I Dumped Water Into A Running BMW Engine To Clean Bad Carbon Deposits & Here's What Happened.

[@LegitStreetCars]

What's the car worth after these repairs? Head to keeps.com/legit for 50% off your first order of Keeps hair loss treatment! Click on this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4jbcnVjZql5b7s and comment "Legit" to enter to win the $300 wash bucket kit!

[@roypereira5123]

Legit

[@FreakinJeepGarage]

You probably should have mentioned that the copper line you used was a brake line approved product and not plumbing copper line. Plumbing line will fail when used for brake lines.

[@TheSoap1946]

I don’t think it’s worth fully restoring with paint considering the mileage and auto trans, but def worth giving it TLC now that it’s running

[@nickcrill7718]

Watch deboss garage 😂 some of the parts on his rigs get so rusty that I wouldn’t want them lol he says they are totally fine. I live in Washington so I know rust. But Canada is on another level.

[@nukedathlonman]

My best guess is $5-6000 at the moment. Fully fixed up... $7-8000. Then again, as you say the used car market is super heated, so my numbers might be out to lunch (they sure have been for the last year). Normally I'd agree with your current thought that it might not be worth doing a bolt by bolt resto for a 4-door automatic three series from the 80's, but these care are getting rarer and rarer all the time and they where nice cars of the time - I do see that changing at some point.

[@bugskatealcax5235]

i've done this before a bunch of times , next time you should try to use a spray bottle and spray the water directly to the throttle body while giving it a slight throttle , it doesnt die as much and works even better , its also impossible to hydrolock it this way and it seems that the water vaporizes even faster because its in a smaller volume. amazing videos as always cheers mate !

[@sukhwinderkainth3615]

Exactly right it does work and I have done this a few times. I would also recommend using hot water in the spray bottle.

[@brianbrians3157]

What about using a handheld steam cleaner?

[@derekking7186]

An old girlfriends father had me on the throttle of an old cutlass ciera as he poured water down the carb. All he said over and over was don’t let it die, don’t let let it die! Lol.

[@Beer_Dad1975]

@@brianbrians3157 Since the engine is at temperature, if you spray a mister into it it'll turn the water into steam almost instantly - but I guess if you already have a steamer it would work to.

[@Beer_Dad1975]

Yup, my Dad always used a cheap plastic spray bottle, just removed the air filler hose from the throttle body and went at it - worked a treat. Also he would mix in a small amount of isopropyl cleaning alcohol - I think around 15% but not 100% sure on that.

[@timtompkins150]

I'm your old school viewer you spoke of. I'm 71 and spent 40 years in the business. Yes the water bottle was always helpful to stop pinging. I used to be sure that the customer never watched. The crap blowing out the exhaust was what showed it worked.

[@sauer0960]

Use carbonated water for the engine cleaning, that works even better than regular water, The rear subframe bushings looks bad, when the subframe is almost sitting on the large lower washer, they are gone.. im a bmw tech from Denmark, and i took my mecanic degree from 1991-1995 at a bmw dealer so i worked on alot of E30😀 Love your videos😍

[@Sensie]

Hej Christian, du bliver nød til at se @M539 kanal. Han er igang med at istandsætte en E30

[@jasonswift7098]

Listen to this guy he knows what he is talking about.

[@douglasmiller1467]

As a person that suffers from MS that means a great deal to me Alex. The MS society of Oregon has been a great help to me over the years with resources and transportation when I'm unable to drive myself. God bless you Alex!

[@rosecity7488]

I volunteered at the MSSP for years 🙏

[@rickgregoire9041]

I've been a licensed mechanic since 1972 and we used water on all the old fogey's Buicks and Olds and Caddies since all they did was poke around in 'em and the carbon build up was something else. They would complain about the cars running on 20 minutes after they shut them off or pinging even on super. Before ripping them off for a complete tune up (unnecessary) we would do the old water drip treatment. You just have to watch you don't hydraulic it but these guys were on pensions and it saved them a lot of money and fixed the problem.

[@K0Kaz]

Anyone who's opened an engine with a blown head gasket knows how clean that coolant gets the combustion chamber.

[@fundamentallybroken4194]

Yeah, been there.

[@rkan2]

Water is a great cleaner.

[@gerrievanstaden3416]

🤣 It hurts so bad

[@AgentOrange96]

Yeah, I've heard a blown head gasket cleans an engine real well. If it weren't for that, I'd be a lot more surprised at how well this worked.

[@Kmanjr0]

Sad but true

[@donaldcolbert8317]

My old mentor/neighbor was a mechanic for united airlines back when they used to have piston engines. He said in the test cells they could run water and lean out the fuel past where they could running just aviation gas and the engine would still run. He said when they took the engine apart they looked brand new as well. He actually engineered a water injection system on the Webber side drafts for his 240Z. Damn I miss that dude......

