The "SeaFoam" Debate.. Yes, No, Or Maybe, and WHY?

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Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
I think the OP is asking in regards to SF in the oil....and leaving it in.
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No, im not....

I was asking if -PUTTING- it, or slightly over, the "Recommended amount" about 50-100 Miles (though it seems some have left it in for 250 miles on Clean oil THEN Changed it.. im talking about at the END of the OCI, so the Oil is thoroughly Used up, again, 50-100 miles before Oil Changed, MAYBE 240 as one poster said, MAYBE) .. THEN Changing the Oil and Filter, is a GOOD ALTERNATIVE to keeping the engien CLEANER than would be than if "Just Regular Oil Changes" were done....

... precisely so one WOULDNT have to put "A Quart or more of Automatic Trans Fluid" OR "Diesel Gas" (How does engine not catch FIRE that way!) to "Cean out" or "Flush" an engine.. in a way that WONT "Kick up a chunk of Sludge" and restrict/damage an otherwise "Fine" Engine, until (and IF) that Sludge gets Dissolved from over an Oil Passage.. in Normal Operation.

SeaFoam SAYS "Yo ucan leave it is as long as the Oil is cleaned.." They say its "Petroleum-based" so its ok.. i only wonder how it Cleans..

But yes, it seems to work well in Gas.

On This car, i will NOT be "Sucking it iin through the Brake Booster.." .. Ive always questioned that.

.. This is Post number Two for me today.. but Person in Quites: No, i was talking about Before Changign the Oil.. not Driving with it in.
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(BTW.. When you DO Suck Seafoam in through the brake Booster, you are SUPPOSED to see..)
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.. But this is in regards to Crankcase cleanng, not PCV, Fuel , or Throttle-Body Injection"Throat" Cleaning.

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A Qt of tranny fluid will not harm the engine , Diesel added and the car ran at idle for 10-20 will not catch fire .

If you have an engine sludged up that bad than you have a problem , no engine should have those issues if maintained well and the use of modern engine oils and no "mechanic in a can" is a sure fire fix for any engine problems.
 
You should consider Kano Kreen instead. This stuff is purposed for your intended use. They have a long history of successful products and its not made of Napptha or other ineffective inert ingrediants. This is an industrial product. It is aggressive. It works. Just ask the Fortune 500 companies.

They say to run it for a 1000 miles (in your crankcase and your fuel system) and then drain it. It's an aggressive cleaner and not made as Sea Foam or MMO is. Run it one pint to your oil load and then purge. New filter and then a Group II Dino oil (Walmart SuperTech). Run for another 500 miles. Then drain and use a decent dino (class II...SuperTech) and then run Auto-RX for the next 1300 miles. New filter too.

Change your filter (buy several or more PureONE filters at Mills for 5-6 bucks). Run it all through their cycles and then enter the cleaning phase at 3k miles with a good Class III oil like Rotella T6. New PureONE filter. Another 2-3000 miles.

Then, a complete change, switch over to Schaeffer oils. Moly/Penetro are the important parts of this. You'll burn more oil in the first change...after that you'll be where you can be. The best your engine can deliver.

Make sure you run Auto-RX through your tranny and steering system. At the end of a thousand miles have your Tranny and Steering System completely flushed. That means your torque converter too. Then replace all the oil with Scheaffer oils. Give them the oil to use. #204SAT All Trans Supreme.

The power steering oil is up to you. Schaeffer doesn't make steering fluid (that I'm aware of). The Auto-RX will smooth it all to new like condition.

As for your Differential, switch that at the same time. Scheaffer #293 Supreme Synthetic plus Gear Lube. It has the Moly that you need for complete protection. You'll have a servicable base to work from.

I'm switching everything over to Schaeffer lubricants. They have 150 years of experience for a reason. My outboard, my tractor and all of my vehicles. It's time to have the best. Yet, at a cost at least equal to or lower than what's on the retail shelves. Make sure you run #132 Moly EP Oil teatment for, at least, the first two oil changes.
 
JC =- To answer your Question:
Putting in Seafoam 50 miles before an oil change will not gradually clean it out.
That is a very rapid treatment, not gradual.

Use water in the intake, not seafoam,for a great and safe cleaning.
 
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Originally Posted By: mechtech2
JC =- To answer your Question:
Putting in Seafoam 50 miles before an oil change will not gradually clean it out.
That is a very rapid treatment, not gradual.

Use water in the intake, not seafoam,for a great and safe cleaning.


