lol, the Italian tune up...
1-2 misfires on 2014 CX-5 2.5L - Should I be worried?
- Thread starter weitau
- Start date
Virgina shop estimate $700 - 1200
Volkswagen Golf - also 4 cylinder $300 - 900
6 hours of labor is typical, so multiply that by your shop hourly rate.
Shop carefully and ask them what they use. Walnuts or chemicals. If chemical, ask them will they assume responsibility if the check engine light comes on! Because that'll add to the cost. Given what happened to me, I would prefer a mechanical cleaning using harmless materials than chemicals that could cause O2 sensor or catalytic converter issues. Lastly, will they give you before and after pictures through their borescope, and not simply static pictures. With a $300 job, they could simply spray chemicals through the intake and call it a day.
Volkswagen Golf - also 4 cylinder $300 - 900
6 hours of labor is typical, so multiply that by your shop hourly rate.
Shop carefully and ask them what they use. Walnuts or chemicals. If chemical, ask them will they assume responsibility if the check engine light comes on! Because that'll add to the cost. Given what happened to me, I would prefer a mechanical cleaning using harmless materials than chemicals that could cause O2 sensor or catalytic converter issues. Lastly, will they give you before and after pictures through their borescope, and not simply static pictures. With a $300 job, they could simply spray chemicals through the intake and call it a day.
Question....if you were to spray the material in thru the intake at a sooner mileage, lets say every 50k miles does anyone know if this is enough to keep valves pretty clean?
I'm happy to report tonight that the laquer thinner trick worked! My check engine light went away 
I saved the cost of replacing the O2 sensors and possibily the cat.
So what did I do? The following is going to be far more detailed than needed, in case someone wants to replicate my results...
I used a gallon of Klean Strip Lacquer Thinner from Home Depot $24. Dumped the contents into the gas tank containing about 9 gallons of gas. It sat overnight. Started the engine, no problems, except for the check engine light. Got on the highway during rush hour - could not get the RPMs high enough. Drove 30 miles in mixed highway and local roads. Took a break to visit a friend. Drove another 30 miles with the transmission in 5th gear, reaching about 60 mph at 2500 rpm in 30 minutes. Check engine light still on. Drove 30 minutes home at varying speeds. CEL still on. Determined, I cleared the DTC and followed Scotty Kilmer's alternative to the Italian tune up - just rev the engine for 30 minutes. With the transmission in park, I ran the engine at 2300-2500 rpm for 30 minutes while monitoring engine temps (coolant temp 195-205 degrees, ambient temp 45 degrees, hood closed). CEL still off. Drove another 20 minutes on the highway with the transmission in 4th, averaging 2500-3000 rpm. Got home and the CEL was still off. I still have about 2.5 gallons of gas in the tank left.
I saved the cost of replacing the O2 sensors and possibily the cat.So what did I do? The following is going to be far more detailed than needed, in case someone wants to replicate my results...
I used a gallon of Klean Strip Lacquer Thinner from Home Depot $24. Dumped the contents into the gas tank containing about 9 gallons of gas. It sat overnight. Started the engine, no problems, except for the check engine light. Got on the highway during rush hour - could not get the RPMs high enough. Drove 30 miles in mixed highway and local roads. Took a break to visit a friend. Drove another 30 miles with the transmission in 5th gear, reaching about 60 mph at 2500 rpm in 30 minutes. Check engine light still on. Drove 30 minutes home at varying speeds. CEL still on. Determined, I cleared the DTC and followed Scotty Kilmer's alternative to the Italian tune up - just rev the engine for 30 minutes. With the transmission in park, I ran the engine at 2300-2500 rpm for 30 minutes while monitoring engine temps (coolant temp 195-205 degrees, ambient temp 45 degrees, hood closed). CEL still off. Drove another 20 minutes on the highway with the transmission in 4th, averaging 2500-3000 rpm. Got home and the CEL was still off. I still have about 2.5 gallons of gas in the tank left.
I can't say for sure, but others have recommended this procedure at 20,000 miles. I've seen some YouTube videos where they used the intake spray, and it hardly did anything. The chemical needs time to soak into the carbon, and if the carbon layer is thick, one spray won't do anything. On the otherhand, it stand to reason that thin carbon layers can be easier to clean, and if I had a newer direct injection car, I'd do it every 10,000 miles.
I would recommend choosing low volatility motor oil, and fuel up with higher octane premium gas. Volatility measures the propensity of the oil to vaporize in conditions inside the engine. Where does this vapor go? Through the emissions system - via the PCV valve and into the intake where it collects on the surfaces which hinders airflow.
Here is a forum discussion on oil volatility.
