# 1.4 TSI Carbon Build Up Tracking Poll



## Encinoman45 (Jan 13, 2018)

As most of you know, Direct Injected engines can suffer from Carbon Deposits on the back of the intake valves. While manufacturers have mitigated this issue over the years, it is still a cause of concern for many, including myself. I have searched carbon deposit issues with the direct injected 1.4 TSI and have found very little data points for this issue. The 1.4 has been in production for a number of years now, so there should now be engines out there with higher miles to have good data points for a poll. If you own a 1.4 direct injected TSI, please feel free to vote in the poll.

NOTE: There is a typo in the poll above. There are two entries listed as 100,0001 miles. I mistakenly added an extra 0. It should be 100,001 miles. I can't edit a poll. If a moderator sees this, I would appreciate if it is corrected.


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## ViewlessSquid (Mar 22, 2017)

I have 108k on my 2016 Jetta with the 1.4T. I have done oil changes religiously at 10k with 502 spec oil only and had my injectors changed due to some failure at 85k and asked for them to check the valves, which they showed me personally and I don’t have any carbon on them at all. So I know that I’m not having an issue, but that doesn’t speak for everyone. Hope this helps. 



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## rockport (May 31, 2016)

This is my older 2011 Golf 6 1.4TSI,i took the car in for carbon cleaning by walnut blasting and there was significant carbon build up on the valves,this was done at 176000km / 109000 miles,i am not sure if the issue has been addressed in the newer engine, sorry for the bad picture









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## ViewlessSquid (Mar 22, 2017)

rockport said:


> This is my older 2011 Golf 6 1.4TSI,i took the car in for carbon cleaning by walnut blasting and there was significant carbon build up on the valves,this was done at 176000km / 109000 miles,i am not sure if the issue has been addressed in the newer engine, sorry for the bad picture
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, I think you have the old gen 1.4T. They definitely revised the motor since the first gen, so maybe they’ve fixed the issue. 


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## Greasymechtech (Jul 20, 2019)

Issue is caused by GDI... my new 1.4T is GDI.... how was the issue addressed?

I am expecting the same buildup over time. 

I am expecting the 508 low ash mid SAPS oil to reduce it. But, a real solution is to add dual injection where each cylinder has the GDI injector + an MPFI. 

Might just use a GDI IVD cleaner and run it every year or 2.


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## ViewlessSquid (Mar 22, 2017)

Greasymechtech said:


> Issue is caused by GDI... my new 1.4T is GDI.... how was the issue addressed?
> 
> I am expecting the same buildup over time.
> 
> ...


I’m not exactly sure how they addressed it since the 1.4T only has DI. But I know at least for me, I’ve used only VW 502.00/505.00 spec oil and I don’t have any carbon on my valves. I think also when getting oil as well, try to get the highest API(American Petroleum Institute) rating as well. So like Mobil 1 has an SN rating which is perfectly fine, but Castro’s edge professional has an SN Plus rating meaning it’s meeting a more strict standard. I’ve used mostly Mobil 1 or liqui moly my cars whole life and I had an injector issue around 80k and when they were replacing the injectors, I asked the service advisor to have the tech check the intake valves and the tech said they were clean and then took me in the back and showed me. So I’m only going on my luck alone, but I think the oil has a huge part to play in whether we will have valve issues or not. Hope this helps. 


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## umeng2002 (Jul 9, 2003)

I've been running Valvoline mid-SAPS for about a year. However, after reading more on it. In America, because the gas sulfur content is higher than central Europe, you should run a FULL SAPS oil that meets VW spec listed under the hood. If you do run a mid-SAPS oil, I believe you should reduce the oil change interval from 10,000 miles since the sulfur will wear down the oil faster. If you change your oil every 5,000 miles, I don't think it would matter.

I'm going to switch back to a full-SAPS oil next change. In fact, VW specifically says in a TSB that mid-SAPS Valvoline is 505/ 50501 rated. Valvoline High SAPS is 502/ 505 rated. TSB 17-19-01

Interestingly, my 2016 TSI says only VW 502 on the oil sticker. My sister's, 2018 Jetta says, VW 502 or 504.