[@toddk1479]

That’s pretty cool

[@daddynichol52]

Makes sense due to the expansion power of the steam coupled with the explosive power of the fuel.

[@btrdangerdan2010]

What an interesting guy I wish I could have met him.

[@Sonny_V]

Nice Tribute to an old friend. One of the bad parts about getting old, people leave us and we miss them.

[@tedgrevers5782]

Alex, older generation checking in here- the “steam” approach has worked well on non-emission cars- literally blowing it all out of the tailpipe. For emissions cars with a catalytic converter, I have to wonder if that all carbon collects in the converter and eventually causes damage? Might need to be run the vehicle for a few hours to burn down the larger bits of carbon that won’t pass through the honeycombs. Keep up the good work- great to see someone working on a vehicle and showing how to address the everyday problems that we all run into- especially mid-west influenced issues.

[@1stfrompuertorico568]

One little trick I learned from a friend who is a mechanic and has done lots of brake lines is that he uses reusable/releasable cable tie wraps to hold the lines temporarily so he can continue bending across the vehicle and before final setting in place, meanwhile they don't fall and can continue to the end.

[@miscbits6399]

velcro straps FTW

[@1stfrompuertorico568]

@@miscbits6399 👍👍yes, that also will work, thanks

[@donthewellguy]

How can 43 people already thumbs down this man or any of his videos??? Most wholesome and honest automotive channel on KZbin! You keep up the great work Alex!!!

[@BetterCallGatto]

Competition

[@AniClips699]

1 year later and only 189 thumbs down now.....not a bad ratio ^_^

[@MrGGPRI]

Clueless non-mechanical keyboard, "joystick" punchers...

[@aaronbritt2025]

I guess I'm officially an old timer (48). Been using water injection for years. In fact, one of the best Meth injection systems you can buy is made by Aquamist. As you can surmise from the name, they started as a water injection company. It lowers IAT's, has the same effect as increasing octane and keeps the engine clean. It allows increased ignition timing and higher compression ratios. It was fist used in military aviation engines to boost power for dogfights. I recommend using distilled water to prevent leaving mineral residues in the engine.

[@MH3200]

Man, i thought it was some kinda joke, I've never imagined cleaning the engine from the inside with water, but a quick question, wouldn't that rust the engine from the inside over time?

[@Thebadbeaver9]

@@MH3200 no rusting will occur, if the engine is up to operating temperature, the water will almost instantly turn to steam when it hits the cylinder. Any water left in the plastic intake or anywhere else will quickly evaporate due to the higher temps.

[@terminalfx]

Distilled water is the key. Agreed 100%

[@VigilanceTech]

Usually when you get these cars they've been granny driven so much they're all carboned up so if you run a couple gallons of water thru, and you're water isn't super hard, there's really no reason to run distilled, providing the next person who owns it, and every successive person doesn't drive it like a granny too. This process is usually only a once in a life of the car type of process (where an enthusiast saves one from a granny and after that isn't afraid to put his foot into it once in a while).

[@aaronbritt2025]

@@VigilanceTech I was talking about water injection.... Use distilled.

[@chrisbarnhart4178]

i have multiple sclerosis and so does my mother! that warms my heart!! thank you for bringing awareness and donating. your best bet is to manual swap it. that would add more value than anything else and isn't that hard especially with a lift brotha. more bmws plz!! e34 next!! e36? e24? so many classics that are amazing and you will naturally bring the value up reminding peepos how special these cars are.

[@hynestimothy411]

This is why I like legit street cars because Alex picks hopeless European sports cars that no one would ever touch like bmws and Mercedes and seems to put some life back into them. Truly a miraculous thing that anyone can believe. Great show Alex, you know how to keep the show interesting especially with the content, huge fan

[@vojvoda-draza]

This bmw is highly sought after, it's a timeless classic

[@bikeman1x11]

he truly is a master dealing with these cars - many mechanics can fix a late 90's early 2k Honda-

[@colormesarge]

@@vojvoda-draza shhh, don't tell everyone

[@markbennett6658]

This 3 series was made before they became ‘hopeless’ but otherwise I also concur!

[@stephaniesadler7015]

Not sure what your t alking about the 90 percent of the vehicles on the channel are highly collectable and pieces of history websites and forums based on them and people looking for one in any condition fact

[@scttrowe1163]

I just wanted to tell you that I really love watching your videos over other car guys.. 1. First is you don't cuss in your videos. 2. You have such an upbeat attitude that makes it fun to watch. 3. I am amazed at your knowledge but at times you are very humble and ask for people to comment for a answer to the problem. Nobody likes a know it all attitude. 4. We can truly see you are doing something you love, it shows. I would have loved to have you as a auto shop teacher in high school. 5. I like how you break things down and explain things in layman terms so even a person that doesn't know mechanical stuff (which is myself) to understand whats going on. Get up the greatt work. My favorites are the red corvette that you repaired. Keep up the great work!

