Sea Foam users?

[gadget73]

When I got my S10, it pinged on heavy acceleration. It did that for years, never could do anything about it. I did the Seafoam through the PCV valve thing, and it stopped pinging. That was probably 10 years ago, and it still doesn't ping. I've never had it make much difference in anything else, but neither of the Lincolns have ever given me detonation problems.

 

[bowtie427ss]

The formula for oil is like baking a cake. You don't make a cake better if it calls for 3 eggs, by adding 12.

Apparently, bobistheoilguy doesn't know jack **** about baking cakes.

 

[Wildcat]

Apparently, bobistheoilguy doesn't know jack **** about baking cakes.

Bobisnotthecakeguy.com

I am going to give Seafoam a try in my small engines. I picked up a used Honda Harmony mower at an estate sale last week and it is surging a bit when it is not on choke; same symptom as my dad's snowblower, where it was stored with old gas in it. I'll try this before replacing the carb. It's cheaper for me to do buy a new one for $40-ish than either buy new jets/needles for the carb, or to spend the time futzing around with using various cleaners trying to clear it out (some of which destroy the o-rings, so there's more time and expense there as well). The carbs in my two other Hondas (one lawnmower, the other the snowthrower) could stand a treatment as well.

 

[sKiZo]

Seafoam is the **** for Yamaha V4's ... Used bikes suffer from what I like to call "potato potato" syndrome, where the previous owner would lug the motor mercilessly. These things are NOT Harleys - they NEED higher revs. A "shock" treatment of a full can of Seafoam in a tank will smoke like a banshee and turn the oil black, but it WILL clean the motor and prevent the rings from seizing, which is a real possibility if the carbon gets bad enough.

You only need to do the shock treatment once. I keep a can on the shelf next to the bike and toss in a couple ounces every now and then as a preventative.

 

[Wildcat]

I'm definitely going to try it in both cars.

One trick I've read about at some of the Acura forums is using Shell Rotella T6 (diesel engine oil) which has the higher detergent--it helps the oil rings on the piston stay clear and seat properly to reduce oil consumption, which is a common issue. It has worked for many out there.

I'm thinking that rather than waiting out a few changeouts of Rotella, I would do the Seafoam in the crankcase, as they recommend on their site (which is helpful with FAQs and videos). The Civic we bought used to replace another car, and I get the impression that it may not have had the best of maintenance. A good treatment in the crankcase and the gasoline would likely help get a lot of the crud out.

 

[matteos]

Seafoam is great stuff. Ran it through my old Celica, when I failed smog... Big smoke cloud... I still had to replace an oxygen sensor but it did seem to run better after.

 

[Jim Eck]

I use Seafoam, I also use a couple of caps of Marvel Mystery oil in the tank on my Sportster and Virago, it helps lube the upper end and also helps keep the tank from rusting inside.

 

[Wildcat]

I'm "soaking" the estate sale mower's car right now with Seafoam. Basically you get the gas/Seafoam mix into the carb, let it sit for a few days, then fire it up. I went a little more concentrated than they recommend. The engine doesn't have a priming bulb, but I ran it a good five minutes, full choke (so it wouldn't die out), to draw the mix into the system.

I didn't buy the spray, but may go back and get some. Locally, Meijer has the standard Seafoam for $6.99, on sale this week. I have two others coming via Amazon for slightly less.

I'll report back in a month or so when I do the crankcase on the Civic. Those oil rings on the piston are probably gunked up, and causing oil to blow by. (Common issue.) Even if this doesn't help, at least the other crud will be loosened up.

 

[Farmhand]

I've never bothered "winterizing" my mowers or "summerizing" the snow blower; I just put 'em away, then get 'em out when I need to. Never had a problem. Oil changes are enough of a pain.

 

[Wildcat]

I've had years where I didn't run the gas out of the mower or snowblower. They still run, but after a few times that gas is breaking down as it sits, and starts turning to gum and varnish. My dad's snowblower sat for a few years with gas in it, and after draining and filling with new gas, it took me about 20 minutes hitting it with an electric starter (only as much as I could, so it didn't overheat) and it was still stumbling while on full choke. After I cleared out his house and passed the snowblower along, my ex had to take it to the nearby dealer to get the carb rebuilt. On my machines, if I know it is the end of the season, I will turn the fuel valve off and let the engine burn through it, then I know it has pretty much run dry.

Gas breaking down is a slow and gradual process, but I've seen what happens when it sits for months (or years). Seafoam can be used to stabilize gas over the course of half a year, and then when you start it up again, it will clean out the system as it runs through.

 

[toxcrusadr]

Revived this thread because I was looking on YT for a vid on how to change the thermostat in my Ranger, which I got done, but also ran across this vid where a guy does the Sea Foam treatment on an old Ranger with a lot of valve noise.

