Cleaning Carbon from piston tops?
Thread Starter
Senior Member since 1492
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 87,942
Likes: 156
From: Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get me...
St. Jude Donor '09
Cleaning Carbon from piston tops?
What's a good & preferably easy method to remove carbon deposits from my piston heads? Sand paper? Steel wool?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 3,206
Likes: 0
From: WANTED: '68 rear valance with b/u light assemblies IM, e-mail, or PM me here. Thanks!
Re: Cleaning Carbon from piston tops? (1970 Stingray)
Are you talking about leaving the pistons in while cleaning??? Try this and you’ll probably do more harm then good. How do your spark plugs look? You may just need to run a hotter plug.
Thread Starter
Senior Member since 1492
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 87,942
Likes: 156
From: Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get me...
St. Jude Donor '09
Re: Cleaning Carbon from piston tops? (63Banshee)
Are you talking about leaving the pistons in while cleaning??? Try this and you’ll probably do more harm then good. How do your spark plugs look? You may just need to run a hotter plug.
Thread Starter
Senior Member since 1492
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 87,942
Likes: 156
From: Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get me...
St. Jude Donor '09
Re: Cleaning Carbon from piston tops? (clem zahrobsky)
Thanks guys, wife doesn't agree but she doesn't know engines! I'll leav'em as is.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 831
Likes: 0
From: Reston VA
Re: Cleaning Carbon from piston tops? (Wrencher)
I would not touch them. If you are concerned about carbon deposits just do an induction service every 15K miles and keep her clean and running mean.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,469
Likes: 6
From: 68 427 4.11s Roadster
Re: Cleaning Carbon from piston tops? (ScubaJKD)
I used crystal simple green to dissolve the carbon and gunk. But This was for the parts that were removed. Heads and exhaust, valves, springs, everything I could soak in it. The stuff dissolved gunge without scrubbing. I also had carbon growths on some of these parts. Yours look only cosmetic, from the look of the pistons.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 2,145
Likes: 1
From: Ft. Walton Beach, Fl USA
Re: Cleaning Carbon from piston tops? (1970 Stingray)
I have done mine before when I had the heads off and time on my hands but it probably served no good purpose. My understanding is the black stuff is a by product of using unleaded fuel. They were probably black again after a few miles of driving. 