You, among a few others, continue to imply and state Seafoam is not safe to use in the crankcase or that it should not be used in other areas either. Please back this up with something other than your personal opinion based on what is inside the can. Show me some tangible proof that it has actually caused the damage you keep implying it will in the crankcase specifically as that seems to be the big issue with you guys.

Seafoam has been around for decades and used in the crankcase without problems. It is perfectly safe to use there. If it were unsafe I certainly would have had problems with the # of times I have used it there in some 30+ years of using/selling it. Again, please back up these assertions of yours with some real proof not opinion.

I am not trying to be a jerk but so many of you are saying this and I want to know based on what. I honeslt could care less if you like it and use it or not. To each his own. My issue is the things yo are saying when people ask about it. Reminds me of the rhetoric that gets thrown out about RP. Rumor, internet myths, and flat out misinformation being put out here about SF and it's use.

If you, and the others saying Seafoam is not safe to be used, you should have some proof. If not you should not be making such claims. If you can provide info on it causing problems or have used it yourself and had an issue that is proof and backs up the claims you make. However, if you can't provide any such links/info and you have never used it and had a problem( or even used it period )how can you make such claims?

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FWIW - as good a product as I believe SF to be I don't think running it for 50 miles will clean out a really dirty engine. It won't do such a job that fast. Will take a couple hundred miles or so to really clean things out. Will take a few applications if changed that fast. By doing it over 2-3 OCI's+( added at the end - 50 to 100 miles before an OC )it actually does make it a gradual clensing. That is why I always recommend people do it over a couple OC's vs running it for 200+ miles which can clean it too fast for the fiilter to handle.
 
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Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
If you, and the others saying Seafoam is not safe to be used, you should have some proof.


Name one mfg that recommends Seafoam.

BZZT.
 
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI


Please back this up with something other than your personal opinion

as good a product as I believe SF to be I don't think running it for 50 miles will clean out a really dirty engine.
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
If you, and the others saying Seafoam is not safe to be used, you should have some proof.


Name one mfg that recommends Seafoam.

BZZT.


Name one manufacturer that recommends any additive. Fuel or oil. Given that's...zero..all fuel and oil additives are unsafe?
 
NO!

Most of what you see that you THINK is a cleaning process is simply the smoke from the light oil and solvents that are used in seafoam, in reality there is very little cleaning going on with this stuff.

Best is to use a high detergent oil in your crankcase like Shell Rotella ....and use a 35% or more concentration of PEA based bottle of complete fuel system cleaner in your fuel system.
 
I'd use Diesel/HDEO and a high quality oil filter for a few oil changes before I used Seafoam. The extra detergents in the oil should clean out the engine gradually over time. FWIW, I think most people use Seafoam just because they like the smoke show it creates. lol
 
I'm emailing a few gasket mfgs a list of Seafoam ingredients to inquire of their compatibility. Next week I'll post their replies, which should clarify the issue.

Place your bets.

My "offer of proof" is simple. Everyone knows what brake cleaner is, right? It's a solvent that is formulated specifically not to be harmful to the rubber components in brake systems, because the ingredients in other spray solvents like Gumout, et al, simply turn rubber into mush.

If anyone with more expertise and patience would compare the CAS# and ingredient lists of Seafoam and Gumout/Carb Cleaner, it would be enlightening for the purposes of this discussion.

I suspect there is some overlap. My guess is that hot alcohol and acetone or whatever are NOT the best for seals. I could be wrong.
 
Originally Posted By: BobFout
Name one manufacturer that recommends any additive. Fuel or oil. Given that's...zero..all fuel and oil additives are unsafe?

Auto manufacturers go further than that. They recommend against using additives. Oil makers advise against additives more frequently than do the auto manufacturers. Mainly because additives generally are useless, and are more likely to do harm than to do good.

The purpose of additives like "SeaFoam" is to make the additive maker a few bucks and to provide Autozone with an object for suggestive sales, at the expense of the gullible consumer. I got hit up for Seafoam at the register just a couple of days ago. No thanks.

-Steve
 
Originally Posted By: mechjames
Any manufacturers recommend AutoRX? MMO? This is BITOG. We play around.
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Originally Posted By: sbergman27
Originally Posted By: BobFout
Name one manufacturer that recommends any additive. Fuel or oil. Given that's...zero..all fuel and oil additives are unsafe?

Auto manufacturers go further than that. They recommend against using additives. Oil makers advise against additives more frequently than do the auto manufacturers. Mainly because additives generally are useless, and are more likely to do harm than to do good.