My old Mazda MX-6 ('93, 2.5L V6, 282k miles) makes the same noises. Kind of a quiet rattle at idle, and if it's cold it can sound like someone shaking a coffee can of bolts for a few seconds when you start it. It's been using oil for awhile too, not smokey or drippy, it just disappears. Original rings - are they stuck or just worn? Anyway this guy put a few ounces of Sea Foam in the crankcase, the rest of the can in the gas, and sprayed a whole can of the Sea Foam throttle/FI cleaner stuff slowly into the intake at 1500 rpm. Let it sit 24 hrs and started it up cold. Smooth and quiet as could be.

I'm getting ready to sell the Mazda, it's not worth much (needs a lot of body work and paint) but I'm hoping to find an MX-6 enthusiast who might want it. It's been pretty much sitting for a couple months. Started to leak oil in the driveway right after I quit driving it.

So I'm evaluating the risk of "carbon is the only thing holding it together, it will leak and burn even more oil if you do it" is worth the benefit it may get from freeing up stuck rings and clearing out oil channels in the valve train and running all quiet and smooth afterwards.

 

[kretinus]

I had 4 banger MX-6, loved that thing, but the only thing Sea Foam could do, if anything, is clean out the carbon, and with that many miles your valve stem seals and seats are most likely shot and in need of overhaul.

 

[illinoisteve]

I had a vehicle that had gotten knocky from carbon build-up from lots of short-run, stop-n-go driving. I put a can of Sea Foam in the tank when I filled up, and then took the vehicle out on the interstate and drove it at 65-70mph for about 2-3 hours, with hardly any stops along the way. After that the knock was gone.

 

[Bob]

if you live in California, you get first 5 years of a new car free, then every 2 yrs you have to smog check
the car. I had this car that just reached the max limits and got it under with a CRC "guarantee pass" can
of gas treatment.

I knew that for the next check it would not pass. so months before I started using every product
in Oreillys. Sea foam, Marvel mystery oil, Techron, CRC again, and Kreen. in the gas tank and
in the oil. I changed the oil when it got dark (the oil not the sky).

lo and behold, I dropped the max to half. and passed. this car had 200K miles on it and
was the best car I ever owned.

so be thankful you can run your cars without doing this tap dance. and if you have a car
in a smog-check state, then don't just send in James Bond. send him in with MI5, MI6, SAS,
the Flying Squad, Scotland Yard, Sherlock, inspector Morse, Agatha, Poirot, and all
the Detective Chief Inspectors you can find.

 

[kretinus]

Most emissions system have a warranty that extends well beyond the vehicles regular warranty, good to check and make sure

 

[Bob]

usually 100K but in CA the rules change. car had 200K. whatever warranty may not cover
if their tests using the OBDs (nowadays the only check) and MAFs and secondary
oxygen sensors that show no "abnormal" or "calibration failures" - it may only cover
catalytic converter. all depends on the CA law, the car mfg, mileage, and thousands
of hours fighting CAB.

trust me I have checked.

Besides if you have some well thought out idea on this, you could make millions
in CA - there are about as many cars as people here.

just one dollar each...

be lucky you live in a non-CA state. they're thinking of banning IC engine cars.

 

[kretinus]

All those IC engines could be driving around with hyrrogen tanks and not polluting at all, and no real rocket science involved in the conversion. I could have the carb adapter custom made and even run it on my scooter.

 

[Bob]

then do it - have working prototypes for all IC engines (cars, trucks, gas/diesel, bikes, scotters, mowers)
then patent it (add something you believe to be unique with NO prior art)
in both US and Europe (if you don't, it "can" be considered prior art if someone
blindsides you), build a business plan, learn to present, and have complete
plans.

I smell billion dollar IPO.

"have friends, know Sand Hill Road"

 

[Tim64]

I have used to it unstick lifters and several other things. It is great stuff.

Used seafoam many times in fuel before but trying lucas oil now.

Grumpy what product are you using by Lucas some are good and some not so much. I have over ten years auto parts experience and have researched some of these additives and some have negative benefits. The oil stabilizer is the worst it's like adding a quart of 60 weight oil to your cranks case and has no anti foaming agents or detergent. In certain Chrysler engines it was starving the cam bearings of oil and fried them.

 

[kretinus]

You can stick a hose in your carburetor, turn on the hydrogen and run the engine (they did that on mythbusters once in fact), to make it practical you need a regulator and seal and and some tuning of the engine. There are people doing just that and even with fuel injected engines. One guy uses wind and solar to generate the hydrogen gas which he stores on his property similar to propane tanks. There's really no patents, your just using something other than gasoline to run the engine. And there's patent involved in making hydrogen.

You would however have interests that would not want you to do that, to simple, can't be patented and controlled by corporations, beats the crap out of ethanol, and 0 pollution. So as always they scream Hindenburg, and from what I've read, the argument is hogwash.

Don't get so bent dude, geesh