I might get a cheap borescope and check the valves soon on my car.


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## Greasymechtech (Jul 20, 2019)

*Not waiting to see if the 1.4T 2019+ has an issue.... 1 year old and 1st IVD cleaning*

Don't have time to remove intake manifold off for inspection of the valves. How did you see your valves? 

Will pick a different product every year(about 15k miles). Even though my commute might drop to 10k miles a year, I will pick up a can of cleaner as I do with the other GDI nightmares in the driveway. 





































Connect hook to air intake source, start engine, crank red and blue dials to release IVD cleaner, have helper hold engine @2000 RPM for 9 minutes(can is empty by 5-6 minutes 14ounces), then take for a ride.... 
Instead of going for ride, I just shut it down for a soak and will take it for commute to work later. Some of the below products have solvents that can stall an engine, others foam, most are pressured cans, and some require vacuum to pull the product out of an unpressured can. Read the instructions for the brand you choose. And, some will create a smoke show so don't create accidents in rush hour traffic with your Italian tuneup. 

RoyalPurple, CRC, Berryman, Seafoam, Amsoil, STP, 3m, Gumout, Lucas, BG .... all have equivalent competing products. I typical don't stick with one product brand. And, I've used all of them, including some shop only products over the years. We were doing carboncleaning decarbon type cleanings 30 years ago to make cars run great(hint hint PASS EMISSIONS). 

Because of residual from blowby, I would plan this a couple commuting days prior to an oil change. I am just about 15k miles, 1 year of ownership, and will do my oil change in a couple days.

https://www.stp.com/products/intake-valve-cleaner
https://royalpurpledirect.com/max-blast-intake-valve-cleaner/
https://www.crcindustries.com/how-to-use-crc-gdi-ivd-intake-valve-turbo-cleaner/
https://www.berrymanproducts.com/pr...intake-valve-combustion-cleaner-professional/
https://www.berrymanproducts.com/products/maintenance/berryman-intake-valve-combustion-cleaner/
https://seafoamworks.com/product/sea-foam-spray-intake-valve-top-engine-cleaner/
https://www.amsoil.com/p/power-foam--apf/
https://lucasoil.com/gdi/
https://gumout.com/maintenance-aerosols/regane-direct-injection/
https://www.bgprod.com/services/gasoline-fuel-services/gdi-fuelair-induction/
https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company...e-System-Cleaner/?N=5002385+3293083920&rt=rud

With LSPI, PI, detonation/pinging, many product directions want this done on a warm/hot engine. I prefer to avoid knocking by starting on a cold engine(was 95F outside today). I also turn the HVAC fan on high, the A/C on(for radiator fan flow), and the HVAC heat on highest... this keeps plenty of cooling available. After the soak, I prefer to drive gently to slowly cook of any residual or puddling product. Some cars will get a SES/CEL and will clear itself or you can erase the code after the 'smoke show' is over. My tank is always filled with 93 octane, and I will usually use a higher end PEA based cleaner on the tank prior to using the IVD cleaner. The PEA based FI cleaner will help clean the the pistons/combustionchambers/injectors...

Best to use a 2nd person for gas pedal duties. When spraying the spray can stuff, its easy to stall an engine. Having one person(and NOT A BROOMSTICK) on the throttle is the best way. This way if it sounds like its about to stall, you can stop the "spray can" for a few seconds.

The 2019+ takes a 508 0w20 oil. UOA data on this oil spec have been excellent. It also is NOT API certified. VW allows 10% more zddp than greenies require for API/ILSAC. Highest API doesn't mean best oil. The non-API 508 oil is impressive... or whatever lubrication mods in the engine that allow it.. 