[@kendallwhitlatch9603]

Use "Universal Solvent" AKA: distilled water. Tap water has a bunch of minerals and other crap in it like Chlorine. Distilled water REALLY wants to attach to things like carbon. Drinking distilled water is not recommended because it will strip minerals out of your system if used exclusively. I once repaired a dead laptop by tearing it down to it's individual pieces and soaking them in distilled water. It had a Coke spilled into it and then left in a drawer for two years. Worked like new after.

[@misterfeedback202]

You are right on the distilled water. I was in the water biz for 20 years. It is ok for people to drink, but to your point it is very bland with no mineral profile. People with kidney issues drink distilled. On another note if a water company has spring water and the spring has issues, they can take distilled water and add the minerals to get the same mineral profile so the distilled tastes just like the spring water.

[@miscbits6399]

Just as a PSA, if you wash down a laptop or other electronic device, you should soak 'em in 99% IPA (isopropyl) afterwards to strip out the water. One of the chemical companies I use for IPA (3D printing uses a lot of it) told me that phone repair outfits are his biggest customers

[@CaptainXanax]

Interesting.... I'm a watchmaker, and when we clean parts we use 3 cycles. We have an initial cleaning solution that we use for 10 minutes, then a distilled water rinse for 5 minutes, and then 99% IPA for 5 minutes. I'm going to experiment with just distilled water for the cleaning solution as well.

[@AlessandroGenTLe]

@@miscbits6399 true, and not for them only. I work (for hobby) on watch movements. Stuff like Rolex, Omega, JLC, Panerai etc. To service them you need to disassemble them completely, wash them with special watch degreaser agents (or you can just use strong car degreaser diluted in water) in a expensive machine (or by hand using a soft brush), pass them through ultrasonic cleaning machine, rinsing them and, very last and very important, pass the parts through isopropile alcohol to remove all water (and then let parts dry on lint-free paper and then reassemble everything putting microscopic amount of very specific oils and greases in the right places).

[@Tiberius_I]

but by the time it came out of storage it was an obsolete laptop?

[@red95gts]

If you think you like the hood design now, wait until you have to remove it. Ingenious design, easiest hood ever to remove/install. Glad you got it going!

[@Mab0fSteel]

Just make sure to mark the mount points before removing or else you'll have a rough time putting it back on and aligning

[@ashishpatel350]

Use distilled water that is heated that way it steams up quick. As long as you don't pour too much you'll be fine.

[@actschp1]

Something you may want to consider is that a water methanol injection system will do the same, lower exhaust gas temps, increase your octane and it's very simple system to install. Plus if you do a permanent install, it'll continuously clean your intake, valves and Pistons. And it won't cause the stumbling issue you get with straight water.

[@bobstride6838]

Some old style aircraft piston engines used exactly that setup for more power at take off. IIRC they called it a 'wet take off'? May have the terminology incorrect but the principle is the same.

[@donfolk5111]

Your valves have varnish on the stems and when the engine is cold is real gluey and when it's hot it gets more oily the valves of work perfectly fine when the engines hot but when it cools off the varnish gets hard and causes a spouse to stick open you need to run stuff through the fuel to clean all the varnish off the stems or they will continue to stick

[@edpollard989]

This is your "sweet spot", diagnosing and repairing cars we can own and maintain, the V12's are not what I would ever consider owning due to the insane engine out maintaining. The old Rolls is interesting because it is an old Rolls, but the restoration of daily drivers and old semi classics is very entertaining and informative, keep them coming!

[@Sniper269]

Cool, I've always wanted to see a real world result from water/steam cleaning the internals.

[@cyrildrewery6654]

Hi Alex, great job again. Renault / Nissan mechanics here. We use to connect the windshield washer pipe to the inlet manifold to spray water on demand while driving to delete carbon as you did (when bad knocking due to too high compression occurred). We did this usually with carbureted cars driven in town "too much". CO would typically drop from 3.5% to 0.2% by his simple free clean up. On modern cars, you could use the evap inlet to perform this pipe swap.

[@blamebobo45]

Love seeing someone working on rust issues and showing how we deal with said issues in the Midwest. Love it!

[@olikat8]

Makes me grateful I don't live there anymore-

[@t.alanblain6313]

Rust, RUST? You haven't seen anything until you see underneath a car from the UK. I actually think that the road department spray acid on the roads in winter!

[@michaelkrenzer3296]

@@t.alanblain6313 Sorry, Most of the US norther Midwest (Ohio, PA, WI, IL, MI) and certainly New York and Maine can make the road departments in the UK blush. The shear volume over time due to the long winters with lots of white fluffy stuff wins.

