italian tune up

crapday · Unread post by **crapday** » 28 Jan 2005, 00:50

exactly what is an italian style tune up, i've seen it on this forum but am ignorant to what it is.[:I]

Richard Gallagher · Unread post by **Richard Gallagher** » 28 Jan 2005, 01:49

A damn good thrashing!!!

VLL · Unread post by **VLL** » 28 Jan 2005, 02:17

The Italian TuneUp, the cause and cure of many problems [:D]

crapday · Unread post by **crapday** » 28 Jan 2005, 02:23

Wookey · Unread post by **Wookey** » 28 Jan 2005, 03:04

Drive fast in a gratuitously low gear for a while and generally 'rev the bollocks off it' is my understanding. Allegedly cleans out the crap in your normally sedate diesel which can help with the smoke test on MOTs.
I have no idea if this is really true, but I've seen enough positive reports to suggest that it does work.

VLL · Unread post by **VLL** » 28 Jan 2005, 03:17

Cant really confirm whether it really does make any difference, blows all the soot out the exhause thats for sure, and can be a lot of fun doing it.

Robin · Unread post by **Robin** » 28 Jan 2005, 03:23

Perhaps a serious and considered reply here.
Diesels can suffer from a build up of carbon, in TD's on the turbo impellor and a general over deposit of combustion products in the whole of the exhaust system. Usually a deposit of unburnt or partially burnt fuel is deposited generally through the system and cylinder head. This builds up due to low combustion temeperatures and so by giving the engine a good but steady bit of work to do running upto near the red line in third & fourth gear once fully warmed up heats up the whole system and burns off the deposits and spins the turbo to full speed and helps to clean the turbine element of this unit.
It should be done with a fully warmed engine under control and over several miles. This is why a motorway run is so useful. If it is working you will see a trail of smoke behind you when you first run up through the gears. Generally the engine feels more responsive and bit quieter too.
A word of warning - running upto high revs is fatal for worn or damaged cam belts. Remember the MOT warnings, if it breaks it aint their fault!!!
Or mine for writing this!

mattpc · Unread post by **mattpc** » 28 Jan 2005, 05:38

An Italian tune up is symphatically warming your car up, keeping it at and below 2k revs until the engine warms up and then driving it in a "spirited" manner until all the poop that comes out of the exhuast has stopped coming out of the exhaust!!![8D]

yangreen · Unread post by **yangreen** » 28 Jan 2005, 20:18

Personally, I always run the car up to temperature before MOT (the station is just around the corner) and go for a bit of a thrash before MOT. Pootling around in a TD is a good way of building up for a good smoke so I do believe it is important to clear it out for the MOT man.
Personally, I like it when I've been pottering for a while and some idiot comes tearing up behind me. Quick rev of the engine and bingo! A faceful of soot for aforementioned fool!
Yan

Rob Marshall · Unread post by **Rob Marshall** » 28 Jan 2005, 22:03

The Italian tune up does work!
My TZD Turbo had been run about on short runs for around 4 months, but had had a few motorway runs inbetween. Was due to an oil change: did oil and filter, took for a run, warmed up; got it onto our dual carriageway, then thrashed the living tits off it:
redline in third, and close to redline in 4th produced lots of crap from the back, then on to roundabout, repeat, then next, repeat: but keeping an eye out for coppers! took at least 5 or 6 runs before crap stopped coming out of the back. Foot to the boards, and get to over 3,500 produced the most smoke. By the end, no more smoke out of the back, even when thrashing it again!
The result: A transformed car: quieter and much faster. The week after, I was wheelspinning by accident in second!
Rob

tomsheppard · Unread post by **tomsheppard** » 29 Jan 2005, 03:26

Yes, it is true. I have been told that most performance problems with turbo diesels are due to them never being extended. Certainly the last three diesels I have had have been much the better for a fast 100 mile run.

paranoid · Unread post by **paranoid** » 29 Jan 2005, 14:13

I have to do an italian every week due to only doing short journeys to work, they are a same as checking oil to me....[;)]

Evodad · Unread post by **Evodad** » 29 Jan 2005, 18:09

It does work!
Took my Xantia 8V petrol for it's MOT last November, It failed on Fast Idle Test CO, should be < 0.30% vol, was actual 0.82%. The guy said give it a blast up the A52 (our local drag strip) & come back & i'll do the check again.
3 miles up & 3 miles back rpm no less than 4.5k, did check again, hey presto! CO = 0.18% = PASS.

crapday · Unread post by **crapday** » 29 Jan 2005, 18:10

thrashed the living daylights out of it, fab. done that one before just didn't know it was called an italian tune up. used to do it on older cars about 20 years ago, with the carbon build up on the valves.