I also noticed some of my complaints concerning drivebywire TB and manual transmission driveability have been drastically reduced. Daily cold parking lot kangaroo'ing is mostly gone.... meaning I can drive across the parking lot without having to clear its throat(clutch pedal drop, rev, and then gradual release). And, I haven't stalled it since(slow rolling).


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## dejettatdi (Apr 3, 2008)

Greasymechtech said:


> *Not waiting to see if the 1.4T 2019+ has an issue.... 1 year old and 1st IVD cleaning*
> 
> Don't have time to remove intake manifold off for inspection of the valves. How did you see your valves?
> 
> ...


I’ve come to the conclusion it may be helpful to use intake cleaner for valves. 

I firmly believe in Top Tier fuel for injectors and pistons.

IMO there is no beating the design of DI to avoid the potential carbon build up on the valves.

Considering the benefit of the EA211, when the time comes I’ll pay the piper if a problem occurs. I average 40mpg on 87 octane. Over 80k-100k miles it won’t be a big price hit. After owning TDI’s and paying $1000 for timing belt changes, It’s no big deal.


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## ViewlessSquid (Mar 22, 2017)

I’m at 148k, and haven’t had any issues yet. And I use 87 octane. I use VW spec 502/505 oil, and change it every 10k. Some guys here do it at 5k and I bet they will all be in the same similar boat as me. I’ve very between using Castrol, Mobil one, and liqui moly depending on what I can find at the time. Never had an issue with valves. I did have an injector issue at 80k if I remember and they had to remove my manifold, I asked the tech to check my valves and he took me in the back and showed me, they were pretty clean. So I think using the right oil is key. 


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## New 1.4 Owner. (Jan 8, 2022)

ViewlessSquid said:


> I have 108k on my 2016 Jetta with the 1.4T. I have done oil changes religiously at 10k with 502 spec oil only and had my injectors changed due to some failure at 85k and asked for them to check the valves, which they showed me personally and I don’t have any carbon on them at all. So I know that I’m not having an issue, but that doesn’t speak for everyone. Hope this helps.
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You can not see the chamfer angle or the valve face. Hence can't say no build up carbon.
Unless the valves were removed for inspection.
Not likely though. A good run for top of valve


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## Joel114 (Apr 4, 2021)

2017 Jetta 1.4t EA211 88,000 Miles
Here are some pictures of cylinder #4 right side injector before and after using sea foam gdi cleaner through the map sensor located directly on the air intake near cylinder #4.
There does not seem to be any buildup on the valves but the port have some. There seems to be little or no difference after using the sea foam. The haziness from the second picture is because the engine was still hot and it was fogging up the inspection camera.

Before After


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## aston4 (Oct 30, 2016)

Good thread. I’ve always been a little worried about this issue. I only have 50k miles on my 2017, still runs and drives new.

When did VWV go to Vertical Scope The Forum Destroyer? Sad.


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## Joel114 (Apr 4, 2021)

aston4 said:


> Good thread. I’ve always been a little worried about this issue. I only have 50k miles on my 2017, still runs and drives new.
> 
> When did VWV go to Vertical Scope The Forum Destroyer? Sad.


Tldr: Misfire on startup for cyl 1 was likely carbon build up in the intake but injectors were changed at the same time.

Well there has been an update. A few month after the gdi cleaner I started to get a couple misfire on cylinder 1 during startup. It was not bad enough to really noticed but would though an engine code then go away every other week. After some troubleshooting I came to the conclusion that is was probably my fuel injectors. While taking apart my intake I found a lot of carbon on cylinder 1 intake and it got better as I went to cylinder 4. Obviously cylinder 4 is the only one you can see with a blre scope though the sensor. Luckily I hade valve cleaner because I was going to try and get some of the carbon off but I did not expect this much. I changed the fuel injectors anyways since it has around 95k miles and I bought bosch ones for $280. It was probably the carbon thought and you might want to take apart your intake to clean at 80k. Also I use the vw spec 502 or whatever it was Castrol Edge but I am not sure what was used before 60k. 

Cyl 1









Cyl 2









Cyl 3









Cyl 4


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