 completely different areas. One is inside the combustion area where parts tolerances are critical and the smallest pitting can damage the chamber and a water jacket that is designed to contain water. Judging by you replies you have already decided to do what you are going to do and don't want to listen to people who know or have more experience with engines, so why even ask for an opinion, it sounds like you are trying to justify a rather foolish and faulted "repair" that in the end may do nothing or quite possibly do more damage. It's you car do whatever you want to it.
 
You're talking about 2 completely different areas. One is inside the combustion area where parts tolerances are critical and the smallest pitting can damage the chamber and a water jacket that is designed to contain water. Judging by you replies you have already decided to do what you are going to do and don't want to listen to people who know or have more experience with engines, so why even ask for an opinion, it sounds like you are trying to justify a rather foolish and faulted "repair" that in the end may do nothing or quite possibly do more damage. It's you car do whatever you want to it.
I'm just trying to fix my oil burning with products I already have on hand. Purple power may not be the best choice, but chem-dip cleaned millions of automotive parts, so hoping it may work. My ears are open, which is why I am asking for advice here, a week before actually taking action. If I was 100% set, I wouldn't even bother asking a bunch of strangers on the internet for advice. Gimpy, don't be Grumpy.
 
I never heard about "piston soaks" until I found BITOG.
Loosening anything with penetrating oil was always an SOP so the concept of a piston soak never seemed foreign to me.

However, were I to do a piston soak, I would:
1) Take dry and wet compression tests before and after to have some yardstick

2) Figure out how to make the piston tops level.
It'd be easy to do with inline engines but V configurations would require major tilting of the car.
Don't know what I'd do with a Subaru, Renault Dauphine or air-cooled VW. Maybe get the Green Hornet's car flipper.

3) Settle on the fact that I'd have to do it several times with several different cleaners / dissolvers.

4) I'd put a wrench on the crank pulley bolt and rock the crank CW-CCW to agitate repeatedly.

5) Get a borescope just to see.

Thanks to those who pointed out the corrosive nature of the "new cleaners" on the market. I use Purple Power all the time.
 
Ever try Chem-Dip? I’d give that a shot before I tried something else.

The problem with piston soaks is that there is no agitation or direct cleaning anything, just a very slow seep. That’s tough to do when there’s two compression rings sitting over an oil ring, that needs its oil holes cleaned out and the rings freed up. Real tough.

Some have actually suggested putting the spark plugs back in (while cylinders are soaking) and move the motor back and forth (at the crank by hand) to force the liquid past the rings and get the solution moving a little bit around those rings and lands. Don’t know if that would work, but if youre planning on trashing the engine anyway because if the mileage and oil consumption? Hey, it might be worth a shot.
 
I’m left wondering what problem you’re trying to solve. Seems risky, so why take the risk unless there is a specific problem.

I’ve had cars go over 300,000 on the original engine without a piston soak or carbon removal, so, wondering why it is needed in your case.

Fixing stuff that ain’t broke is a great way to break it and cost yourself real money.
 
Our 87 VW cabriolet was using some oil. About a quart in 3 K. I removed the plugs and put a couple ounces of B12 in each overnight. Drained the oil next day and put the plugs back in it. Now it still uses no oil between changes. I think that was about 13 years ago. It has the awesome JH 1800 motor.
 
Just pull the plug and pour in a few oz of Marvel mystery oil,,,works,,,,,ps we should all be aware of being engineering chemist, it could cost you more then you had in mind...imho....
 
I’m left wondering what problem you’re trying to solve. Seems risky, so why take the risk unless there is a specific problem.

I’ve had cars go over 300,000 on the original engine without a piston soak or carbon removal, so, wondering why it is needed in your case.

Fixing stuff that ain’t broke is a great way to break it and cost yourself real money.
The problem is the heavy oil consumption. 1qt per 500 miles of easy driving, or 300 miles of aggressive driving. I am hoping that piston rings are stuck or gummed up. Italian tune up made no difference so far, so that's why I am thinking of a piston soak. To try and free up the rings/holes. Piston soak is happening either way, but what I am trying to figure out with this thread is what is the best product to use? If the piston soak does not help, then I know for sure that the only solution is a another engine. Just trying to figure the consumption out, because this Honda has 225k and consumes a lot of oil. While my Lexus with 365k miles and my Volvo 3.2L with 257k miles don't consume a measurable amount in 5k OCIs.
 
Just pull the plug and pour in a few oz of Marvel mystery oil,,,works,,,,,ps we should all be aware of being engineering chemist, it could cost you more then you had in mind...imho....
Marvel Mystery Oil will go in, but as more of a "finishing touch". The plan is to let something more aggressive break up the carbon first.
 
Our 87 VW cabriolet was using some oil. About a quart in 3 K. I removed the plugs and put a couple ounces of B12 in each overnight. Drained the oil next day and put the plugs back in it. Now it still uses no oil between changes. I think that was about 13 years ago. It has the awesome JH 1800 motor.
I may do that, or go the Chem-Dip route. Love B12, but it just seems to evaporate too quick.
 
Personally I’d bite the bullet for commercial products from Mopar or GM …
(their own techs report good results) …
There are also some guys who have done this with small amounts of concentrated Techron …
Don’t see how oil based products would be quite as effective with CBU …
 
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