[@t.alanblain6313]

@@michaelkrenzer3296 👍

[@Rebasepoiss]

@@t.alanblain6313 I live in Estonia (in Tallinn) and it's the same over here. Tonnes and tonnes of salt are poured on the street every day during winter (which basically lasts half a year over here). Some cars rust away already in 10 years. The Mazdas of early to mid 2000s were especially bad (Mazda 3 and Mazda 6).

[@tollefreyerson6710]

Great project Alex. I’ve used H2O for carbon build up over 30yrs. It’s never ever failed to get rid of it. As you mentioned never kill the motor when inducing the H2O! Old Skool is on point!

[@yaroslavnesteruk9507]

Don't leaking head gaskets that leak into the cylinder, have the cleanest cylinders out the whole engine?

[@rustler08]

Yes

[@derekduso8387]

because of youtubers like you, car wizard and many more, i have been doing my own repairs on 4 of my vehicles. ranging from 96 lexus es300 work car to 01 corvette z06 for maintenance. thank you.

[@kentmckean6795]

When I do the "steam cleaning" of an engine, I usually use a 2 gallon pump up yard sprayer. Stick the sprayer wand end into your vacuum leak/input port allowing for a little air leakage past the sprayer wand. Start the engine and wrap a ty-wrap or tape around the trigger of the yard sprayer. Don't forget to pump up the pressure every 5 minutes and when the sprayer tank is empty, so is the job!

[@miscbits6399]

if you have shop air, you could add a pressurisation port to the tank...

[@acconboy]

Have been using the water trick since the late 80's - works fantastic, but the key is taking your time and running it in slowly. I usually do about a gallon.

[@davida4743]

You are one of the best, thorough mechanics I’ve ever seen. Love the video.

[@BentonHart]

Next time you should probably use distilled water, and a sprayer of some sort to atomize the droplets in the intake tract so it's easier on the engine.

[@ANT_justtooreal]

Love your channel. You are an automotive mind and expert. Thank you for putting your wealth of experience for our viewing pleasure.

[@richardreilly6550]

I had a 64 Nova that I threw a used small block 327 in, back in the late 70s. I steamed the inside of the engine with water by squirting water down the Holley 4 barrel. I never had any problems with that engine. I like watching your videos, they are very entertaining and helpful to those with the specific vehicle you are working on. Keep on wrenching!

[@chesterraybon3442]

Quit spending all that money and run a quart of ATF through the intake. We've tried all the other stuff but ATF works every time. If it don't you need a valve job. Great video as always. 😎👍👌

[@max_edits_stuff]

My aunt has MS really bad, so I very much appreciate you donating towards research in finding a cure/treatment ❤

[@zollotech]

Thought you may have needed valve springs for a moment.

[@RicardoCanedoMX]

Hi Aaron!

[@gergo_telekfi]

I tought so

[@cjmarcel2971]

Never thought you’d watch him glad u do

[@rebaznajatmajeed]

Hey Aaron ... I am a fan from kurdistan ❤️

[@wht67]

As an MS sufferer I want to thank for anything you donate! I had to give up working on cars due to my illness (numb fingers and chronic fatigue don't go well with working on cars). Love the channel!

[@charlierosenbusch3007]

I love the water treatment I've seen my father do it when I was a kid. That's one of the things that I love about your channel you show the before an after results. As far as this cats worth even though it is a four door. I think in the north where cars rot away and this being a really clean car you could get 3 to possibly 4 grand out of it depending on how much you can do with the paint and the rest of the body. I can't wait to see what comes next. Thanks again for the original content and stay safe.

[@harrytitus9184]

Charlie Rosenbusch, your guess is way low on three to four thousand dollars for this for this E30. These are starting to go up in price because all of the two doors are so expensive now nice ones are bringing 8000 to$12,000.

[@mannine99]

That added caster M3 control arm bushing is god tier part for E30

[@charliel2967]

I’m impressed. 605k subs, I’m pulling for you Alex, on to a mil. Just great content. You don’t know how much we all look forward to your new vids. Literally think during the work week about when your posting next. Funny to think 5 years ago, nobody knew you and now over 1/2 mil now do. Keep up the good work Alex….Charlie L.

[@markchip1]

I would think that the "stiction" of the valve is down to carbon deposits on the valve stem, not the valve seats. OK - so do you, Lol!! The steam-cleaning seems to be a genuine charm!!

[@reallyhappenings5597]

Stiction is a great word and it's all ours.

[@garys9694]

@@reallyhappenings5597 The word is used very much in the machine tool world.

[@joemalone9380]

i did this on a vw rabbit but did not have a scope to check results. car was fine for about a year afterwards . keep up the good work . guys like you are vital for car people who don't have much money

[@williamgurtner4759]

Copper/ nickle lines =yes, pure copper line= NO.

