August 1991

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Dear Tom and Ray:
I was listening to your radio show a few weeks ago, and I heard you advise a woman from Nashville who was having trouble with carbon deposits on the valves of her 1985 Camry. I own a 1984 Camry, and have had the same troubles for some time. You said that to dissolve the deposits, you can use a can of something Toyota sells for about $15. What's the name of the stuff? I'd like to try it.
Dan

TOM: Actually, Dan, Toyota doesn't make or even endorse any product for removing carbon deposits from valves. But a Toyota dealer we know swears by a fuel injection cleaner called 44K. It's made by B-G industries in Wichita, Kansas.

RAY: When carbon deposits build up on the valves of Camrys, the valves have trouble closing when they're hot. That causes the car to lose power--and it's particularly noticable when you're trying to accelerate or climb a hill.

TOM: And the Toyota dealer we work with recommends adding a can of 44K to a full tank of gas once every 15,000 miles. Does it work? It certainly seems to.

RAY: If it doesn't, send your $15 to us, and we'll send you a set of Click and Clack subliminal carbon dissolving cassettes. You play them in your cassette deck overnight, and in the morning, the carbon deposits are gone.

Back to the August 1991 index

© 2008 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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Auto repairs can be costly! Save money by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet: "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.