Italian Tune Up on 3.7L--Catastrophic or Beneificial?

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Burro II

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Have you done an Italian Tune Up on your 3.7L? Did it help, or did you destroy it?

Share your experience. But please omit speculation and caution from the sidelines. I am trying to assemble some real data here from Jeep owners.

Thanks.
 

mrlavalamp

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I have heard that this is how they break in some racing engines, and I have used similar techniques to break in my own (good results too).

Outside of engine break-in or 2 stroke engines, I have always thought the idea of "blowing the carbon out" was a myth, doubly so now that everything is fuel injected and computer controlled.

When I worked at the dealership we had a chemical they would suck into the vacuum system using a special tube and bottle adapter. The idea was that the chemical dissolved the carbon so it could be burnt/blown out when it is run. I don't recall what it was, but at the time the mechanics told me it was the same thing as seafoam. The adapter was just a valve with a straw on it so you could slow the flow of liquid down to get good mix with the air it was sucking in too.

They would start the jeep, pull the vac line off the brake booster, and then stick the hose end onto it. Then adjust the valve on the bottle so the engine ALMOST stalled, once 3/4 of the bottle was used they would just shut it off while everything connected. They would let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes, while disconnecting the bottle and putting the vac hose back. They last little bit of the fluid got dumped in the gas tank (just like seafoam).

When they started them up again, they didn't always fire right up, but after a second or two they would start and then they would smoke while running like you would not believe. The smoke from those vehicles would fill the whole shop in a heartbeat if they didn't hook them up to the exhaust system.
 

tommudd

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Have you done an Italian Tune Up on your 3.7L? Did it help, or did you destroy it?

Share your experience. But please omit speculation and caution from the sidelines. I am trying to assemble some real data here from Jeep owners.

Thanks.

Never in my almost 65 years have I ever heard it called that , must be a rich city slicker thing LOL
As far as " blowing out the cobwebs- driving it like you stole it"
I do that daily, every one of mine hits the rev limiter at least once during my time driving it, no matter if when leaving home, jumping on Interstate or just having some fun
Has it hurt any of them, no but then they get regular maintenance like they should, checked over good every week or so
I sure don't beat on them but yet run them good
 

LibertyTC

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My idea of an Italian tune up is much more mild, than post 4.
Keep the throttle body clean, air filter & wash out the air box, & spray out the IAC & ports w/TB cleaner.
I add 2 bottles Of Techron concentrate & take the Jeep for a good long Highway run..
You must be registered for see images attach

& with over drive off let er rip up a steep hills to the floor, and then back to normal Hwy driving/ OD on.
 

Burro II

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Thanks tommudd and Liberty TC. That is what I wanted to confirm by people who actually do it.
It has been a routine for my other vehicles, but I was not sure if it would be OK on the 3.7L.
 

HoosierJeeper

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Never in my almost 65 years have I ever heard it called that , must be a rich city slicker thing LOL
As far as " blowing out the cobwebs- driving it like you stole it"
I do that daily, every one of mine hits the rev limiter at least once during my time driving it, no matter if when leaving home, jumping on Interstate or just having some fun
Has it hurt any of them, no but then they get regular maintenance like they should, checked over good every week or so
I sure don't beat on them but yet run them good


x2, I redline mine a few times a day.
 

turblediesel

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Italian cars had engines with a narrow sweet spot in the power band. The sweet spot was high in the RPM range. Anyone lugging or driving like a granny could carbon the plug and lose 25%-50% of the engines' power; depending on how few cylinders the engine had.

Sometimes you could take one of these boggy beasts out and rev them to where they like to be and they'd be fine, ergo the Italian tune-up. "Drive it like you stole it" does the same thing.

My Alfetta GTV had nothing but a tachometer in front of the driver. The engine was happiest with the needle pointing straight down the road. Just shift to keep the needle happy and go very fast. Excellent car.
 

turblediesel

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edit:

I've heard of bench running new and rebuilt race engines but that's a very controlled gentle process.

An Italian tune-up on a fresh rebuild is a bad idea because there are a lot of tiny sharp edges shaving tiny sharp bits off that act like abrasives. Best to baby a fresh rebuild along at different, moderate, speeds for awhile and change the break-in oil out before you let sasquatch drive it.
 

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