[@PetesWorkshop]

To be honest I was cringing when alex was running the "copper" brake line. Please ensure you get approved brake line tube people. Also good tip is unroll the tube by holding the end on the ground and rolling out the whole roll along the ground in a straight line. (maybe hard to describe....)

[@Tsuter1978]

Yes, nicopp lines are the way to go.

[@stevencote6999]

Alex , I say keep it with an budget approach and let whoever's is looking for a good running E30 to enjoy and daily drive. That is a nice car to cruise all over.

[@ilyagolovey5248]

I'm loving this project so far! More older car content! Cheers Alex !

[@reddyuda]

Saw a few comments about using pre-heated distilled water. This is 100% a must Do it through both the throttle body and the intake, so you get better distribution to all cylinders. Use the a fine spray mist, I think I used a pump sprayer

[@ravennexusmh]

if you use a smaller and longer vacuum line, you can set the engine speed on the linkage you can then dip the line in the jug of water and just listen to the engine speed change as it sucks water up. so like diip the pull out as the revs drop, pull out, repeat

[@BrainsofFrank]

This does not work well for preventing babies......

[@ravennexusmh]

@@BrainsofFrank nope... But works well for sucking water into your engine to clean the pistons without having balance throttle whilst pouring down a funnel 🤣

[@profatengineering8170]

Alex love your work ....as for the water cleaning idea ...yes it has been around for eaons my Grandfather taught it to me 50 odd years ago but then they just called it a de-coke service. Been a mechanic for over 40 years and still learning ....never disregard any tips or hacks some are good some not so but all worthy of study....Shalom

[@guuuu666]

Try using an atomizer to feed water into the intake manifold, less chance of hydrolock, more controlled flow and the droplets helps the steaming process.

[@kubaczek20]

Steam cleaning was one of the most satisfying things I saw done to pistons. Keep the good work

[@mrsparkle19]

Alex and Zach are this week’s Bubble Flare boys.

[@johnpluskota6988]

I have a 2000 740 IL and have fallen in love with this model. So much simpler and still all of the excitement of BMW driving.

[@gabea.458]

Seafoam: "We make the best carbon cleaning liquid". God: "LOL"

[@rickmental1767]

I was an NIASE certified mechanic at a 3-bay Shell station in Indianapolis in the mid to late 70's. My boss, who had previously run the service department of a local Cadillac dealership, introduced me to a General Motor's product called Carbon-X X-66 Carburetor and Combustion Chamber Cleaner. You would gradually pour Carbon-X into the throttle body while revving the engine. Near the end of the quart you would pour it in fast enough to kill the engine and then let it sit for 30 minutes before attempting to restart. When restarted it created significant smoke out of the tailpipe but there would also be a huge accumulation of carbon on the ground below the tail pipe - in that era most factory tail pipes pointed in a downward direction. Besides cleaning carbon out of the combustion chamber it also cleaned and loosened stuck heat-riser valves - the heat riser was a butterfly valve located at the output end of the exhaust manifold. The valve was held closed by a bimetallic coil spring. The purpose of the valve was to force hot exhaust gas through a passage in the intake manifold that ran beneath the floor of the manifold under the carburetor - this would help vaporize the air-fuel mixture while the engine was getting up to operating temperature. The valve also caused exhaust gas to flow through housing for the automatic choke bimetallic coil. There were two other Carbon-X products for soaking parts when rebuilding a carburetor and a lubricant for the heat riser valve. Poor man's X-66 was a quart of ATF but it would smoke out the Church and Governors Mansion that were across the street and around the corner from our shop.

[@tinncan]

I have a length of vinyl tubing that fits on a vacuum line blocked up with a ball inflation needle so you don't have as much of a rough idle, but it still sucks up and pretty well atomized the intake cleaner.

[@dj68k]

Before my 01 S2000 and 16 Fiesta ST, I had an 02 Ford Focus. A couple of years ago, I did rear drum brakes for the first time. I was unable to bleed the fluid since both of the bleed nipples were so rusty they rounded off immediately even thought I started with a six point socket. After hours of various "penetrating fluids," I found success with a blowtorch to get the nipple red-hot, and eventually it turned with some very large channel locks. I'd never used the good old "sparkle wrench" before, and considering what I was working with I thank the Car Gods for blessing my afternoon's efforts that day.

[@williambrown319]

JR Go did a full engine flush on a damero that was "needing a new engine". Made it run like a champ. Might want to consider that for this little thing, just to get all the bits of carbon out of it

[@Maroco918]

It still needed a timing job

[@earlscheib7754]

Dafaq is a damero

[@Maroco918]

@@earlscheib7754 Camaro. He means Camaro

[@williambrown319]

@@Maroco918 thanks. My keyboard is Fd up

[@transilvana]

When you use water you use the Hydrogen molecules in that water to brake up carbon deposits. I have used this method since ever and works great, specially on Carburated engines. But better spray it rather that pouring it and much better if you use distilled water.

