Terraclean on S4 4.2lt engine

[mjhamilton]

I stepped in something by asking in the C6 thread and was told I would be better off asking in my own area

So here it is

My 4.2 is now on 79k and is running very nicely from what I can tell - service history is good and the oil is nice an clean from the day I took ownership a few months back.....

Now I know Terraclean is not really hitting the mark on the FSI engines but has anyone had the treatment done on a non FSI 4.2 petrol??... I know the claims are all about cleansing and renewed economy but I am purely just looking more at an internal clean to bring a new lease of life back to the old girl

I have a quote for £126 to get this done and just want to get some input and thoughts from those in the know

[gupsterg]

Hi ya mate ...

Yours may not be FSI engine but is a direct injection engine from what I looked at ...

So IMO the cleaner will be going through the fuel system only and into piston chamber directly ...

I am on the fence about terraclean as you read, somedays yaay others naay ...

What benefit do you envisage from terraclean?

What do you think it will clean?

[mjhamilton]

that is the million $$ question and why I was asking - I know that with the EGR system Audi engines can get pretty carbonised (I think that's a word) inside - the claims (yes I know they are claims) are that the service will blast this out and also clean the cats and other parts to reduce emissions and improve general running an economy

All sounds good but in my 21 years of driving I have heard the same claims made by RedEx and others which turned out to be meaningless - and this is not a 99p shot that you add into the tank - I am just looking at putting the car into the best condition I can for me to use over the next few years

The guy doing the service claims that is worked well on his 3lt non FSI engine but again I take that with a pinch of salt


oh and the engineer in me has the same doubts as you on what it will actually clean inside the engine..... if they would actually show a before and after and charge me nothing if they cannot prove it worked then I would be al lover it

[gupsterg]

Ask the guy how he will input the formula into the engine?

Now if he says we connect it to the fuel system then in my mind all it's doing is cleaning components upto the point where it blast into the piston chamber. Once entering the chamber it's gonna go bang, so how does the vapour clean everything else out?

Yesterday I was cleaning a EGR cooler for my V6 3.0 TDi, I blasted it with air compressor set to 8-10 bar even then soot clung to it. Later I started using foaming oven cleaner and agitating it with pipe cleaners, etc and even then I've still got soot clinging on.

Now if the mixture is going into the piston chamber like I'm describing how does it remove carbon from inlet & exhaust valves?

When doing some research on my own EGR issues I thought lets look for photos of valves ...

Here is a pic of RS4 B7 valves from MRC Tuning Facebook site ... Link:- https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

RS4 B7 valves.jpg

I'm no mechanic ...

I'm just an owner ...

I would like a cleaner to work like terraclean but just can't see it after all the bits of intake/EGR I have been manually cleaning ...

[mjhamilton]

that looks like a sad owl with its eye shut

sorry got distracted - I totally agree - I am at a loss to how it works... the claim is that the vapours are still capable of cleaning even post ignition - remember this process was found by mistake when they were looking for a cleaner combustion solution - the fact that they claim it also treats the cats and internal exhaust as well would somehow lay credence to this logic

I too am an owner and not a chemist or chemical engineer - I may play the "if you can prove the cleaning before and after then I will pay" card and see what happens... as for the EGR in theory if the post ignition gases clean the exhaust and cat then they should also work here as well..................... they can only say no

I am intrigued

[mjhamilton]

Also it is worth noting that my BBK engine doesn't have an egr system

[gupsterg]

OMG! hubba hubba , I wanna S4!

[mjhamilton]

I spent the last few days trying to find it out of curiosity

Then I found the statement on elsawin stating it doesn't have one

Made me smile inside

Guess my engine will be cleaner than most vag units

[Dammad]

My BBK S4 has been using too much oil over the last year and fouling 2 of the spark plugs and has created a fault in one of my pre cats.
I'm almost sure it's valve guides and not bore or ring problems and considered doing a major clean but after talking to a few people decided not to because an engine that has wear may need a certain amount of Carbon to help seal helping compression or help prevent oil consumption.
I came across Startron or Soltron which has enzyme in its makeup and after my first tank I noticed better performance, I'm convinced the engine sounded a little different on tickover, this product boasts of the ability to clean everything it comes in contact with within the engine.
I don't have fouling plugs now and when the cat throws a fault it's much less often, a long very hard drive will help to clean that cat and keep the light away for a while longer.
This may be a more gentle safer option and it's the only fuel additive that I'd consider.


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[mjhamilton]

ok... I don't want to start a fire here but

Provisionally booked for 11am on Wednesday morning - they are going to do an emissions test before and after to show the immediate results of the process

Also I bought the car in July 13 with 78k on the clock - she now has nearly 81k and on day one I reset the overall DIS so it has captured my average MPG over this time period and mileage

I know this is not 100% accurate but will offer some baseline to see if the process has had any effect on the engine performance and economy

Time period = 8 months
Miles = 3000
Average MPG (according to DIS) over this period = 17.6mpg (this has remained pretty consistent during my ownership)

I will post up the pre and post emission tests and also reset the master DIS to monitor the MPG over time, I will also try to get some pictures if I can

Engine is a 4.2 v8 BBK which is not FSI and doesn't have an EGR system, also being a Cabriolet and my 'toy' does a lot of small journeys so in theory is the literature is correct it should be a prime candidate for this treatment

What I would determine as a success factors
- lower emissions (immediate) which would mean cleaner engine, internals, cat and cleaner burn
- improved MPG, I am not expecting miracles but just a few MPG in my case would make a difference (this will take time to prove)

Will report back once done