Hi. I've been flying for about a month and noticed vanish beginning to appear on my engine. Any tips on preventing this varnish or methods I can use to remove it? What is causing it?

Thanks.

Fuels with synthetic oils usually varnish less. CoolPower is an example of synthetic oil fuel. The higher the Caster Oil content the more varnish you can expect. There is a bit more protection from lean runs with Castor oil. I use CoolPower myself.

I know someone who bought "Dawn Power Dissolver", sprayed it on, waited a few minutes, then used an old toothbrush to scrub it off. There are other methods I've heard of like antifreeze in a crockpot, but I will try the Dawn method.

Most twostroke spit fuel out of the carb especially at low throttle and that collects on cylinder head and burns on. An airfilter or velocity stack can prevent the fuel from spitting out and your engine will stay much cleaner. Antifreeze and some heat will get the varnish off.

So will the anitfreeze method require removing the engine and soaking in heated antifreeze? Or can I brush some antifreeze onto the engine while it's still mounted and then heat it with a heat gun then use a toothbrush to scrap off the varnish?

This stuff is GREAT!

I've used it on many engines.

Just keep it away from aluminum heads and parts.

You can even do the muffler interiors, piping, etc with it, just remember not to soak the engine in it for too long.

Usually 10-15 minutes is great.

Beyond 30 minutes the engine case may stain a bit.

Most people use an old crockpot on low heat and soak the metal parts overnight, make sure there are no o-rings etc. An old toothbrush will get any remaining varnish off. There are threads on it in glow engine forum or search for it.

There is an automotive product called Gunk. Spray it on and scrub with a toothbrush. Do not get it on any rubber O rings. Its fast an easy.