After a distance of about 60,000-100,000 km, the filling line, injection needle and some details related to the fuel filling - injection process on cars often accumulate dirt and soot. This is a phenomenon that occurs during long-term engine operation, especially when the car frequently moves in crowded traffic conditions or operates at low speeds.
According to a technician at the Ninety Eight Auto Auto Repair, Maintenance and Care Center (Cat Lai ward, Ho Chi Minh City), if not cleaned periodically, the increasing amount of sediment can hinder air flow into the engine. The consequence is that the engine operates less smoothly, acceleration reactions are slower, fuel consumption increases and working efficiency decreases.
Diesel engines often accumulate more soot due to their operating characteristics and exhaust recirculation (EGR) system. However, direct injection gasoline (GDI) engines are also inevitably in this situation, because the fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber, so it does not clean the intake cylinder like in multi-point injection gasoline (MPI) engines, making dirt easily stick with time.
Currently, garages often apply two methods of cleaning the filling line and parts with soot.
The first method is manual cleaning. The technician will remove each detail to clean with specialized solution and appropriate tools. This is a traditional method, which has been applied for many years and is still effective if performed correctly. The cost is usually only about 2.5 million VND, suitable for most car owners.
The second method is cleaning using walnut blasting or CO2 dry ice blasting technology. Some garages in Vietnam are familiar with calling this method "rice husk blasting", but the actual material is usually finely ground walnuts.
This method uses specialized abrasives or CO2 dry ice to remove soot at difficult-to-reach locations, helping the cleaning process to be faster and more thorough. This technology is especially suitable for vehicles that have run over 100,000 km or have a large amount of soot accumulated. However, the cost is higher, usually ranging from 5-7 million VND.
According to experience from technicians at Ninety Eight Auto, both methods can be effective if applied correctly to the actual condition of the car. The walnut-shell or CO2 dry stone shooting technology has an advantage in deep cleaning and time saving, but not every vehicle needs to use it.
For cars with small amounts of dirt, manual cleaning usually meets the requirements. Meanwhile, walnut shell pellet or dry stone pellet technology is more suitable for engines with a lot of soot, especially diesel engines or direct injection gasoline (GDI) engines.
Therefore, car owners should check the fuel system condition before deciding on a cleaning plan. If the dirt is not too much, manual methods can help save costs while still being effective.
Only when the system is heavily dirty or requires in-depth cleaning should consider applying rice husk or CO2 dry ice technology. Proper maintenance not only helps the engine operate stably but also contributes to extending the lifespan of many parts in the fuel system.