[@connorjohnson4402]

Thats not exactly true its more the fact that H20 is a dipole with a positive and negative side. Saying its the hydrogen isn't quite right because the water molecule isnt being broken up at all. Its the same reason that its the universal solvent and its being helped out by the fact that its changing phase to steam which causes it to expand greatly as well as the physical action of it flowing through

[@pingpong9656]

Would the water trick help clean GDI intake valves? I would love to see that boroscoped before/after.

[@michaelkrenzer3296]

Likely not but can't hurt to try. The water turns to steam in the combustion chamber. That steam does not really make it up to the into the intake but cleans the area that is exposed to the cumbistion chamber. The GDI's build up carbon further up in the intake.

[@pingpong9656]

Makes sense - I wonder if the valve area is hot enough to create steam on contact. Maybe just point the output of a steamer into air intake?

[@TheDarkhorse82]

Walnut blasting

[@myname9252]

@@TheDarkhorse82 This. Depending on where the carbon is . My wife’s jetta had carbon everywhere,even on the pistons . And it was GDi.

[@chrisg9627]

The E30 and it's predecessor were very simple to work on, even an engine upgrade from 316 to 323i was pretty straightforward. The body shells are the same and all of the holes and runs are there to be used in such an upgrade. Probably the last of the 'nuts and bolts' engineered 3 series before the plastic covers and weird electronics started to appear. Been running them for the past 35 years ... a joy.

[@JimmyWhite1996]

My God I've been waiting for this episode for a long time Alex!! Why not hire a montage specialist and edit an episode every day

[@timtimtimmay4654]

Just a suggestion, maybe try windshield washer fluid (the blue stuff with the active ingredient being methanol, preferably -20 or colder rated for more methanol) as it contains both distilled water and alcohol that helps to loosen up carbon. We use it for forced induction systems to keep knock and engine intake temps down for those who did not already know.

[@Toguro-oy3ld]

I wish I was as good with the poker gods as you are with the car gods. I remember that song from Dokken a while ago, “Into the Fitting”

[@yunus_aros]

I love Amsoil Engine Flush and the Performance Improver. I did treat my old Toyota Urban Cruiser (Scion xD) and my Subaru Forester SJ5 (2016) with this. The Urban Cruiser had about 100000 miles on it and and it was running so smooth afterwards. The effect on the Subaru Forester was not as noticeable, yet “more gooder”. 🥰

[@DarkChocolate325]

The more I follow this series, the more I regret selling my 318is E30. Damn it man...🤬😂 Anyway, appreciate the content. Keep em comin! Happy Saturday! 🍫

[@earlscheib7754]

The 318 was slow, slower than a Nissan Sentra.

[@vigg69]

Dude thanks. My wife has MS and any help that can go towards research to help patients is much appreciated. ❤️

[@houseofno]

I'm waiting to see Keeps turn Alex into a werewolf just in time for Halloween. Just kidding. Keep up the great work on the E30.

[@juriedekock6154]

In South Africa we are not allowed to use copper for brake pipes because vibration hardens copper and it becomes brittle . I run my engines hot, and feed water in at a vacuum fitting on the manifold while driving the car and when i stop feeding water in, drive it to dry out, add a bottle of diesel to the engine oil, and then drain the sump to get all the water out; It works!

[@paulmoor595]

Anyone of a certain age in the UK will remember using Redex neat and directly into the intake....super smoky!!! But properly cleaned out the carbon and crap...Great video.

[@HT-io1eg]

The engine just needs to run in normal use for a few weeks to free everything up

[@Old_BMWs]

Two things - First, these old BMW engines (M10, M20, M30, others of the same vintage) really need heavier oil with lots of zinc additives. Rotella T4 15w-40 is a great choice and what I use, so is Valvoline VR1 20w-50. I'm sure Amsoil has a comparable option, too. Synthetic 5w-40 is really too thin for them and you'll get a lot of extra valvetrain noise, and while the rating on the oil is supposed to be good enough, they really just run better when you use heavier oil. I've had a few of them, and I'm speaking from experience on this. Second, a tip for running brake lines. I recently did both the main lines going to the rear of my e28. The way I did it was by taking the old lines out, being careful not to damage them too much. I dropped the exhaust off the car because it was easy enough to do, and undid a few bolts, but otherwise left everything in place. I then laid them out on the floor, and straightened, bent, and cut new copper-nickel lines to match them, put the fittings on and flared them, and then fished them up in the car that way. I did have to tweak them just a little in the process, but the results were fantastic, I have nice straight lines and near-factory bends, looks really professional. If you want a really good, professional looking job, I recommend it.

