Recently, one of us had a check engine light come on and brought the vehicle in for service.  The service guy explained that several codes where stored in the onboard diagnostics and one of them required an Engine De-Carbonization or De-Carbonized (however you want to say it).  This is the first time I heard such a fancy term used for what the problem really was.  You see, carbon is a by-product of burnt fuel and air.  After a period of time, all engines build up a certain level of carbon deposits and some of this gunk can make its way into all kinds of nooks and crannys in the engine causing havoc to important emission controlling sensors.  Many times, using the wrong grade gasoline can cause increased carbon build up.

 

The dealership wanted to charge $170 for the engine de-carbonizing and the services consisted of hooking up a device to the intake manifold through the air filter hose and then releasing a chemical into the throttle body.  As this chemical makes it's way into the combustion chamber of the engine and is combusted, it begins to clean off the inside of the cylinder walls, intake/exhaust valves and all the areas the the exhaust travels there after.  This process can take a couple of hours to complete, but it can be effective.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend this service as a routine maintenance, but if the dealer tells you it should be done, you can consider it a safe and ok-to-do service.

 

The best way to prevent carbon build up is to use the correct grade gasoline from a reparable fuel provider (not at Joe's Pump and Wash), change your oil regularly and if possible use synthetic oil,  If you have a short commute try to take your car out for a long highway drive as often as possible.  It is important for your vehicle to be at operating temperature for at least 30 minutes everytime you drive it; and if that's not possible, take some long road trips on the weekends.