Common faults below

Nissan Engine Carbon Cleaning

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

Nissan engine carbon cleaning at Expert Carbon Cleaning, Kings Park Sydney
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Which Nissan do you have?

Most Nissans we see are Navaras, and the fault is nearly always in the EGR circuit.

On the D23 NP300 with the 2.3-litre YS23, the EGR cooler sludges up with soot and the electric coolant pump that keeps it cool gives up. That stores P24A8, and it is the single most common Nissan code we see. A leaking EGR valve on the same engine gives a constant hiss that owners often mistake for an exhaust leak.

You will find EGR blanking modules sold for this ute everywhere. They will make the light go away. They will also make the vehicle unroadworthy in New South Wales, and a defect notice costs more than cleaning it properly.

The diesel X-Trail (2008–2022) and Qashqai (2014–2017) also have a particulate filter, so the diesel side of this page applies to them too.

If you have a petrol Qashqai, a 2014–2017 2.0-litre X-Trail or a Y62 Patrol, those engines inject straight into the cylinder, so it is intake valve carbon instead. The 2.5-litre X-Trail built before 2022 sprays fuel onto the valves, so it rarely needs that work.

Common Nissan carbon problems

What we see

If you drive a petrol Nissan

Petrol

Intake Valve Carbon on the Petrol Models

  • The direct-injection petrol engines put fuel into the cylinder, so nothing washes the back of the intake valves.
  • Oil vapour from the breather bakes onto the hot valve and hardens.
  • School-run driving builds it faster than open-road kilometres.
  • An idle that has gone lumpy on a cold morning.
  • Throttle that hesitates before it picks up.
  • Misfire codes (P0300–P0304) after the coils have already been looked at.
  • Walnut blasting once the deposits have hardened — the intake comes off and each port cleaned mechanically.
  • A hydrogen carbon clean will keep on top of it before the crust forms.

Fixed by

Walnut Blasting

Quoted after the free scan

See the service →

If you drive a diesel Nissan

Diesel

EGR Cooler Sludge and P24A8 on the Navara

  • The EGR circuit on the 2.3 YS23 recirculates hot, sooty exhaust gas and relies on an electric pump to keep the cooler cool.
  • Soot and oil mist coat the cooler and valve until flow is restricted and the cooler runs hotter than intended.
  • The electric coolant pump then struggles or fails, which is what stores P24A8.
  • P24A8, often with EGR flow codes alongside.
  • A constant hiss that sounds like an exhaust leak — usually a leaking EGR valve.
  • Flat throttle response and black smoke under load.
  • An idle that will not settle.
  • We clean the EGR circuit and the intake manifold so gas flows properly and the cooler is not fighting a blockage.
  • If the electric pump itself has failed, cleaning will not fix it and we will tell you so rather than take your money.
  • We do not fit blanking modules. They are cheap, they work, and they make your ute unroadworthy — that is not a trade we will help you make.

Fixed by

EGR & Intake Manifold Cleaning

Quoted after the free scan

See the service →
Diesel

Particulate Filter Blockage

  • A regeneration needs a sustained uninterrupted run, and a work ute doing short trips never gets one.
  • A restricted EGR circuit sends more soot into the filter than it can clear.
  • Each abandoned regeneration leaves the filter fuller than before.
  • DPF warning, then reduced power and limp mode.
  • Warnings arriving closer together each month.
  • Fuel consumption up and a hot smell after parking.
  • Codes in the P2002 and P2452–P2463 range.
  • Where we can, we clean the filter on the vehicle — nothing removed, cut open or replaced. If it has to come off, it gets a three-stage clean and new gaskets, quoted first.
  • We clear the EGR side in the same visit, because on a Navara that is almost always what loaded it.

