slideland

If you need an advice on lexus service pm me and ill tell you how to drop your service prices in half. Lexus insider.


from me a tech.

Mingus

What are decarbs and why do I need one?

slideland

decarbonization service. we do several different services for decarbs. Tp cleaning, intake cleaner, and cylinder cleaner. also an injector cleaner. but some dealerships may vary with throroughness of cleaning. and if anyone ever told you not to get them they are mistaken and wrong. they cause vacuum issues, compression, fuel economy, stuck actuators, stuck valves and so on. anyone can do a minor decarb but only dealerships know how to do the proper service and steps. most issues from decarb come from oil deposits and unburned fuel.

Mingus

How many of these problems would you attribute to using 10% ethanol fuel?

There is a convenient to me gas station that sells ethanol free gas. Its about another 40 cents a gallon (full service only). But I easily make that up in better fuel economy. About two or three more miles per gallon.

Anyways, my engine runs much smoother at idle and especially under load. It took at least four or five tanks of this gasoline before I didn't notice my car running any better than the previous tank.

My hunch is the majority of the carbonization issues are probably the result of whatever suspension agent is being added to the gasoline to keep the ethanol homogenized with the gas. At least on the top end of the engines. And probably running cheap oil on the bottom ends.

slideland

its actually is a minor variable to the equation. ethanol is a thinner vapor and molecule than gasoline so it burns cleaner...alot of cars have smart ecu adjustments to fuel efficiency and octane. but at the same time it does burn cooler and with the right outside temperature or conditions it can add to the problem...of carbonization; but on a very miniscule table. i wouldnt tell the general public that 10% ethanol is a motor killer... but i would tell the public that with variations of gasoline standards, other crazy stuff, and pure paranoia just go ahead and get the damn thing decarbed regularly.

DIRECT INJECT MOTORS NEED IT MORE THAN OTHERS....
next would be v8s
then multi injection v6
and so on...

Mingus

I agree the DI motors need a different standard of care than their non DI counterparts.

Ethanol does burn cleaner than gasoline. But I believe its not the ethanol that's the problem, its whatever other garbage they are adding to the gasoline to keep the ethanol and gasoline mixed... They really aren't compatible compounds that mix too well.

Anyhow, what exactly is involved with a decarb procedure? Is anything dissembled and scrubbed down? How often should it be done?

slideland

There are various decarbs. throttle plate cleaning decarbs. intake runner decarb. top engine de carb, And fuel additives service kit. They are all vital and arent always sold to the Costumer. But every lexus knows to do these services.
The most common on is 45k decarb/60k. They come With alot and mutiple things get Removed for cleaning. Also improper cleaning can set codes and weird Conditions for the motor.

BEARCATJER

Sorry slideland, im not familiar with a decarb...what is that? do i need it on my RX350 and if so what should it cost approximately? I add fuel injector cleaner to my gas tank periodically...wonder if that is money well spent?

thanks for your help.

BEARCATJER

sorry for the last message. i hadnt noticed page 2 of the answers to this thread. thanks.

BEARCATJER

I have tried to buy an air filter recently and all of the auto parts places say they are special order...not in stock. Does anyone use the metal type air filters which are never supposed to need replacing? They cost about $50 and with a non metal type costing at least $30 from my checking around i'm thinking of going to the metal type...i think it is called a K & N or K & K brand?

slideland

all lexus vehicles need a decarb periodically. they are included in services offered in scheduled maintence. and the fuel injector cleaner is a great investment !! some service kits also come with them in it. so if you didnt want to spend extra money its already provided. but if you dont mind the extra effort you are doing a great deed.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

This service doesn't appear in the maintenance schedule of any Lexus I've ever seen... can you tell me what page of the owners manual with the service schedule I'd find this service on?

because I'm pretty sure the folks who built the car don't list it as needed ever.

(DI issues on the 250 aside)

It's a great way for dealerships to pocket extra cash though!



For the dealership.... since most cars don't really need the service but most drivers don't know that.


Good quality fuel already has considerable detergents to keep injectors clean.



Seriously though, my wifes SC300 is nearing 200k miles without either service... my friends LS400 has over 300k with neither service and a GS300 with neither service around 150k, another has an LS430 nearing 200k without either service, which he got to replace a GS300 with similar mileage, neither service.


If it's not in the manual, it's probably something the dealer is trying to talk you into because it's a profit center for the service dept.

(even the manual is overly aggressive- the OCIs on the 2IS for example are too short based on data from UOA... so if there was something the car actually needed regularly, it'd be in there)


Not to say there's not some poorly maintained cars out there that might benefit from it, but as a regular needed item for someone who properly maintains their car? Not so much.

slideland

how would i profit from a dealer's prospective if the car isnt even in my state? ill write this thread here in a second of this motor in the bay next to me. it will be quite interesting...especially for you...

i told you guys im only here to offer help... and offer CORRECT DIRECT SOURCE of INFORMATION..
its in every lexus INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICE BULLETIN. it doesnt even say in your manual how to service your car it offeres DIY maintenance section.... and thats a handful.... does spark plugs have a section in there?????

does changing tranmission fluid have a section in there??? doesnt even tell you how and when to touch your DIFFERENTIAL FLUID...
its a pretty invalid arguement...with that, owners manual are a voted and requested ITEM... if i told you that your lexus's once upon a time needed a valvelash adjustment you would say go kill your self.... im not paying 900 bucks every other year...

AND
YOU MENTION LEXUS'S THAT WERE BULLETPROOF... you can run a LS400 AND SC300 WITHOUT COOLANT AND THEY COME IN WITH GOOD COMPRESSION..



but i have done my fair share of ls430 with carbon/emission codes NIGHTMARES. 4 day diag's

slideland

and the people who built these motors are the same people who brushed off 4 YEARS of customers complaining about paying for motors at 90k to 35k miles before it was a problem...

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Really? Can you post a TIS entry showing that regular scheduled service for all models (or any model other than the IS250) calls for routine decarb at the dealership?



Actually, the manual DOES tell when when to do all required scheduled service.

It explicitly states that transmission and diff fluid do NOT require changing.

(though dealers are happy to pad your bill by offering to do this- even in the years before it was even physically possible to do it for the transmission).

Plugs are every 60k FYI.

No where in that list of scheduled service does it list decarbonization service... not for the IS350, not for the SC300, not for the GS300, nor for the LS400 or LS430, etc...


But wait, you just told us ALL Lexus cars require this service regularly.


Apparently even YOU can't agree with you.



And I specifically said this isn't to say NO car ever needs the service. Drive a Lexus with crap gas, too-infrequent oil changes, poor air filter maintenance in bad environments, etc and sure you can gum the engine up pretty good and need cleaning.

But as normal, routine, scheduled service for a car otherwise maintained properly, which is what you claimed?

Nobody says that except a dealer who wants your money.

The folks that built the thing sure don't. Otherwise it'd be listed in the scheduled service in the manual.