Bulletin No.: PIP5029F
Date: Nov-2014

Subject:

Rough Idle Crank No Start Extended Crank Or Misfire Due to Excessive Carbon On Top of the Valves or
Sticking Valves

Models:

2000-2015 All Passenger Cars with Gasoline Engines
2000-2015 All Light Duty Trucks with Gasoline Engines

This PI was superseded to update Model Years. Please discard PIP5029E.
The following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the symptom(s) described in this PI.

Condition/Concern
Some customers may complain of a MIL and/ or engine misfire, rough idle, extended crank, or crank no start in some cases, the misfire may be more apparent
on a cold start and may run rough for up to 5 minutes after starting the engine, may count on a single cylinder or several cylinders, and may or may not be felt by
the driver. Upon inspection, the technician will find one or more misfire codes (DTC P0300-P0308) stored in the ECM and SI diagnosis may or may not isolate
the cause of the misfire depending on whether the intake/exhaust valves are sticking at the time of the diagnosis.
This may be the result of major carbon build up on the intake and/or exhaust valves due to fuel contamination or incomplete burning of the fuel as shown below
so the misfires should not have appeared until accumulating at least 5,000 miles or more.
Note: fuel oxidation and volitity concerns can often cause these issues as well, however they cannot generally be checked in service. Trying a different, high
quality fuel is sometimes the best diagnostic.

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When the engine is cold, the compression on multiple cylinders may be at 0 PSI.
The engine also may pop through the intake or exhaust while cranking and the spark plugs may be fuel fouled when inspected.
Some engines may also experience valve damage or cam followers that are out of position as a result of this.
Note: This condition can occur in specific areas of the country for a period of time and then it will no longer occur after the suspect fuel source has been
consumed in that area of the country.

Recommendation/Instructions
If this concern is encountered, perform SI diagnosis
If the SI Diagnosis leads to a compression loss due to a valve sealing concern and/or eliminates everything else external to the engine, the following information
may help:
If there is no sign of valve damage or cam followers that are out of place, perform the following procedure to free up sticking valves and to remove carbon from
the valves and pistons.
If valve damage is present or if there are cam followers that are out of place, perform engine mechanical repairs as necessary to correct the concern and then
perform the procedure below to prevent the concern from returning.
Perform an upper engine and valve cleaning procedure as outlined below.
Important: Extreme care must be taken not to hydro-lock the engine when inducing the cleaner, especially if it is induced without Kent Moore Tool # J-45076 /
J-35800-A or equivalent. If too much cleaner is induced at too low of a RPM, or if you force the engine to stall by inducing too much cleaner at once, the engine
may hydro-lock and bend a connecting rod(s).
1.

In a well-ventilated area with the engine at operating temperature, slowly/carefully induce a bottle of GM Upper Engine and Fuel Injection Cleaner into the
engine with RPM off of idle enough to prevent the engine from stalling (typically around 2,000 RPM or so). Depending on the engine configuration, induce

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the cleaner through the throttle body or an engine vacuum hose/pipe. ***For best results, it is suggested to induce the cleaner through the throttle body
with Kent Moore Tool # J-45076 / J-35800-A or equivalent (shown below).
2.

Turn the engine off after inducing the cleaner and allow the cleaner to soak with the engine off for 2.5 to 3 hours (Do not let cleaner soak for more than 3
hours as remaining deposits may start to harden back up again).

3.

Add a bottle of GM Fuel System Treatment Plus to the fuel tank and fill the vehicle with one of the Top Tier gasolines listed at
http://www.toptiergas.com and/or in the latest version of 04-06-04-047 (USA) or 05-06-04-022 (Canada). See Bulletin 05-00-89-078 for more details on
GM Fuel System Treatment Plus.

4.

Test drive the vehicle extensively to circulate the GM Fuel System Treatment Plus.

5.

Re-evaluate the concern to determine if it is repaired or improved at all. If the concern is improved but not repaired, it may be necessary to perform the
above decarboning process a 2nd time

6.

To complete the repairs, change the engine oil and filter, and advise the customer to only use one of the Top Tier Gasolines listed at
http://www.toptiergas.com and/or in the latest version of 04-06-04-047 (USA) or 05-06-04-022 (Canada) to minimize future deposits. It can also be
recommended to add a bottle of GM Fuel System Treatment Plus at every oil change as mentioned in the latest version of 04-06-04-051.
Note: There is also a related training video on this that is included in the January 2013 Emerging Issues Video that technicians should consider
viewing. Because the training video does not mention this, please note that it is acceptable to use equivalent tools as mentioned above/below and the
engine oil and filter should also be replaced to complete the repairs as mentioned above in Step 6. The training video is available at the GM Center of
Learning Website and can be viewed by following this path: Go to www.centerlearning.com> Enter Training ID>> Click Resources>>> Click Service
Know How / Tech Assist>>>> Click Emerging Issues>>>>> Click 10213.01D - January 2013 Emerging Issues (VOD)>>>>>> Click the Topics Tab on
Upper Right>>>>>>> Click Link for PIP5029: Decarboning Valves in SIDI Engines

The related training video on this topic for Canadian dealers is included in the March 2013 TAC TALK presentation. The training video is available on the
Learning Management System (LMS) Website and can be viewed by selecting the LMS link from the Global Connect Home Page Go to Video On Demand from
the Increase My Knowledge section. Once you have selected the March 2013 TAC TALK, click on the Topics tab and then select #7 Feature Topic - Procedure
to De-Carbon Valves on Direct Injection Engines.
Kent Moore Tool Kit # J-45076
1.

Pressurized Canister from J-45076 is Shown - J-35800-A is Similar (Equivalent Pressurized Canister Acceptable)

2.

Throttle Body Cleaning Adapters J-45076-46 and J-45076-55 Shown (Equivalent Adapters Acceptable)

Notice: J-45076 was originally released to Cadillac dealers for decarboning Northstar engines but it has since been discontinued. This kit came with the
pressurized canister and throttle body cleaning adapters shown above. As mentioned above, the J-35800-A is another pressurized canister that can be used.
It was originally released in the 1990s for cleaning fuel injectors on the 4.3L, 5.0L, and 5.7L truck engines. If these tools are not available, it is also acceptable to
use equivalent tools to perform this decarboning procedure.

Parts Information
Part Number

Description

Qty

88861803 (In Canada, use P/N 88861804)

Upper Engine and Fuel Injector Cleaner

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4

88861013 (In Canada, use P/N 88861012)

Fuel System Treatment Plus

1

See Parts Catalog

Engine Oil Filter

1

See Parts Catalog

Engine Oil

6 qt.

Labor Operation

Description

Labor Time

4080148*

Decarbon Engine Using Upper Engine Cleaner

0.5 hr

Add

Change Engine Oil and Filter

0.3 hr

Warranty Information
For vehicles repaired under warranty use:

* This is an unique labor operation for bulletin use only. This will not be published in the Labor Time Guide.
Please follow this diagnostic or repair process thoroughly and complete each step. If the condition exhibited is resolved without completing every step, the
remaining steps do not need to be performed.
GM bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, NOT a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform these technicians of conditions that may
occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools,
safety instructions, and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that
your vehicle will have that condition. See your GM dealer for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.

WE SUPPORT VOLUNTARY TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION

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