The purpose of additives like "SeaFoam" is to make the additive maker a few bucks and to provide Autozone with an object for suggestive sales, at the expense of the gullible consumer. I got hit up for Seafoam at the register just a couple of days ago. No thanks.

-Steve



Very accurate statement.
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie

If anyone with more expertise and patience would compare the CAS# and ingredient lists of Seafoam and Gumout/Carb Cleaner, it would be enlightening for the purposes of this discussion.

I suspect there is some overlap. My guess is that hot alcohol and acetone or whatever are NOT the best for seals. I could be wrong.


Here you go. I put identical/equivalent components in the same rows:


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Clearly Seafoam is nearly identical to the Gumout carb cleaner, minus a tiny tad of MEK, and propane, which I'm guessing is being used as a propellant in this case.

The brake cleaner here is primarily acetone and methanol with CO2 as propellant.
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
I'm emailing a few gasket mfgs a list of Seafoam ingredients to inquire of their compatibility. Next week I'll post their replies, which should clarify the issue.

Place your bets.

My "offer of proof" is simple. Everyone knows what brake cleaner is, right? It's a solvent that is formulated specifically not to be harmful to the rubber components in brake systems, because the ingredients in other spray solvents like Gumout, et al, simply turn rubber into mush.

If anyone with more expertise and patience would compare the CAS# and ingredient lists of Seafoam and Gumout/Carb Cleaner, it would be enlightening for the purposes of this discussion.

I suspect there is some overlap. My guess is that hot alcohol and acetone or whatever are NOT the best for seals. I could be wrong.


Post #3 for me today..

Audi Junkie, i admire your Statement "I could be wrong." This makes me take you more seriously.

Now, znode posted up an Ingredients list.. which i must say, makes them look DIFFERENT to me! .. But one question: If "Gumpout brake Parts Cleaner" is SAFE for Rubber Seals.. then WHY wouldnt SeaFoam, seeing as its a "Light Cleaner" on top of that, be HARMFUL to seals?

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Either you just undercut your own argument, or...

Now, ive PMed a user here that puts --B-12 CHEMTOOL-- (!!!!) in the Oil BETWEEN Changes, so that it can "Soak In" and Knock some Sludge LOOSE, and Loosen it up REAL NICE! ... Seems to be AGAINST a "Gradual Cleaning" like SeaFoam...

Look. Seems they DONT recommend "Additives." But they DO selll "Sealers" for Cooling Systems (GM - Cadillac - NorthStar,) and OTHEER things.. so its the same principle from Manufacturers!!!

PRO for SeaFoam:

1) its a "LightCleaner" and SOME people say it makes their engine VERY Clean;
2) Many POSITIVE Reviewsd for it;
3) Few and Far Bewteen "SeaFoam Broke my Car" Stories.. seems it gets Burned Off and cleans "Lightly," being Petroleum-based.
4) Surely, the MIX of ingredients makes it DISSOLVE things like Sludge, GUM and VARNISH.. which im SURE has a DIFFERENT chemical make-up than "Seals!"

(To compare: People think Valvoline MaxLife is "Bad" because it "Swells" seals by "Dissolving" them. But MaxLife is a Good Oil!! .> See what im saying?)

CONS for SeaFoam:

1) People say its an "Additive," and its not; its a "Cleaner" with Multiple Uses, and SeaFoam's engineers have made it NOT Eat Gaskets and such;
2) Its not in the Oil already;
3) People at AutoZone DO sell it in people's faces, btu SeaFoam, B-12, Lucas, and techron are the ONLY ones that do ANYTHING, the STP, GumOut (no matter HOW its packed, wetc.) are Useless, and the Parts stores remain Pushy Parts places.

I know I can see mysef "Putting it in the Crankcase 100 miles before an Oil Change" then chainging Oil and Filter... the SEAFOAM and whatever it may have "LOOSENED" (Light cleaner, means "Some Not Much".. but nonetheless, taking SOME Sludge out, as Engine Flushes DO make issues..) .. and using MaxLife oil as well,. for Cleaning AND Sealing.. in case -SOME- Sludge is helping sela a gasket?

And as an aside.. Can an Engine with a Lot of Sludge have High Oil Pressures, OR what other issues cna a "Severely Sludged" Engine Experience?

And is a 1985 4.2L Inline-6 Engine a "Known Sludger?"

Thanks! TTYT!
 
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