[@yoyodynepropulsion.systems]

I will enjoy in 12 months from now when you're still using Keeps and you have a 4 foot afro.

[@robbygagnon]

Fun tip : use some bailing wire(edit: or anything in reach bungie/tie down/coat hanger) to hang the coil of brake line from the rear so you can pull it off straight as you go. Electricians use this trick so the coil doesn't tangle while pulling wire. I find it handy for anything that comes in a coil.

[@kentmckean6795]

You said "Copper" brake line several times, I know you meant "Copper-Nickel alloy Brake Line Tubing" because we both know pure Copper is not legal for use as a brake line in North America. The pure Copper lines can rapidly work harden and crack if it is subject to vibrations, like you would find bouncing down the highway under a car. I think you should clear that up so the people that don't know about Copper Nickel Brake Line Tubing will know whats what.

[@Johnjakfay1969]

Good for you Alex! My sister has MS and we appreciate it when good people like yourself help out!

[@saadgt2009]

Be respectful of its semi-survivor status. Remember 🙏 not every E30 HAS to be a 2-door, M3, etc. The original owner specced it this way (by choice, presumably) and a new owner will want it because it IS specced as it is. I believe, in the future, it traditionally valuable hi-spec (perfectly preserved garage queen 2002tii?) will not be as appreciated or valued as real, everyday vehicles, used by real people. IMHO, that is! 🖖🙏🇨🇦

[@krystophm1730]

Had sticking valves in my old e34 years ago. I opted to soak them all down while I was in there. I miss that car. This e30 would be a dream come true to me. And it makes me jealous of you that you're tinkering on it with great results. I'd dance the Irish jig the instant the keys would be mine for it. Of course my eternal gratitude.

[@johanneswarn5488]

This really needs a manual transmission

[@jetskiliferboatguy8140]

Yep water is an old school trick that works well. Water injection is also a cheap performance add on add on which seems to have disappeared also. Besides pulling the head from anything with a blown head gasket will show you how clean the combustion chambers get from steam cleaning.

[@johnbarrett8723]

There were quite a few marine engines that I worked on that required water washing the turbo as a daily routine. You would do it with the engine running at full load (everything nice and hot) then you would introduce water to the compressor side of the turbo, it would impinge on the blades, cleaning them. On through the valves, piston crown, exhaust valves, and finally the turbine side of the turbo. The results were noticeable on the pyros monitoring the exhaust temps. As one of the other commenters mentioned a spray is the ideal way to do it. On the marine engines the water enters as a mist, sprayed through a nozzle. Shocked that copper tubing is legal for brake lines.

[@pcar00]

Ive have done the water trick many times. My old time father, was told by my grandfather, to mix a bit of transmission fluid in the water. Of course they don't mix, but like 1/3 qt of trans fluid in a qt bottle, fill rest with water, shake it, there will be small blobs of the trans fluid floating around in water, so that when you pour that mixture in, you will still have some cylinder lubrication from trans fluid, while the steam cleaning action cleans the cylinder.

[@insidebyte8561]

I've seen the water steam cleaning method a lot and tried myself, it's so good and actually works

[@brandonoliver1336]

Hey just thought I’d let you know that all your content on European vehicles has raised my confidence and made me get an e92 325i. I feel like it’s a massive undertaking but thanks for your videos and content!

[@justintime4466]

You are a good dude, you’re doing this in order to help a charitable cause. Very admirable!

[@brainiac9579]

I haven’t seen that water trick since the late 90s! Thanks for the reminder(s)! Same for pipe flaring, it has been a while that I haven’t done it. Just a FYI: in my region, you can’t use cupper pipes for hydraulic brake systems. It has to be steel. So please Guys, check your local regulations! Great car, awesome video, as always!

[@nickwheeler8231]

He's using Kunifer, or cupro-nickel that was designed for brake lines. It's cheap, forms easily and cannot rust. I'm in the UK, and nobody sells steel brake pipe suitable for making your own. Mostly because no one would buy it even if they could.

[@brainiac9579]

@@nickwheeler8231 It’s the total opposite here. I had to wait before replying to get in touch with the inspection center. I mean, I was pretty confident as I used to work there, doing inspections on cars and trucks, but laws do change. The products you’re referencing aren’t legal as 3rd party sells. If a car comes equipped with it, it would be different but they haven’t encountered one yet. You can’t go and swap steel bake line for something else just yet, where I live. Hence my comment: Check your local regulations!

[@PlugInRides]

I remember in the early years of turbochargers, water injection was a way to cool down the intake charge, and it cleaned carbon as a side benefit. Unfortunately, the water could contaminate your oil, and the water reservoirs were seldom large enough to last until the next gasoline fill up, and would run dry, causing destructive knocking. Methanol injection and intercoolers have replaced water injection on modern cars. Concentrated Techron will also help remove some of that carbon build up. You need the additive bottles, as the amount added to certain brands of gasoline won't do much beyond stopping build up in an already clean engine.

