Common faults below

Chrysler Engine Carbon Cleaning

What we see most on Chrysler engines, what causes it, and which clean fixes it. Every job starts with a scan and a quote at our Kings Park workshop.

Free scanbefore any work
Kings ParkSydney workshop
20+ yrsMTA certified
4.9on Google

Which Chrysler do you have?

Every Chrysler on the road here is a used car now, and most are 300Cs.

If you have the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 or a Hemi, there is no particulate filter to worry about — carbon collects in the combustion chambers instead, and after this many years there is usually a good deal of it. Both engines spray fuel onto the intake valves, so they rarely need walnut blasting.

If you have the 3.0-litre V6 diesel, you have an EGR circuit and a particulate filter, both now well past the age at which they start to matter, and both made worse by the short suburban trips these cars mostly do.

On a car of this age the useful question is usually whether a clean is worth it. We will give you a straight answer on that, including when it is not.

Common Chrysler carbon problems

What we see

If you drive a petrol Chrysler

Petrol

Intake Valve and Chamber Carbon on the Petrol

The Pentastar V6 and the Hemi spray fuel onto the intake valves, which keeps them cleaner than on a direct-injection engine.
Oil vapour from the breather bakes onto the valve and hardens.
On a car this old the deposits have had a decade or more to build.

Lumpy idle, worst from cold.
Hesitation off the line and a soft mid-range.
Misfire codes (P0300–P0306) with the ignition side checking out fine.
Fuel consumption noticeably worse than it once was.

Walnut blasting is rarely needed, because the fuel washes the valves. If a hard deposit has formed, the intake comes off and every port is cleaned mechanically.
On an older car we will tell you honestly whether that spend makes sense before you commit to it.

Fixed by

Walnut Blasting

Quoted after the free scan

See the service →

If you drive a diesel Chrysler

Diesel

EGR and Intake Soot on the V6 Diesel

The EGR valve routes sooty exhaust gas into the intake, where it meets oil mist from the breather.
Years of short suburban trips leave a thick, greasy deposit narrowing the runners.
Nothing about this driving pattern ever gets it hot enough to clear.

A big car that has become noticeably lazy from a standing start.
A haze of smoke behind you when you accelerate.
An idle that wanders, with EGR flow codes stored (P0401, P0402).

We clean the EGR circuit and the intake manifold so the airway is clear again.
On an older diesel this is frequently the cheapest thing that makes a real difference to how it drives.

Fixed by

EGR & Intake Manifold Cleaning

Quoted after the free scan

See the service →

Diesel

Particulate Filter Blockage

A regeneration needs a sustained run to burn the soot out, and these cars are mostly used for short trips now.
A sooted intake and tired injectors load the filter faster than driving alone would.
Every abandoned regeneration leaves it fuller than before.

DPF warning, then reduced power.
Warnings arriving closer together.
Fuel use up and a hot smell after parking.
Codes in the P2002 and P2452–P2463 range.

Where we can, we clean the filter on the car — nothing removed, cut open or replaced. If it has to come off, it gets a three-stage clean and new gaskets, quoted first.
Nothing is deleted. A car without its emissions equipment is not roadworthy in New South Wales, whatever its age.

Fixed by

DPF Cleaning

From $715

See the service →

If you drive a hybrid Chrysler

Applies to any Chrysler

Any Chrysler

Is It Worth Keeping

On a car of this age the intake, the fuel side and the exhaust side are all dirty together.
Parts availability and cost make replacement a poor answer for most of these, which is why cleaning is often the sensible route.
But not always — and a workshop that only sells cleaning will never tell you that.

A car that has become tiring to drive rather than obviously broken.
Repeat faults that get cleared and come back.
Quotes for parts that exceed what the car is worth.

A full engine carbon clean treats the intake and exhaust sides together, which is the right scope when the whole engine is dirty.
We scan first and tell you what we found — including when the honest answer is that the car is not worth the spend. You will get that answer before any work starts.

Fixed by

Full Engine Carbon Clean

From $715

See the service →

Keeping your Chrysler clean

Prevention

To keep a Chrysler 300C clean, give the 3.0-litre V6 diesel more than short suburban trips. Those trips soot up its EGR and intake, which loads the particulate filter faster. Nas’s rule of thumb is a steady run of about half an hour every week, or an hour every fortnight. The 3.6 Pentastar V6 and the Hemi petrols have no filter. Carbon collects in their combustion chambers instead, and on a car this age it can be a lot. Both spray fuel onto the intake valves, so those stay cleaner.

If the diesel is lazy from a standing start or its DPF warnings come closer together, book a time at our Kings Park workshop. We scan it free first, tell you what it needs, and quote before any work starts. That may be an EGR and intake clean. If the intake and exhaust sides are both dirty, it may be a full engine carbon clean. If it is not worth the spend, we will say so.

Took my car in for service and carbon cleaning. Work was precise, price was reasonable. Very happy with the service.”

Farzin Misaghi · Google review

Before any engine work on your Chrysler, search your VIN on the government vehicle recalls site. Recall repairs are free, so check there first.

Don’t strip the filter off an old diesel. Age makes no difference to the rules. A car without its emissions equipment is not roadworthy in New South Wales.
Keep up the oil changes. Oil vapour from the breather bakes onto the intake valves and hardens. Oil changes at your handbook interval keep that vapour from feeding the deposits.
Price a clean before you price parts. Parts availability and cost make replacement a poor answer on most of these cars. Cleaning is often the sensible route, though not always.

Book your Chrysler in

Get a free quote

Tell us the model, the kilometres and what it is doing. We will scan it and tell you which clean it needs, and what it costs, before any work starts.

Get a Free Quote Call Nas — 0455 455 644