Upper engine cleaner

M.S.G. · Post by **M.S.G.** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 2:26 pm

Been having problems with my 92 RSturbo running badly. So with nothing to lose I ran a can of upper engine cleaner through for the first time in about 100,000 kms and 7 or 8 years. Anyone that doubts that it does anything at all as part of regular maintenance. I am here to tell you that the difference that it has made to the running of the car is nothing short of astounding. I will now happily spend the $17 every oil change to put another can through.
Just if you are planning on doing it at home do it in the middle of the night when the wind is blowing a bit or every one of your neighbours will hate you for the next year or so because the smell and the smoke is terrible

Post by **Captain Obvious** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 4:05 pm

yes indeed it is good stuff!!

phantomD · Post by **phantomD** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 6:18 pm

Thank you for starting this thread MSG as otherwise I would have. I myself have just bought a can for an '89 Brumby after noticing it was used in dealer services back in the early '90s.

I cannot find a bad review about the stuff anywhere.

M.S.G. · Post by **M.S.G.** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 6:36 pm

On the can it says if the engine is extremely dirty it may require a second treatment . guess where I am going tommorow . If i get only 25% the improvement that I got with the first can I will be stoked

phillatdarwin · Post by **phillatdarwin** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 6:49 pm

can i have the name of it as i wood like to try it on my car ??

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 6:55 pm

Subaru Upper Engine Cleaner

Avaliable from the Subaru dealership's spare parts department.

I was talking to a guy who worked in a Ford dealership, and he said they used to buy Subaru upper engine cleaner to use in the workshop

FROG · Post by **FROG** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:04 pm

USE IT
its an absolute dream in a boxer engine,it will clean all the carbon deposits around "the upper " engine , I have customers that use it in four , six and eight cylinder motors and motorbike mechanics are buying it in bulk from me and swear by it ... but yeah windy days when neighbors dont have the washing out is the go

phantomD · Post by **phantomD** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:45 pm

Could somebody provide me please with any special instructions for a carburettor car? I have been told that with the engine off you take the air filter off, pull the accelerator cable and spray 1/3 the can into the carby (not 1/2 to avoid damage) before following the relevant Subaru instructions. Does this sound right?

Dane · Post by **Dane** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 10:35 am

Has anyone used it in a rotary?

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 1:23 pm

Yes ive used this many times from Commodore camry to Liberty, there is another product just as the same is Würth top Engine Clean.
Cheers
AP

bobbyjimmy · Post by **bobbyjimmy** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:39 am

Ford make there own version of it now too.

FWIW, the Subaru stuff is different to all the others - the formula is patented/copyright/trademarked/whatever by FHI and made under licence by BARS.
Also, the Wurth stuff is different to the Ford stuff and so on.

Tozzy · Post by **Tozzy** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 2:09 pm

Years ago I used a Wynns product called Engine Tune up. Pour half a can into carby slowly whist at about 2000RPM and that caused smoke to billow out of the exhaust. Then the remainder half can in fuel tank. Works OK as well.

I just had the Brumby done at the local Subby dealer with good results using Subaru products for engine flush. They run the engine for 45 mins with the additive in the oil and then dump it then put in fresh oil and then put the top end cleaner in or vice versa.

banger · Post by **banger** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 6:54 am

the subaru one is probably one of the best ones made by bars.
i use it on all my cars on the Suzuki as well. on my carby in the leries i just spray down the carb it cleans it up beautiful

M.S.G. · Post by **M.S.G.** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 12:00 pm

Ok here is where I am at the moment . Ran the upper engine cleaner and the car ran the best it had for about 7 to 8 years then after three days the wife went to go to work but the engine would crank over but would not fire. Fuel pump is working ,injectors are firing, spark plugs are firing but the car wont start. Yesterday the RS went for a ride on a flat bed to go to see the mechanic for a holiday
Is there something in the inlet manifold or in the combustion chamber that could have been damaged by the upper engine cleaner. becouse I am out of ideas

GTlegs · Post by **GTlegs** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 3:04 pm

You didnt unplug a lead from the coil by accident did you?

M.S.G. · Post by **M.S.G.** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 1:44 pm

All colis are plugged in. nothing had been touched between the car coming home after work running like a dream and the next morning when it would not start.

phantomD · Post by **phantomD** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 5:32 pm

Are the two things (using the engine cleaner and the car not starting) unrelated? Tried rolling the car and clutching in to start?

banger wrote:on my carby in the leries i just spray down the carb it cleans it up beautiful

Pending any further advice I will just do that then. Thanks.

phantomD · Post by **phantomD** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 8:24 pm

I've just finished reading something on another forum (and it might be rubbish) about Upper Engine Cleaner blocking up catalytic converters on some newer Subies, forcing Subaru to recommend its use only while the engine is running. It'd be very unlikely this is your issue though (although a blocked exhaust = unstartable engine).

As a bit of background to my problem, I unfortunately had major issues when my EGR valve got stuck open at the same time as I ran into some carby trouble. Combined, this managed to take out all of my spark plugs (who knows what the cylinders looked like) and has left me with an EA81 that can sound like a clapped out VW at times. If this stuff will shut my engine up even a little then I'll be a very happy man (my EA81 is very low kms).

M.S.G. · Post by **M.S.G.** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 3:31 pm

The upper engine cleaner and the car not starting could be unrelated as I had been having problems with the plugs fouling on the two rear cylinders after the wife drives the car to work for a couple of days ( aprox 1km each way, finishes after 11pm and feels more secure driving than walking at that time of night, so it wont be changing).
So it could be something else causing the carbon build up on the plugs and the rest of the combustion chamber like really rich running from a couple of leaking fuel injectors, bad coils or the computer setup to run too rich on cold start up that is not getting burnt off by the time the wife gets to work.(prodrive group N rally computer 18 psi boost) that for the last 12 years has allways rrun rough when cold.
just mainly concerned that the upper engine cleaner has damaged something or loosened a big chunk of ten year old carbon and blocked something and after ideas of where to start looking.

GTlegs · Post by **GTlegs** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 6:11 pm

By process of elimination, unplug the power lead from coil and make sure it sparks up. Then plug it back up check each cylinder wire to make sure it sparks up at the spark plug end. Then check the spark plugs for build up of crud/cracked casing/etc. May be worth a try.