How-To Tuesday: Dealing With Carbon Buildup in Your IS 250
Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe, so it gets around. But one place you don’t want it is in your engine.
If your 2006-2010 Lexus IS 250 is idling poorly, running-on, or sucking up more oil than normal, perhaps carbon buildup is the cause. But worry not, today’s How-To Tuesday article (and the corresponding video below) is here to help you find out what your warranty covers, or how to fix the problem yourself, should that warranty be out of date.
Back in 2012, Lexus issued a Customer Service Program to deal with carbon buildup problems in the IS 250/250C’s 2.5L 4GR-FSE engine’s cylinder head and combustion chambers. Since the engine utilizes direct injection, the fuel bypasses the intake valve and shoots gas right into the combustion chamber. This can eventually create carbon deposits that restrict the flow of air. And air flow is important in all things, but especially engines. (You don’t have the same problem on the IS 350, because the 3.5L 2GR-FSE engine uses a port injection system in conjunction with the direct injection system.)
The How-To article goes on to tell you exactly how carbon buildup happens, the trouble codes caused by carbon buildup, what Lexus’s customer support program will do for you, and what you can do as far preventive maintenance goes. There’s also plenty of pro tips to help you out.
If your IS 250 is starting to show any sluggishness, this could be the How-To article you’ve been waiting for. So hop on it.
