Define " italian tune up" please

[stalkersvt]

Ok i was going to trade the tour for a mitsu lancer evo 8, but dont trust the engines on them. While researching these cars the forums refered to the "itialian tune-up"

From what i can gather you put seafoam in the engine then drive the piss out of the car for 1 hr. I guess this does 3 things (so they say)
1. Cleans carbon out of the engine (possible)
2. Stops valve chatter (dont know why)
3. causes the rings to and seals to expand.

What in the world is this madness? anyone have a true definition of this?

 

[LauraSVT]

If you go back far enough, Italian tune up referred to goosing the hell out of a car in an effort (vain or not) to get it back into some kind of equilibrium. This may very well have stemmed from the fact that many Italian cars have engines that are balanced and blueprinted, and thus are not too happy idling or sitting in traffic, but rather, like to run fast.

As for the intake manifold cleaning, I'm not a fan, but there are folks on here that are and will happily help out with feedback, though I'd search it first. If, however, I were removing the plenum for some reason, I would hit it with Berryman's to give it a good cleaning while it was out of the car, but only then.

 

[stalkersvt]

I see that makes sence now. Seems dangerous to me, but that is me, lol.

 

[AliasJerk]

If you go back far enough, Italian tune up referred to goosing the hell out of a car in an effort (vain or not) to get it back into some kind of equilibrium. This may very well have stemmed from the fact that many Italian cars have engines that are balanced and blueprinted, and thus are not too happy idling or sitting in traffic, but rather, like to run fast.

As for the intake manifold cleaning, I'm not a fan, but there are folks on here that are and will happily help out with feedback, though I'd search it first. If, however, I were removing the plenum for some reason, I would hit it with Berryman's to give it a good cleaning while it was out of the car, but only then.

trust me, the UIM cleaning is entirely worth it.

Starjammir and I did it on an 01 cougar, Every one of the EGR passages were coated with black tar, The Secondary valves were just as bad, dont even get me started on the inside of the UIM, just GROUSE.

After cleaning, we went for a drive in it, there was a lot of extra power, and the engine even sounded more throaty.

 

[98SVTC]

When I was in "Ford school" our instructor mentioned this manner of a tune up with the addition of a quart of ATX fluid in the gas. He said the exhaust would smoke some but all the intake manifold passages would be cleared, carbon blown off the piston tops, rings would seal better and probably every other "good thing" you can name would happen. When I got my first job at a dealer, the tune up guy I worked with used to drizzle water down the carb on the big block motors while reving them in order to blast the carbon off the piston heads. Seems the big blocks would develop a carbon knock after a while. It was a little too drastic of an operation for me though and I never did it myself.
Karl

 

[twocontours]

When I was in "Ford school" our instructor mentioned this manner of a tune up with the addition of a quart of ATX fluid in the gas. He said the exhaust would smoke some but all the intake manifold passages would be cleared, carbon blown off the piston tops, rings would seal better and probably every other "good thing" you can name would happen. When I got my first job at a dealer, the tune up guy I worked with used to drizzle water down the carb on the big block motors while reving them in order to blast the carbon off the piston heads. Seems the big blocks would develop a carbon knock after a while. It was a little too drastic of an operation for me though and I never did it myself.
Karl

The only thing that goes through the intake manifold is air or EGR blowby. Nothing put in the gas tank can clean the UIM/LIM.

 

[Big Jim]

Italian Tune Up refers to a method of cleaning fouled spark plugs. It often worked on engines with a distributor, especially old enough to still use points in the distributor. Todays engines have a much hotter (higher available voltage) so this technique isn't needed.

Driving the car, bring the engine speed up to where it starts to miss, then back off to where the miss just barley stops. Then crown the engine speed and load back to where it misses again and then back off. By driving at the ragged edge of the miss and the upper limit of the ignition system's available voltage, often the plug will heat up enough to blow off the deposits and run good again.

I don't know how it got the name "Italian Tune Up", but there is also a "Mexican Tune Up". It involves revving the engine on a carburetor equipped engine while rapidly opening and closing the choke. The rapid change in pressures in the carb venturi (throat) often cleared varnish deposits from the circuits and restored carb performance, especially idle quality.

Either way, they were cheap repairs that often worked.

 

[stalkersvt]

powersteering

powersteering

We used to run powersteering fluid into the carb on older cars to blow the carbon off. then we saw the amount of smoke it put off and installed a toyota wiper moter onto a powersteering bottle lid, sealed it with silicone, and plumbed it into the carb of my friends mustang and would use it as smokescreen, lol. it was wrong, but people woudnt ride his ass, lol.

 

[ContourGuy9817]

lmao, i have used 16 cans of carb cleaner on my LIM, UIM, and TB and thats what it took, lol i even used valvoline cleanr, the other stuff sucked, so 14 cans of valvoline cleaner to clean my ish and it runs amazing. i should do it again cuz at 76 thousand you could tell it had never been done. now im at 100,500 and im sure its nasty again.

 

[ZeroHour]

I always thought the an "italian Tune up" was taking a car out and putting into any one gear and driving the **** out of it at a high rpm. Like if I turn OD off on the ATX and drive down the highway at 70 so the rpms so so freakin high for a long period of time, the entire engine gets to a high temperture and it will help clean up the carb/injectors, plugs, cyclinders, values, exhaust, and oil lubicated parts of any deposits. It was generally used on cars that drive short distances or cars that sat in traffice in low idle. (i.e. running a cool engine makes deposits, so making it hot will help clean it out)

 

[Big Jim]

I always thought the an "italian Tune up" was taking a car out and putting into any one gear and driving the **** out of it at a high rpm. Like if I turn OD off on the ATX and drive down the highway at 70 so the rpms so so freakin high for a long period of time, the entire engine gets to a high temperture and it will help clean up the carb/injectors, plugs, cyclinders, values, exhaust, and oil lubicated parts of any deposits. It was generally used on cars that drive short distances or cars that sat in traffice in low idle. (i.e. running a cool engine makes deposits, so making it hot will help clean it out)

That used to be called "blowing out the cobwebs". Maybe they were Italian spiders.

 

[98SVTC]

The only thing that goes through the intake manifold is air or EGR blowby. Nothing put in the gas tank can clean the UIM/LIM.

Incorrect. The carburator sits on top of the intake manifold so both fuel (and whatever it was spiked with) and air go through it. I know I didn't mention in this post when I went to Ford school but I did mention the drizzling water down the carb (not throttle body) deal so that should have been a clue that I wasn't talking about fuel injected engines. :idea: :troutslap: :laugh:
Karl