2023 Tahoe Induction/Carbon buildup service at 15k miles?

[B-train]

I just did the seafoam cleaning on my 2017 6.2L. It's super easy with a long straw that you snake in by the throttle body. Start the truck and have someone keep the rpm at 2k while you hold down the spare nozzle until the can is empty. Let truck heat soak for 10 minutes with engine off. Then, fire it up and "drive spiritedly " for 10 minutes to clean out the gunk.

It had been many thousands of miles since I did it last and I'm sure some shit got cleaned off. I hammered down and had blue smoke, some engine vibration (misfire like a piece of coke on a valve or two?) for a short bit and then she was off and running. Seemed peppier after the run, but I probably need to do another in quick succession.

So, the moral of the story is if you have a new direct injected motor, it's best to stay on top of the carbon buildup from day one. Knowing more about this now from experience, I wouldn't hesitate to do a seafoam treatment every 15k for $12. It'll probably pay dividends in the long run.

 

[KC 2013 Tahoe]

Took our 2023 Tahoe RST 6.2 in for an oil change at 15k miles today. Dealer recommended an induction service to clear carbon build up that these engines get? It’s $189. Anyone heard of this? I googled it and can’t really find anything.

mestes1999 - That's right up there with getting the muffler bearings repacked. If you're concerned about carbon buildup add a bottle of Techron to your next full tank for ~$12. You can always send me the $177 you'll save if you really feel compelled to give away your $$

BTW - Was just reading that Costco has reformulated all their gasoline to better clean direct injected gasoline engines while still keeping traditional fuel injected engines clean. Wouldn't be surprised if all the major brands haven't already done the same too.

 

[15burban]

BTW - Was just reading that Costco has reformulated all their gasoline to better clean direct injected gasoline engines while still keeping traditional fuel injected engines clean. Wouldn't be surprised if all the major brands haven't already done the same too.

Our 15 is my first di engine so I'm not starting an argument but how is this possible? The fuel injectors spray the gas right into the cylinder where it gets burnt right away. How can they reformulate it to keep the motor itself cleaner? Sounds like a marketing gimmick to me.

@B-train glad it worked for you. I'm going to start doing it before every oil change (5k oci). Did you change your oil right away afterwards?

 

[B-train]

Our 15 is my first di engine so I'm not starting an argument but how is this possible? The fuel injectors spray the gas right into the cylinder where it gets burnt right away. How can they reformulate it to keep the motor itself cleaner? Sounds like a marketing gimmick to me.

@B-train glad it worked for you. I'm going to start doing it before every oil change (5k oci). Did you change your oil right away afterwards?

No. It's only a process that fogs the upper intake area to loosen the stuck carbon deposits. They then break off and are burned. It's not enough liquid to dilute into the oil.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

a procedure? yes I take the intake housing apart and clean the maf (maf cleaner), clean the throttle body (thottle body cleaner), add around 10oz of injector cleaner
use a new air filter (i have a dry filter on mine, so it just gets cleaned and reinstalled)
optionally you can use some spray such as crc gdi ivd, berryman, etc. that gets sprayed into the intake while running
for $189 the dealer may or may not be connecting a machine to the fuel rail and inserting the cleaner that way, if you want that done most indy shops only charge around $80, or you can buy a kit for relatively cheap and have it for future use anytime you desire to do it.
physical cleaning would require removing the intake, I can assure you the dealer is not doing that for $189
unless you have not been cleaning it regularly and drive it like the guy hogging up the fast lane at 55 then the basic cleaning and spray should work fine as regular maintenance
ever been behind a car and see them put there foot in it and see some black soot come out the tail pipe? doing that helps too

When you say add 10oz of Injector Cleaner...you mean to the fuel tank, correct?

I was more concerned w/ the potential carbon buildup on the intake valves, given they are "dry" on these GDI engines...how often are you thinking for cleaning MAF, Throttle Body?

I do dump a jug of Techron in the fuel tank about ever 5k miles or so, at the recommended dose, to all my vehicles. This along w/ Top Tier gas, I feel should protect the injectors.

 

[Doubeleive]

When you say add 10oz of Injector Cleaner...you mean to the fuel tank, correct?

I was more concerned w/ the potential carbon buildup on the intake valves, given they are "dry" on these GDI engines...how often are you thinking for cleaning MAF, Throttle Body?