Fixed by

DPF Cleaning

From $715

See the service →
Diesel

Injector Fouling and Hard Starting

  • Deposits on the injector tips spoil the spray pattern, so diesel arrives as droplets rather than a fine mist.
  • Poor combustion makes more soot, which loads an already restricted exhaust.
  • Utes that sit between jobs let deposits set on the tips.
  • Long cranking on a cold start.
  • A rattly idle that smooths as the engine warms.
  • Smoke on start-up and worse economy.
  • Fuel rail pressure codes (P0087, P0088, P008A).
  • We clean the whole fuel system on the vehicle with the engine running — injectors, pump and rail — nothing removed or sent away.
  • Where the filter has also loaded, this is what stops it filling straight back up.

Fixed by

Diesel Injector Cleaning

Quoted after the free scan

See the service →

If you drive a hybrid Nissan

Applies to any Nissan

Any Nissan

Offered a Blanking Module

  • Blanking modules and delete kits are sold hard for these vehicles because they make the symptom disappear cheaply.
  • They do not clean anything — the carbon that caused the fault is still in the intake, and it keeps building.
  • A vehicle with its emissions equipment disabled is not roadworthy in New South Wales, will not pass an inspection, and can affect your insurance.
  • An emissions fault you have been told can only be “tuned out”.
  • A ute that has already had a module fitted and still does not run right.
  • Repeat faults after a cheap fix.
  • A full engine carbon clean treats the intake and exhaust sides together and leaves the vehicle legal.
  • We scan first, tell you what we found, and give you the price before starting. If cleaning will not fix your vehicle we will say so — we would rather lose the job than sell you the wrong one.

Fixed by

Full Engine Carbon Clean

From $715

See the service →

Watch us clean a Nissan

Real jobs from our Kings Park workshop — the same work we would do on yours.

Keeping your Nissan clean

Prevention

To keep a D23 NP300 Navara clean, stop its EGR circuit loading the particulate filter. On the 2.3 YS23, short, low-load work lets soot and oil mist coat the EGR cooler and valve. A restricted EGR circuit then sends more soot to the filter than it can clear. Nas’s rule of thumb, a steady run of about half an hour every week, or an hour every fortnight, lets the filter finish its self-clean. On the direct-injection petrols, carbon forms on the intake valves instead.

If your Navara has a DPF warning light, has gone into limp mode or has lost its pull, book a time at our Kings Park workshop. We scan it free first, tell you what it needs, and quote before any work starts. On a Navara that is often an EGR and intake clean, with the filter cleaned in the same visit if it has loaded too.

Genuine and honest man, Nas is a great mechanic and stuck to his word fixing my diesel EGR valve, removed the dirt and fixed the engine light. Reliable and honest service.

Belmir Hrnjadovic, Diesel · Google review

Nasir saved us a world of pain by doing an emergency DPF cleaning on our Mazda 6 onsite. His service was professional and effective. His method of doing a 'chemical clean' on the DPF onsite without the labour of removing it is something we had not heard of before but seems to be proven now with the way the car is driving (it's like night and day compared to a few hrs ago and the turbo has returned). We have been aware of issues with the DPF on our vehicle for a while and have spent an arm and leg to have it removed to be cleaned before. Our car has high Kms on it so we know this clean is likely just a temporary solution but Nasir was kind enough to help us really last minute and has helped us to get to our holiday destination comfortably knowing we've potentially avoided massive fees in towing (and likely much higher fees from anyone else who would have removed the DPF) so I'm stoked! 😊 thankyou.

Rebecka Odlander, Mazda 6 · Google review

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

  • Get a hiss or a P24A8 code checked. Either one points to the EGR circuit on the 2.3. P24A8 can mean the electric pump is struggling or has already failed. A scan tells which, and if it has failed we will say so.
  • Clean the EGR side when the ute goes flat. Flat throttle and black smoke under load are signs of a coated EGR cooler and valve. Cleaning it keeps that soot out of the filter.
  • Turn down a blanking module. It turns the light off, but it makes the ute unroadworthy in New South Wales, and the carbon that caused the fault keeps building.
  • Have the injectors checked with the EGR. Utes that sit between jobs let deposits set on the injector tips. The extra soot loads an exhaust that is already restricted.

Book your Nissan 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.

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Tell Nas about your car

What are you driving, and what is it doing? Nas will call you back to talk it through — we scan the car at the workshop first, and nothing starts without your OK.

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