Carbon Build Up

[Clubman s]

Just had my Clubman S for a Main dealer service today, they say i have Carbon build up on inlet valves. They said that they are getting a new system in next year. where they shot blast the valves with walnut shells, they take off the inlet manifold and blast it and vacuum it out. My question is would a oil catch can solve the problem or slow it down and where can i get one in ireland and wait for the shot blast or get it done ASAP. It's only done 30000 miles and 4 years old.

[irlmin]

Hi ,
We have done lots of work on this problem and solved most of the issues , the 'blasting' method has been used in the US with years and will work however it will not cure the problem alone , nor will the other method employed by some main dealers by removing the head at vast expense and having the deposits removed by a machine shop ,the problem is caused because the MINI is 'direct' fuel injection and whereas in older engines the fuel/ air mix was sprayed directly on top of the valve face in the combustion chamber and therefore offered the valve face a cleaning method , this is not the case in the MINI R56 engine as the 'charge' is under the valve . this combined with a very restrictive closed circuit breather system designed to keep any carbon in the engine and not out the exhaust has led to major carbon build-up on the valve heads , in fact when we looked into the combustion chamber with a borescope for the 1st time some years ago we were shocked we could not see the valve stem or head .anyway there are several ways to solve this , we use a chemical treatment to remove the deposits and have a breather modification which ensures the problem is resolved , we have used this method on many cars and all report a huge improvement in oil consumption some even not having to top up between service intervals .yes an oil catch tank will help BUT you will need to empty it occasionally and we feel the method we have used with success is the best way forward both operationally and cost wise . hope this helps .
G

[TBi]

irlmin (Ger) used the chemical process to clean the carbon out of my car and my oil consumption reduced considerably. Oil consumption is a side effect of the carbon build up. They are mini experts and well worth bringing your car too. They know what they are talking about unlike my local mini garage, Keary's, in cork. Excellent after sales service too!

Better get it done sooner than later.

Oh and a remap does wonders!

[MiniMpi]

As others have said, Ger at O'Leary's Garage are the people to sort out your problem. They have also done the chemical treatment on my '07 R56 Cooper S and the breather modification. I also had the proper custom remap done at the same time.
It has transformed my car, reduced considerably the oil consumption and the car drives amazing.
The remap sorts out so much more than just raw power too, which it has a bucket load of, but also the general day to day running of the car too.

[Clubman s]

Thanks for the posts, I'll give them a ring Monday.

[AdyP]

Are there any ways to check if an R56 is starting to get build-up on its valves? Thought wood all is well with mine right now but if there are things I can do to investigate it or avoid it I would like to.

Would going for annual oil changes despite long-life oil being used be a good idea?

Are oil catch cans a good investment? I think you may have made something like this already for some of the guys Ger right?

[irlmin]

Adrian
The catch tank will help however VERY regular oil changes are essential , and make sure the oil used is 'low saps' and fully synthetic , the downside is however more regular oil changes are needed . longlife oil is in my opinion a non event and is designed to burn and of course if it burns you top up and therefore 'refresh' the oil in the engine ---hence longlife !! on an N14 or N18 MINI engine I would be changing oil at every 6000 to 10000 KM depending on the type of driving you do .
G