[@RMonkey]

My car had a cracked head and it cleaned the top of the pistons near the crack completely. It clearly works. Great video thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@Broadpaw_Fox]

On water injection- it is a real thing. Seafoam works the same way if done right. Best method - engine needs to be fully warmed up - full operating temp for several minutes. You want to find a way to hold the rpm's at around 2,000 - on something like this E30 a small pair of vicegrips on the throttle cable works fine. You will need a small vacuum line that feeds into the intake near the throttle body, and with the engine held at 2k rpm's, you dip the hose into the liquid you're using (either water or seafoam). The engine will bog down as you dip, so you have to dip it then pull it out every few seconds. Try to keep it to where the engine is bogged down to around 1200 rpm's as you're dipping - remembering that it's held up at 2k. If you're using seafoam, you'll want to stall the engine out (bog it till it stalls) with the last bit of the can - the last fifth or so should do. Then you let the car sit for 15 minutes or so - the smoke show when you start it will be epic. Haven't tried the stalk/restart with plain water, so I don't know if that does it as well. Have fun. :)

[@kennethhill4025]

6 feet, 180…first time, long time. Awesome channel, fills my passion bucket. This e30 is LEGIT!

[@Randy-qq8lr]

Great video. I’ve known of the water cleaning method but never done it. Great to see. Excellent results and Free! Loving the new content, but i’m biased. Always enjoy every video.

[@paulfagan2964]

That E30 is truly an awesome car. It reminds me of the days when I first started reading Car and Driver. Back when these were the go to for performance and handling. Still a great car today and a tribute to what BMW used to be before they lost their way. I think a good paint correction and complete detail , including the engine bay, and sell it after that. Max out the charity money for a great cause.

[@charlie1832]

Alex, you’re supposed to spin the cutter and tighten after a few turns and keep doing that until it’s cut, by tightening it down all at once will deform the copper tubing

[@ambread1]

Thought he mentioned that

[@charlie1832]

@@ambread1 if he did I missed it

[@Bimmerguy88]

Hey Alex! Had some info you might find useful. I used to work @ a European Car Repair Shop, my old boss has a Late 80's Mercedes 380SL, he had a situation with this Benz exactly like what is happening on the free BMW you just got. The intake valves were sticking in the guide andWhat ended up being the cause was the ethanol fuel caused the fuel tank liner to melt and disintegrate into the fuel and as the fuel was being sprayed in with all of that stuff in the fuel the adhesive the tank liner particles and everything was getting sprayed right onto the valve stem where the injectors sprayed and it would run fine and once you let it sit and cool off that stuff would harden up and cause the valves to stick in the valve guide. So what you should do is completely drain the fuel tank and put all fresh fuel in it and run the car hard to blow all of that crap out of the fuel system and you may end up having to replace the fuel tank and possibly the fuel injectors to get all of that residual stuff out of the fuel system.

[@samdrivescars]

old BMWs are really where it’s at! I brought my e34 back to life after it sat for a few years and I have zero regrets. Still running like a champ 3 years/60,000 miles later

[@rossbright1123]

Surely you mean bought

[@rossbright1123]

Surely you mean bought

[@motheolebelo]

The E30 drives, sounds and changes gears well. Love it

[@Mab0fSteel]

$6K as it is now (with the KZbinr bump), minted out 10-12 - as long as everything works, no cracks on the dash, rust repaired. I love a sedan, but the hot market is 5-Speed Coupes. Also make sure to not touch the radio, or if you do include it in the sale.

[@CarDocBabaPhilipo]

From the 70's we used some trans fluid and water shaken and mixed as much as possible poured down the carb. It always worked great :)!

[@jerrywilliams4505]

Alex, they were using this before WW2 to "decarb" engines, as u can guess the gas was crappy and it helped to clean the pistons and remove the carbon to clean off the tops of the pistons, so they could stop the build up and stop "spark knock" and "run on". My dad had a gas station, and I believe he used it. I saw it being used in the 50's and 60's. I am 80 yrs old.

[@johankriel8883]

The e30 has a limited slip diff. It doen't get stuck in sand easily, even when some 4x4 's do. This made recovery difficult when I did get stuck deeper in than my rescuers could drive. Fun car all round.

[@Circlotron]

I used to run the car mostly on propane and one time when still on propane I fed water to the fuel pump which of course fed the carb. Flat out it would do 50mph although quite smooth and no missing. The carb atomised the water properly. Went through a gallon of water in about 5 minutes of full throttle at 50mph on the highway. For a week after that it ran beautifully smooth. Wish I could have seen inside it.