I do dump a jug of Techron in the fuel tank about ever 5k miles or so, at the recommended dose, to all my vehicles. This along w/ Top Tier gas, I feel should protect the injectors.

yes in the fuel tank with a full tank. I clean mine pretty often for a while I was doing it every 3 months but found this to be overkill, so now maybe every 6 months but that's just me. I would recomend at least doing it annually.
I make it regular practice to pop the hood and look at my engine and wires and hoses, fluid levels. I have caught a few things over time, that have probably saved me from more trouble down the road. vehicles need maintenance and care, for instance if a wire is sagging and rubbing on something else that's going to cause a problem later
sometimes I will just pop the hood in the morning while everything is cool and have a coffee and look at everything, look for leaks, looks at the belts, get a rag and wipe stuff down to keep it clean, etc.
It's when you haven't looked under the hood for a long time is when you sometimes find surprises! doesn't matter if it's a new car or a used one
even after taking it in for service I can't tell you how many times I popped the hood in the service drive to check (other peoples work) under the hood and found tools, things disconnected, etc
one time I know I drove around with a big box wrench on a bolt under the truck for a couple weeks and I just happened to be looking under the rear end laying on my back and found it. engine cover missing, caps loose, you name it.......

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

yes in the fuel tank with a full tank. I clean mine pretty often for a while I was doing it every 3 months but found this to be overkill, so now maybe every 6 months but that's just me. I would recomend at least doing it annually.
I make it regular practice to pop the hood and look at my engine and wires and hoses, fluid levels. I have caught a few things over time, that have probably saved me from more trouble down the road. vehicles need maintenance and care, for instance if a wire is sagging and rubbing on something else that's going to cause a problem later
sometimes I will just pop the hood in the morning while everything is cool and have a coffee and look at everything, look for leaks, looks at the belts, get a rag and wipe stuff down to keep it clean, etc.
It's when you haven't looked under the hood for a long time is when you sometimes find surprises! doesn't matter if it's a new car or a used one
even after taking it in for service I can't tell you how many times I popped the hood in the service drive to check (other peoples work) under the hood and found tools, things disconnected, etc
one time I know I drove around with a big box wrench on a bolt under the truck for a couple weeks and I just happened to be looking under the rear end laying on my back and found it. engine cover missing, caps loose, you name it.......

Yes, i do the same...made a habit of pulling the dipstick and checking oil level in the service drive after one time getting a vehicle home after an oil change and finding it a quart low (Tech put the oil amount in for the wrong engine...sheesh). Have found overfilled, underfilled, tires wrong pressure, you name it...when you find a shop you trust and that is good at service, don't ever leave them!

 

[KC 2013 Tahoe]

Ditto here regarding popping the hood and giving everything a once-over.
Do the same when I'm underneath doing an oil change. Great opportunity to look for any dripping/seeping fluids from the engine/trans/transfer case. Also easy to spot any deteriorating or worn suspension bushings or leaky shocks/struts.

 

[KC 2013 Tahoe]

Our 15 is my first di engine so I'm not starting an argument but how is this possible? The fuel injectors spray the gas right into the cylinder where it gets burnt right away. How can they reformulate it to keep the motor itself cleaner? Sounds like a marketing gimmick to me.

@B-train glad it worked for you. I'm going to start doing it before every oil change (5k oci). Did you change your oil right away afterwards?

By "cleaning" I was referring to the direct injectors, not the internals of the engine. In a conventional carbureted or fuel injected engine it has the added benefit of cleaning-off the intake valve stems that accumulate carbon buildup. It can't do that on Direct injected engines as the fuel never goes past the intake valves, but rather directly into the combustion chamber.

 

[Eighthtry]

It's also very important to have your steering wheel bearings repacked. They have a recall GY-742G2Z8996 on that truck for steering wheel bearings. Much more important than any carbon in the intake.

If you have carbon in the intake you have much more serious problems than that. Convert to top tier gasoline and that will solve all the rest of the problems that may arise. Unless, of course, there is a carbon cleaning service hanging off the end of your local gas pump. Using it and a K&N filter and housing should add give or take 100 hp and 125 lbs/ft of torque. It made a huge difference in my Cube.

Or just decline it and quit going there. I continue to be amazed at the crap some of these shops and national oil change places will sell.

On a more upbeat note, I had a 2010 Cadillac CTS V, same block I think. At about 40,000 miles on cold start it would fog the garage, literally, with blue smoke. It was rare, but I would say it was about every 10th start. It was embarrassing if it happened in a public spot because this was a performance car. I bought it used out of Taxachusetts with 15,000 miles. This started about 40,000 miles. No oil usage whatsoever between oil changes. Driven in Texas about 30,000 annually, engine fully warming 95% of the time. I also aired it out on an occasional basis. Had it to 170 going across a long one-way bridge about 2:00 in the AM. It simply did not make sense. I was also regularly using Top Tier gas, and of course it took Premium. I was clueless. Instead of taking it in for an injector change, assuming that was the problem, I bought 8 bottles of Techron, adding one every gas fill. I also ran a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil for about 2,500 miles. I was running synthetic, so did not worry about that.

I ran that car to 208,000 miles and it never did it again, nor did it ever use the first quart of oil ever. Strange but true. So this stuff can happen. I still can't believe I cleared it so easily. Never did put a K&N filter on it. I figured 556 hp was enough, so the one hp additiion would make little difference.