Engine cleaner composition, method and apparatus with acetonitrile

An engine cleaner apparatus attachable to an air-intake system of an internal combustion engine for introducing an engine cleaner composition into an air-intake plenum of the air-intake system in the form of an aerosol fog, the engine cleaner apparatus comprising:

• (a) a pressure-resistant container having a discharge outlet, the container being charged with an engine cleaner composition;
• (b) a manually-actuatable valve connected to the discharge outlet of the pressure-resistant container;
• (c) a flexhose having an inlet end and an outlet end with a flexhose bore extending through the flexhose from the inlet end to the outlet end, the inlet end being connected to the manually-actuatable valve for receiving engine cleaner composition discharged from the pressure-resistant container upon actuation of the valve;
• and
• (d) an air-intake-system adapter fitting connected to the outlet end of the flexhose, the adapter fitting being shaped and dimensioned to be connected to an air-intake-system element to provide communication between the bore of the flexhose and the air-intake plenum of the air intake system for introducing an aerosol fog of engine cleaner into the air-intake plenum;
• and
• (e) wherein the engine cleaner composition comprises:
• (i) a heterocyclic ring compound having a boiling point of about 250.degree. F. or greater,
• (ii) a blend of X weight percent water and (100-X) weight percent acetonitrile, where X is in the range of from about 5 to about 25 weight percent based on the combined weight of the water and the acetonitrile, and
• (iii) an aerosol propellant.

An engine cleaner composition comprising:

• (a) three heterocyclic ring compounds, a first and a second of the three heterocyclic ring compounds having a boiling point of about 400.degree. F. or greater and a third of the heterocyclic ring compounds having a boiling point in the range of from about 250.degree. F. to about 400.degree. F.;
• (b) wherein said first, second and third of the heterocyclic ring compounds are selected from the group consisting of:
• 2-methyl-1,5-Bis(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)pentane,
• N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone,
• 2-furfurylamine,
• N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and
• 2-pyrrolidone and;
• (c) a blend of X weight percent water and (100-X) weight percent acetonitrile, where X is in the range of from about 5 to about 25 weight percent based on the combined weight of the water and the acetonitrile.

An engine-cleaner method for cleaning carbonaceous-deposits from internal surfaces of an internal combustion engine comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating an aerosol fog of an engine-cleaner composition comprised of:
• (i) a heterocyclic ring compound having a boiling point of about 250.degree. F. or greater;
• and
• (ii) a blend of X weight percent water and (100-X) weight percent acetonitrile, where X is in the range of from about 5 to about 25 weight percent based on the combined weight of the water and the acetonitrile;
• (b) introducing a quantity of the aerosol fog into an air-intake manifold of the engine;
• (c) allowing the engine-cleaner composition to interact with carbonaceous-deposit material on internal surfaces of the engine with the engine off for an engine-cleaner-soak time sufficient to permit a portion of the engine-cleaner composition to soak into and loosen, soften or dissolve carbonaceous-deposit material on the internal surface;
• and
• (d) running the engine for a time to remove carbonaceous-deposit material, loosened, softened or dissolved by the engine cleaner from internal surfaces of the engine.